A father of a young child took to social media on Tuesday (June 9) to air his grievances about having to tap out of the gantry at an MRT station before he could pass his daughter to his in-laws.
In an open letter addressed to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, user Daniel Chow, 33, said he and his wife sometimes have to work on Saturday mornings and he would take the train and pass his child over to his in-laws.
While most SMRT station staff would grant his request to open the side gate beside the gantry so that he can push his pram through, one station manager would insist that he tap out and exit the gantry.
"Fertility rate is dropping. Cost of living is rising. And I have to waste $2 each time? Imagine a single parent who has to seek the parents' help on a daily basis, it will cost an additional $80 a month," wrote the fitness specialist.
Chow's Instagram post has garnered nearly 10,000 likes and almost 3,000 reposts, sparking discussion and debate online.
In an online statement on Friday, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) acknowledged Chow's frustration but reiterated that its rules are applied "judiciously and with compassion".
"We understand the commuter's frustration – managing work, childcare, and a young child on the move isn't easy.
"There are rules and regulations on the MRT for reasons such as safety, security, passenger comfort, fairness, etc. Our public transport workers apply these rules judiciously and with compassion," said the authority on Facebook.
"Similarly, our public transport workers have been assisting families by applying the rules with kindness most of the time and opening the fare gate to facilitate such transfers. There is also an existing solution that can help – children who qualify for free travel can apply for a child concession card which allows them to tap in and out easily, for free," added LTA.
The authority also noted that Chow had turned down an offer from SMRT to meet for a chat. LTA also refuted Chow's claims that SMRT staff were unhelpful.
Replying to AsiaOne, Chow felt it was more convenient to pass his daughter to his mother-in-law as she could easily bring his daughter to a nearby hawker centre for breakfast.
"I do not want to tap out to save money," said the 33-year-old father, adding that he is self-employed with a mortgage for his resale flat.
Chow also acknowledged that SMRT had reached out to him on Wednesday to look into his feedback and "provide a more detailed response".
He said he did not take up the offer to meet with SMRT's head of community engagement as he did not want to waste his time.
He added that many parents have also told him that he could get an EZ-Link card for his daughter that would allow him to tap in and out of the gantry for free.
He said he was upset by how the SMRT station manager failed to offer this solution during a heated conversation.
"Instead of offering empathy, the staff kept insisting he was just doing his job, it was due to security reasons and other passengers would complain about this unfair treatment."
@asiaone The man chose not to respond to SMRT's offer to meet to provide an explanation, according to LTA. #sgnews #singapore #mrt #publictransport ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, an SMRT spokesperson reiterated that the public transport operator has reached out to engage with Chow directly.
"We have also spoken with our staff on circumstances when some discretion can be exercised — as the majority of our station staff did in this case," they added.
Parents and caregivers with infants or young children who require help can approach station staff, said the spokesperson.
"They can also apply for a concession card at SimplyGo ticket offices for free travel for their child if they are between 0.9m and 1.2m tall, as long as they are below seven years old and not studying in a primary school yet," added the spokesperson.
In its statement, LTA said more information on navigating Singapore's public transport system with young children can be found online.
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laili.abdeen@asiaone.com
