Bus fares to go up by 1 to 2 cents from Oct 1

Again?? Seems like it's increasing every year since 2005. PTC approved the hike again this year making it the 3rd after the 66.6%. The increment in '05 is 10c, '06 is 3c & this time '07 is 2c. A 5c increase since '06. Do you consider this a near monopoly status??

Bus fares will go up by one to two cents from Oct 1, the Public Transport Council announced on Tuesday. But there will be no increase in train fares. Senior citizen concessionary EZ-Link bus fares, which are flat fares pegged to the lowest adult EZ-Link fare band will also increase by 2 cents, up from the current 65 cents.

Back then, the operators blamed high costs - in particular the high price of fuel and manpower - for the need to raise their fares. They are citing the same reasons this time. SBS Transit, part of the ComfortDelGro group, for instance, said their costs have gone up significantly.