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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Express coaches: Paying a premium for cramped rides
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->IN OCTOBER last year, my family and I bought five 26-seat bus tickets from Grassland Express for our Chinese New Year trip to visit our relatives in Ipoh. The tickets, inclusive of peak-period surcharge, amounted to $100 each.
On Jan 22, the day of our departure, what greeted us at Boon Lay Shopping Complex was a coach registered under Eagle Express rather than the regular 26-seat Grassland Express coach. We noticed that, besides our coach, there were a few more Eagle Express coaches in the vicinity. The seats were cramped and badly maintained, definitely not in the same class as the Grassland coaches.
There are a few points I would like to highlight:
- Consumers pay $100 to enjoy premium seats and the comfort offered by Grassland coaches, which the company takes pride in advertising. In the event that the company cannot cope with demand, are there contingency plans to get coaches of equivalent standard?
- The coach which was registered under Eagle Express does not have seatbelts. In the event of an accident, would Grassland Express be liable?
- Does the Consumers Association of Singapore have rules to ensure that consumers' rights and safety are not compromised, especially during peak periods when demand usually exceeds supply? Ethan Lai
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->IN OCTOBER last year, my family and I bought five 26-seat bus tickets from Grassland Express for our Chinese New Year trip to visit our relatives in Ipoh. The tickets, inclusive of peak-period surcharge, amounted to $100 each.
On Jan 22, the day of our departure, what greeted us at Boon Lay Shopping Complex was a coach registered under Eagle Express rather than the regular 26-seat Grassland Express coach. We noticed that, besides our coach, there were a few more Eagle Express coaches in the vicinity. The seats were cramped and badly maintained, definitely not in the same class as the Grassland coaches.
There are a few points I would like to highlight:
- Consumers pay $100 to enjoy premium seats and the comfort offered by Grassland coaches, which the company takes pride in advertising. In the event that the company cannot cope with demand, are there contingency plans to get coaches of equivalent standard?
- The coach which was registered under Eagle Express does not have seatbelts. In the event of an accident, would Grassland Express be liable?
- Does the Consumers Association of Singapore have rules to ensure that consumers' rights and safety are not compromised, especially during peak periods when demand usually exceeds supply? Ethan Lai
