My 1 cent is bigger than a bullock cart wheel…

Ah… transportation… the lifeblood of any civilisation … its not so long ago .. we have to feed our own horse … avoid horse crap on the floor while we make our way to the next town to trade our produce/look for a fight (if you are a swordsman)/look for a fark (if you are a geisha)/ look for a fark and a fight (if you are a horny swordsman) … but i digress…

fast forward 600 – 900 years … we have a myriad of technologies that keep us moving faster… in greater comfort… and some say in style…
the rich can afford their personal transport … while the masses have a variety of public transportation to choose from (buses, rail, taxis etc)… surely a far cry from the old days where the masses walk … and the rich content with a bumpy sedan chair ride … surely we’ve progressed don’t you think …

but being a typically anal-retentive cow that i am … i don’t agree…. i long romanticise about the days where we can walk vast distances and choose from a variety of environmentally friendly alternatives to move overselves from Pt A to B (yes horse manure is a fertisers for you city folks) …
when you live in a city that is really small and is highly regulated (in my opinion… the most regulated in South East Asia) … you are somehow deemed to be a ‘lucky person’ who do not need to starve/be part of a genocide/beaten up/experience natural disasters like our more unfortunate counterparts… hence it is also assumed (at least by the relevant authorities) since we are so lucky.. we should also be thankful of the public transportation that is ‘provided’ for our ‘convenience’ at ‘first world’ standards.

stop right there … but why do i and my fellow cows living in your country doesn’t share the same sentiment?
Are we:
- chewing on too much curd
- smoking something we are not supposd to
- not ‘scholarly’ enough
- does not possess the ‘mandate of heaven’ to justify any form of feedback
- just a number to be ‘milked’

one thing for sure … public transport around these parts are deemed public but have the following features:
- they consistently make multi million dollar profits
- they justify ‘upgrades’ to their services in the most thinly disguised way of commercialism (do we really need TV screen on buses?)
- employees who ‘captains’ the buses suffer from leg spasms … thus causing rocking motion for additional pleasure (wrong business models anyone?)
- public service is deemed as taking additional funds from consumers and then using a ‘special fund’ to give back to the needed who may not be able to afford ‘public transport’
- none of the top executives have ever taken public transport before but are authorised to plan it for the future of millions …

Strangely… even the most ah beng economist will tell you that:
- public services are provided sometimes at a loss because the responsiblities generally fall to the government (henceforth known as ‘gahmen’) as the private sector may not provide adequate service to encourage economic growth
- gahmen generally supply such services because they are interested in economic growth and general wellbeing of their citizens

however the truth is that:
- public service need to make enough money (sorry .. correction … they need to grow their profits .. just making money is not enough)
- public service must be run like the private sector if not it’ll be inefficient (wow have you tried to look for a gahmen person at 4.45pm ? they don’t exist i tell you)
- they think they are doing you a favour if not you can jolly well set up your own gahmen sonny boy!!!

oh well … since we can’t do much about it .. i have the following suggestions to help improve the bus service in our tiny nation
- since we are so into integrated resorts … we should retrain bus captains as gondola captains .. if it works in Las Vegas .. it’ll work here babe!
- we can tie in with the need to increase our population with the driving habits of public transport …. “love buses” or “love trains” with super tinted windows should be use occasionally … after all … lots of teenagers are already doing it anyway
- people who can’t pay for public transport (yes … poor people) … can offer alternative payment .. such as deposits of blood or other bodily fluids in place of real money

After all … we all need to ‘sacrifice’ for the progress

There is no ‘free lunch’ ladies and gentlemen …
(then again what do you call VIPs who attend conferences who give such quotes? …. hmmm i must be too underpaid to know.. hey what do i know.. i am a cow …. moooooo )