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The fleet of 16,600 taxis with camera, will improve traffic users behaviour...

All 16,600 ComfortDelGro taxis to have cameras installed

SINGAPORE — All 16,600 ComfortDelGro taxis will have in-vehicle cameras installed by Dec 16, the company said in a statement today (Dec 13).

The company added that the cameras will help to better establish liability in the event of an accident, and encourage the company’s drivers to drive safely.

For privacy reasons, the cameras will only record events outside the taxi, and will not be able to be adjusted to point inwards. It will also not have any voice recording features.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/all...-installed

(13-12-2013, 05:13 PM)CityFarmer Wrote: [ -> ]All 16,600 ComfortDelGro taxis to have cameras installed

Wow! Sounds like 16,600 mobile CCTVs to me.....

I wonder if they can monetize this to, say, LTA to nab traffic offences like running red lights, bus lanes violation, weekend car violations, etc.

(13-12-2013, 05:30 PM)egghead Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder if they can monetize this to, say, LTA to nab traffic offences like running red lights, bus lanes violation, weekend car violations, etc.

It actually sounds like a good idea.

Note guidance on ridership: initial daily ridership of 75,000; at least 500,000 after all 3 stages open in 2017.
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A Straits Times Article (18 Dec 2013)
COMMUTERS can expect trains to arrive every four minutes at Downtown Line stations during peak periods.

At other times, they will arrive every five minutes on the six-station Downtown Line Stage 1 (DTL1), which opens on Sunday.

The peak periods are from 7.30am to 9.30am, 12pm to 2pm and 5.30pm to 7.30pm, said Mr Alex Goei, senior vice-president for rail operations of SBS Transit, the line operator.

Speaking to reporters yesterday at the DTL1 temporary operations control centre (OCC) in Kim Chuan Depot, Mr Goei said it takes about nine minutes to travel the 4.3km stretch of DTL1 from Chinatown to Bugis.

The other four stations on the line are Telok Ayer, Downtown, Bayfront and Promenade.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit expect an initial daily ridership of about 75,000 after the line opens. It is expected to hit at least 500,000 after all three stages open in 2017.

Train frequency on the other MRT lines ranges from two minutes to seven minutes during peak and off-peak periods.

Kim Chuan Depot is the base for SMRT's Circle Line operations. SBS Transit will share the facility till its DTL depot in Gali Batu, off Woodlands Road, is ready in 2015.

The OCC serves as the nerve centre for an MRT line. There will typically be seven staff manning the DTL1 OCC at any time.

Controllers there are able to monitor operations along the entire line via a screen that displays the location of each train along the tracks or at the stations.

Any faults, such as signalling failures, will be flagged. OCC staff will then act to correct the fault, either by resetting the train system remotely, or directing station staff to do so.

For instance, a station staff member has to board a train and and do a manual reset if its emergency brake is activated, said Mr Goei. Like the North-East Line and Circle Line, DTL trains are fully automated and driverless.

Mr Goei said SBS Transit has run "countless" tests over the past three months to minimise the chances of teething problems. The operator has also conducted simulations of various failures and joint exercises with the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

He said: "We try to be as close to the actual situation as possible, so we can be prepared for any kind of failure."

Commuters can take free rides on the DTL1 for 11 days after it opens, till Jan 1. For example, a commuter travelling from Kallang to Downtown station will have to exit at Bugis and re-enter the latter station again to enjoy free travel from Bugis to Downtown.

I like the idea. It is not directly beneficial to CD, since the ERP is paid by commuters, but it will indirectly increase taxi usage, IMO

LTA mulls discounted ERP for taxis

SINGAPORE — The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is looking into the suggestion of implementing a lower Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) rate or a discounted monthly ERP pass to encourage taxi drivers to pick up more passengers in town, the board said today (Dec 27).

The LTA today responded to suggestions made by the National Taxi Association (NTA) on improving taxi availability (TA) in the Central Business District ringed by ERP gantries.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lta...-erp-taxis

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/pub...s-increase

SINGAPORE — Starting from April 6, adult fares for buses and trains are set to increase by four to 20 cents, announced the Public Transport Council (PTC) this afternoon (Jan 16). Those paying by cash will pay more, with fares set to rise by 20 cents per trip.

For senior citizens and students, fares will increase by two to 10 cents per journey, with those paying cash having to pay more.

“Commuters are strongly encouraged to use contactless smartcards, instead of paying cash fares to enjoy lower fares,” said the PTC.

Following applications for fare hikes submitted by both SMRT and SBS Transit last month, the PTC accepted their proposals to adjust fares by 6.6 per cent – a combined quantum using the new fare formula proposed by the Fare Review Mechanism Committee and the old formula for the suspended fare adjustment exercise from 2012.

Public transport fares was last increased in 2011, while adjustments were suspended since 2012 while the FRMC reviewed the formula and framework by which public transport fares are adjusted.

In the new fare formula, the FRMC proposed that the PTC be given the discretion to defer a portion of any fare hikes to spread out the impact of large increases.

With this in mind, the PTC decided to increase fares by 3.2 per cent this year, and roll over the balance of 3.4 per cent to the 2014 exercise.

Stressing that the “issue of affordability has always been a priority” for the council when considering fare hikes, PTC chairman Gerard Ee said: “Clearly, 6.6 per cent in one go is very high, and so, to minimise the impact on commuters, it was quite obvious to us that we should just do part of the increase this year, and roll-over the rest, as provided for under the new “roll-over” mechanism as recommended in the FRMC report.”

Heeding a call from Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew to not grant any fare increase that exceeds the last year’s average national wage increase, Mr Ee also said that the 3.2 per cent increase is “significantly lower” than the expected four to five per cent increase in average national wage last year.

