SINGAPORE - Like most, they did not know SMRT trains could be chartered until Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) did it.
But MPs The New Paper spoke to yesterday gave their thumbs-up - on condition that such charters are not at the expense of other commuters.
On Tuesday, ACS (I) students and staff travelled on five chartered trains to watch their C Division rugby team play against St Andrew's Secondary School.
ACS (I) principal Winston Hodge had said trains were a more "cost-efficient" mode of transport.
Whether trains should be privately hired hinges on two factors, said Mr Gerard Ee, former chairman of the Public Transport Council. First, he said, it depends on whether it is cheaper than buses.
While SMRT and ACS (I) declined to reveal how much the one-way charter cost, The Straits Times reported that the price for each passenger was about $2.
This would add up to $6,000 for 3,000 students and staff. ACS (I)'s parent support group sponsored the cost.
The same number of people, ferried on buses, would set the school back by about $10,500, according to Mr Lim Yun Long, a private bus operator.
The second factor, Mr Ee pointed out, is whether other commuters would be affected.
MP Gan Thiam Poh, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for transport, agreed.
The Pasir Ris-Punggol MP said: "I like the idea. It is a seamless way of ferrying people to their destination. The only catch is to avoid the peak hours."
PRIORITY
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, who sits on the same committee, added that priority should be given to commuters.
"If (the train chartering) is done at the expense of service delivery, then it is not acceptable," he said.
Both MPs felt that SMRT should not be penalised if the trains were not chartered at commuters' expense.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA)had said on Tuesday that it is looking into taking action against SMRT for failing to seek the necessary approval.
A spokesman said the operator needed approval as "LTA is responsible for ensuring that train services to the public are provided as scheduled, and that any additional trips in the network do not adversely affect such services".
SMRT has since acknowledged this.
Before the ACS (I) charter, SMRT had worked with other schools to use its trains for events such as National Day Parade rehearsals, said Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT's vice-president for corporate information and communications.
SBS Transit, the other train operator, does not offer train chartering services, said Miss Tammy Tan, its senior vice-president of corporate communications. She added that bus charters are restricted to national events such as the Youth Olympic Games.
Of the possible penalty on SMRT, Mr Lim, who is MP for Mountbatten GRC, said: "As long as (the train chartering) doesn't affect service delivery, I don't see why we need to say this is an absolute no-no. There is scope for innovation, there is scope to allow the transport operators to think out of the box."
Adding that he saw pictures of the ACS (I) students in the chartered trains, affectionately termed the ACExpresS, Mr Lim said: "They looked like they were having a time of bonding and camaraderie. I can see why the school wanted to (charter trains) for them."
This article was first published on August 28, 2014.
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