Eat in train - $500 fine. SMRT service lapse - $300 fine = PTC zero logic?

[Confuseous]

PTC's fines won't deter future lapses
Letter from Alvin Choo 06:33 PM Oct 25, 2011

I read the report "SMRT, SBS Transit fined for service quality breaches" (Oct 22) and wondered why the Public Transport Council bothered to fine SBS Transit and SMRT $700 and $300, respectively, for not meeting Quality of Service standards.

SBS Transit reported a net profit of S$54.2 million last year. A $700 fine is a mere 0.00129 per cent. For SMRT, whose net profit was S$161.1 million, the $300 fine represents only 0.00019 per cent.

To corporations as big as them, the PTC fines are equivalent to a convicted serial killer serving two hours of Corrective Work Order.

Compare this to a fine of up to $500 for eating and drinking on the trains, which represents 12 per cent of the average monthly earnings (S$4,089) of workers last year.

I am not saying the size of the fine should be pegged to the profits/earnings of the corporation or individual, but it should be of an amount enough to deter, in this case, future service lapses.

Perhaps, the PTC could be

 

[Cestbon]

I always laugh at the small fine for public transport operator. If under gov should try to cover cost no need profit since it called public transport. If want to run as a company for profit just sell all the share let the private run for it. Then impose heavy fine if cannot meet the criteria.

 

[po2wq]

ze ptc is simply impotent, useless n a complete laffing stock ...

dissolf it ler! ...

 

[sam heng]

actually, the fine is much higher, but its being discounted by a higher authority committee :P

 

[chonburifc]

Even fine 700 million and 300 million is peanuts. Right pocket goes to left pocket and back to right pocket. What's new? All these wayang shows still got people believe.