He said: “We don’t have the full year’s data, but it is about 4.1 per cent increase based on January to September data, and likely to be close to five per cent for the full-year because of generally better year-end bonuses for 2013 compared to 2012.”

Fares up 6.6% looks like FY 2014 results will be good for comfort delgro

Cheers ^^

Vested

For those vested and interested.

(not vested)

ComfortDelgro reports 5.7% jump in full-year profit

SINGAPORE – Transport operator ComfortDelGro on Thursday reported a 5.7 per cent jump in 2013 profit, boosted by contributions from its overseas bus operations even as its local bus business lost money for the third year running.

Net profit for the year ended Dec 31 was S$263.2 million, up from S$248.9 million in the previous year as annual revenue also surged 5.7 per cent to a new record of S$3.75 billion.

Revenue from the bus business increased 8.8 per cent to S$1.86 billion, boosted by the maiden contribution from Metroline West in the United Kingdom.

In Singapore, SBS Transit bus revenue excluding advertising and rental income increased by 7.3 per cent to S$644.9 million as average daily ridership grew by 3.4 per cent, offset partially by a 1.2 per cent drop in average fares. Including advertising and rental, total bus revenue increased by 6.8 per cent to S$682.6 million. But higher staff, maintenance and other costs meant that the local bus business incurred an operating loss of S$14.3 million during the year,

The bus business in the UK, which clocked a 24.1 per cent increase in revenue to S$671 million, continued to be the single largest contributor to overseas bus revenue. In Australia, revenue from the bus business dipped by 1.3 per cent to S$462.5 million due to the weaker Australian dollar. Revenue from bus operations in Ireland rose while those in China fell.

Revenue for ComfortDelGro’s taxi business rose by 6 per cent to US$1.2 billion. In Singapore, where it is the largest taxi operator, revenue was 8.2 per cent higher at S$892.4 million due to the higher rental income from a larger fleet, an increase in new replacement taxis and a higher volume of cashless transactions.

In China, revenue from the taxi business increased by 6.8 per cent to S$159.6 million on higher rentals for new replacement taxis and growth in fleets, while in the UK, it fell 7.1 per cent to S$117.1 million due to fewer corporate bookings. The performance in Vietnam and Australia was narrowly mixed.

Revenue from the rail business in Singapore was up 6.9 per cent at S$148.1 million as ridership for both the North East Line (NEL) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) grew. Average daily ridership for NEL and the Sengkang and Punggol LRTs rose by 6.1 per cent to 480,600 and 11.5 per cent to 78,600, respectively. If advertising and rental income was included, total revenue would have been S$164.7 million, an increase of 7.5 per cent from the previous year.

But like the bus division, the rail business incurred an operating loss for the year, losing S$5.8 million due to higher staff costs resulting from the start-up of the Downtown Line (DTL), as well as higher repair and maintenance costs.

ComfortDelgro proposed a final 4 cents per share dividend, bringing the total dividend for the year to 7 cents per share.
http://www.todayonline.com/business/comf...ear-profit

ComfortDelGro posts 9.7% rise in Q1 profit
Published on May 13, 2014 1:37 AM


ComfortDelGro’s overseas businesses accounted for 39.6 per cent of revenue, up from 38.2 per cent same time last year. -- ST FILE

By Christopher Tan Senior Correspondent

TRANSPORT giant ComfortDelGro kicked off the new financial year with a 9.7 per cent rise in first-quarter earnings to $63.3 million.

For the three months ended March 31, broad-based revenue growth outpaced rising expenses to give the group one of its most profitable quarters.

Revenue rose by 9.2 per cent to a record $950.8 million, as all businesses, with the exception of car rental and leasing, turned in rosier numbers.

Operating expenses grew by 9.6 per cent to $849.3 million, led by increases in staff, and energy and fuel costs.

Earnings per share rose from 2.74 cents to 2.98 cents, with operating margin shrinking slightly from 20.6 per cent to 19.6 per cent. Net asset value per share as at March 31 stood at 104.3 cents, up from 101.37 cents at Dec 31 last year.

ComfortDelGro said revenue was boosted by a positive foreign currency translation of $3.8 million but the same factor contributed to an additional $4.3 million rise in operating expenses.

The group's overseas businesses accounted for 39.6 per cent of revenue, up from 38.2 per cent same time last year. Overseas operating profit rose from 48.9 per cent to 50.8 per cent.

Buses remained the top contributor. Revenue rose by 13 per cent to $467.5 million, fuelled by the British and Singapore units.

In Singapore, 75 per cent-owned SBS Transit narrowed its bus operating loss to $4.7 million, from $5.4 million same time last year.

In total, bus operating profit rose from $33 million to $38.4 million.

Taxis were the second-biggest contributor, with revenue rising from $285.8 million to $305.8 million. Operating profit inched up from $32.1 million to $32.6 million, led by better rental rates in Singapore.

Automotive engineering services, which include the sale of diesel fuel to cabbies in Singapore, remained the third-biggest contributor, with revenue growing from $104.9 million to $107.5 million.

Operating profit remained unchanged at $10.3 million.

Rail revenue posted the biggest growth to $47.2 million (from $39.8 million), but profit shrank to $2.2 million (from $3 million) on the back of start-up costs for the Downtown Line.

The group's financial position remained robust. Cash and equivalents rose to $926.5 million, from $757.9 million. Total borrowings inched up from $807.9 million to $818.4 million.

Group directors said they expect most businesses to post revenue growth for the rest of the financial year but added that cost pressures remain.

christan@sph.com.sg