Ex-SMRT CEO helped avert "huge fare rise"
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Posted: 19 March 2012 0656 hrs
SINGAPORE: Former SMRT CEO Saw Phaik Hwa has continued to share her side of the story on her personal blog, with a post on Saturday on how her leadership helped to raise SMRT's revenue, preventing "huge fare increases".
Ms Saw, who resigned in January after two major train service breakdowns on the North-South Line in December, said one of her main tasks when she joined the company nine years ago was to improve the bottom line.
"This was the first time I was faced with a business whereby costs escalated quickly but revenue did not grow at the same pace. Ridership was growing at a steady but slow two per cent annually, with limited or no fare increase," said Ms Saw, whose retail background and suitability to run SMRT had come under fire in the wake of the breakdowns.
As the company "can never cut corners" to improve margins, the "most obvious opportunity" was to make full use of its station assets - the space.
Ms Saw said the monies brought in from maximising retail and advertising space benefited commuters. SMRT managed to raise commercial revenue from S$28 million to more than S$100 million, "averting the need for huge fare increases".
Other key challenges when she became CEO included improving LRT services, which were suffering multiple stoppages, and managing the merger with TIBS.
"Delving deeper, we realised that the LRT was run as a separate company, not only legally but also in every way. For example, the strong SMRT train team was not involved in the running of the LRT trains," she said. "Thus, it was not surprising that the young LRT team was in over its head. Its actions were mainly stop-gap measures."
The company's train management eventually merged with SMRT, and problems like its "badly-commissioned geoloc system" and complicated power system were tackled.
As for the TIBS merger, which faced resistance due to "turf pride", Ms Saw said this was eventually resolved by consulting all its staff on defining its mission.
Ms Saw also addressed the criticism to her starting a blog, saying the negative comments did not surprise her.
She wrote: "Friends ask me to respond but I don't feel a need to. If you have enjoyed what I've posted so far (and I know it's not a lot), thank you for reading. If you have not found it interesting, then perhaps an alternative blog or website might better suit you. I leave it up to you."
Her last day at SMRT is April 5.
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avert huge fare rise by running the goddamned tracks to shit?
avert huge fare rise by accumulating $150million in post-tax profits by not doing maintenance?
maybe the hag-troll ex-CEO is now running for political office since HE cannot seem to stop lying
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Does she know that the space does not belong to the company? Meaning to say, they're not supposed to be make alteration in the 1st place.
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Originally posted by sbst275:
Does she know that the space does not belong to the company? Meaning to say, they're not supposed to be make alteration in the 1st place.
they can make all the alterations they want as long as they remember their core duties of public transportation.. and SAFE public transportation
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'Can never cut corners'? Sure boh?
Then can she care to explain those incredibly stupid cable ties that many expert engineers have derided?
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Originally posted by fudgester:
'Can never cut corners'? Sure boh?
Then can she care to explain those incredibly stupid cable ties that many expert engineers have derided?
the corners were not cut..
however, entire sections in the safety manual and the maintenance section was cut.. with a rusty blade
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I don't really know where they would scrimp, but if open fences to let artists come in to do their artwork is anything to go by....
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Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
NOT "sis"
it's a "bro" and a very ugly bro too!
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Originally posted by ditzy:
I don't really know where they would scrimp, but if open fences to let artists come in to do their artwork is anything to go by....
Frankly speaking, we should have given that Swiss guy a bouquet of flowers for exposing security weaknesses at SMRT depots.
SMRT should be glad that all he had was a few cans of spray paint.
If he had a few blocks of C4 or Semtex with a timer mechanism attached......
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Originally posted by fudgester:
Frankly speaking, we should have given that Swiss guy a bouquet of flowers for exposing security weaknesses at SMRT depots.
SMRT should be glad that all he had was a few cans of spray paint.
If he had a few blocks of C4 or Semtex with a timer mechanism attached......
i think SMRT still screwed up after the incident.. and if i'm not wrong, remain screwed up about their "security"
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Originally posted by the Bear:
NOT "sis"
it's a "bro" and a very ugly bro too!
Well, I hope HE goes to Mondor to join with his kinds...
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Zaobao reported that it took her 1 night to decide onto the resignation
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alamak.. a bad job done oso can talk like tat
seems sure she is joinin pap soon n make u pay n pay
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Originally posted by lce:
alamak.. a bad job done oso can talk like tat
seems sure she is joinin pap soon n make u pay n pay
can take over the other man in PM.
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Originally posted by sbst275:
Zaobao reported that it took her 1 night to decide onto the resignation
one night is all it takes...we all take countless nights thinking when she will finally resign...
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joke of the year
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One word to sum it up - self glorification
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Government provides public transport is part of their public service. Clear as water this Saw butch? was in for profiteering for the current government not for service to the public, no wonder she failed miserably.
With all the mistakes she still has not learned her lessons and go on to yuckadee yuck to boast of her "success". Tsk tsk tsk, what a shame! Thumbs down.
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Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
Well, I hope HE goes to Mondor to join with his kinds...Epic.
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I warned all of you, you better find me another cushy job so that I can buy more flashy cars and houses.
Or else I will disclose more information on my blog.
Employ me before you repent.
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There was havoc at Boon Lay ytd just because the escalator went out of action...
Actually the usual criss crossing movement didn't help either...
Had wrote to SMRT eons ago about this criss crossing... Dang, they didn't want to bother by saying there's nothing wrong...
It's ever since then I didn't bother to write in w/ anything to do w/ SMRT anymore.
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Originally posted by sbst275:
There was havoc at Boon Lay ytd just because the escalator went out of action...
Actually the usual criss crossing movement didn't help either...
Had wrote to SMRT eons ago about this criss crossing... Dang, they didn't want to bother by saying there's nothing wrong...
It's ever since then I didn't bother to write in w/ anything to do w/ SMRT anymore.
What has this got to do with the ex-CEO of SMRT?
Don't think she was involved in managing crowd control at boon lay mrt, was she? -
Originally posted by ditzy:
What has this got to do with the ex-CEO of SMRT?
Don't think she was involved in managing crowd control at boon lay mrt, was she?
It's been a old problem actually, the mess ytd only serves to amplify it -
Originally posted by winsomeea:
Government provides public transport is part of their public service. Clear as water this Saw butch? was in for profiteering for the current government not for service to the public, no wonder she failed miserably.
With all the mistakes she still has not learned her lessons and go on to yuckadee yuck to boast of her "success". Tsk tsk tsk, what a shame! Thumbs down.
They've no retained earnings, so where are they going to get money to build new bus depot in the past policy or money to buy replacement train sets..The SMRT trains in the pioneer batch are going to be replaced in 5 yrs time, and LTA is not going to folk out a single cent on it.
So you're suggesting taking up a bank loan?
Sorry, the people of the past would rather use cash as much as possible to buy their items.