LTA instructs oBike to remove bicycles by next Wednesday
By Amir Yusof @AmirYusofCNA
28 Jun 2018 06:20PM (Updated: 28 Jun 2018 07:16PM)
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has instructed bike-sharing firm oBike to work with its liquidator to remove its bicycles from public spaces by Jul 4, the authority announced on Thursday (Jun 28). LTA said the instruction was made so that public streets would not be cluttered with bicycles that cannot be hired.
“Should there be unremoved oBike bicycles after this date, LTA will progressively remove these bicycles from public spaces,” it said.
“oBike or its liquidator will have to pay the relevant towing and storage fees in order to claim impounded bicycles from LTA. In addition, LTA and CASE have emphasised to oBike the importance of refunding users their deposits which were placed earlier with the company,” it added.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) released the statement after it engaged oBike on its exit plans, amid concerns that its fleet of about 14,000 bicycles is currently left abandoned on streets, pavements and parks all over the country.
In a shock move, the bike-sharing operator announced on Monday that it had stopped operations in Singapore, citing difficulties in meeting the new requirements put in place by LTA to tackle indiscriminate parking.
CONSUMERS WILL BE UNABLE TO PURSUE LEGAL CLAIM AGAINST OBIKE: CASE
In a separate statement on Thursday, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) announced that as of 5pm, it had received 772 complaints from oBike customers asking for deposit refunds. The majority of the complaints were lodged over the last four days< CASE added.
CASE also said that as soon as oBike’s liquidation commences, there will be a stay of proceedings on litigation action and customers will not be able to proceed with any claims against the company.
“Once the company is in liquidation, affected consumers should file their Proofs of Debt against oBike with the appointed liquidator. Consumers should also attach copies of any relevant receipts or other supporting documents to the Proof of Debt form,” it added.
The watchdog added that, as a general principal, it encourages consumers to minimise their prepayments or deposits where possible, as their advance payment may be lost in the event of an abrupt business closure.
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Electricity tariffs to rise by 6.9% for July-September period
29 Jun 2018 10:12AM (Updated: 29 Jun 2018 10:20AM)
SINGAPORE: Electricity tariffs will increase by an average of 6.9 per cent or 1.50 cents per kWh from Jul 1 to Sep 30 this year, compared to the previous quarter, SP Group announced on Friday (Jun 29).
This is mainly due to the higher cost of natural gas for generating electricity.
For households, the electricity tariff will increase from 22.15 to 23.65 cents per kWh. The average monthly electricity bill for families living in four-room HDB flats will increase by S$5.61.
SP Group reviews the electricity tariffs quarterly based on guidelines set by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the electricity industry regulator.
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Ho Ching supports call for Singaporeans to back GST hike so that the elderly can be taken care of
By Jewel Stolarchuk -
June 29, 2018
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching, recently supported a suggestion that Singaporeans should support the impending 2 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike so that the elderly can be well taken care of.
Ho Ching, who also serves as chief executive of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, shared a post that made the suggestion on her Facebook page last week. The post, by pro-ruling party Facebook page Singapore Matters, took issue with an opposition party member’s post about how a visually handicapped elderly Singaporean was denied long-term social assistance despite being medically unfit for work.
Attempting to debunk the opposition member’s post, Singapore Matters asserted that the resident concerned already receives help from the establishment.
The group claimed that the 59-year-old resident’s rent is paid for by a Buddhist temple while the National Kidney Foundation sponsors his dialysis as well as taxi transport for dialysis sessions. The page further added that the resident’s medical treatment is fully subsidised and that he also receives sponsored daily meals and monthly food rations.
Defending that the resident does not really need monthly payouts from his Central Provident Fund (CPF) account since it would only go to “miscellaneous expenditure,” the group asked, “How much financial assistance should a person get? It also depends on the generosity of taxpayers.”
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1 July 2018 – a Sunday with double price hikes in water (15%) and electricity tariffs (6.9%)
Published on 2018-07-02 by Thomas Loh
For most Singaporeans, the weekends have been a time for family bonding and rest.
Yet starting from 1 July, they will find that merely resting at home will cost more than yesterday (30 Jun). This is because the 2nd phrase of the 30% water hike will kick in, while electricity tariffs for the Q3 2018 will be 6.9% higher than the previous quarter.
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat first announced a 30% water hike in his budget speech in Feb 2017. The increase was due to “update our water prices to reflect the latest costs of water supply”. According to the PUB, it costs $1.3 billion a year to operate Singapore’s water system, up from $500 million in 2000.
While there may be an increase in operating costs, a TOC contributor wrote last year that the whole issue of water price increase essentially stemmed from overpopulation which depleted Singapore’s existing water supply which then necessitated more expensive means of water production.
Phillip Ang – a blogger who has been advocating for government transparency – researched into the matter and found that the annual profit for SP has been making an annual profit of almost $1 billion a year for the past 13 years.
Despite such massive profits, HDB households will pay $5 to $8 more a month for their water bills with this second stage increase.
Alternative political parties have expressed strong disagreement over this matter. The Singapore Democratic Party has called this “taking advantage” of Singaporeans, considering that there are already 3 layers of tax – a Waterborne Fee, a Water Conservation Tax and a 7% GST levied on top of these 2 taxes.
On the other side of the coin, this would be the 3rd consecutive quarter in which electricity tariffs have increased. In Q1 2018, the tariffs were $0.2156 cents per Kilowatt hour, while Singaporeans will see themselves paying $0.2365 cents per Kilowatt hour now, or a 9.6% increase in 6 months.
Yet according to the Energy Market Authority in 2016, 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated using natural gas. In a separate blog post, Ang noted that natural gas prices were largely unchanged since a year ago and asked “why is PAP still justifying electricity tariff increase with increase in oil price instead of natural gas”?
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Shall we not confuse loyalty to country with loyalty to government?
Published on 2018-07-01 by The Online Citizen
by Augustine Low
It’s incredible the number of people out there who equate criticism of the government and its policies with disloyalty to the country.
Is it genuine or feigned ignorance?
These confused or ignorant souls ought to take heed of the enlightening words of the great American writer Mark Twain:
“Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
Our duty and loyalty is first and foremost to the country. Some call it patriotism; it boils down to love of country and a strong bond with the motherland.
As for the government, its duty is to serve and protect, it has to earn the loyalty of citizens.
Citizens have the right to underscore and call out perceived ills, incompetence, tardiness and injustice.
What good is a country if its citizens perpetuate the silence of the lambs? What happens if citizens choose to see no evil and hear no evil, and leave their destiny in the hands of those who may not deserve such blind, unfailing trust?
For those who choose to speak out, it is said that the motive behind criticism often determines its validity. Fair enough.
Do most of us possess any ulterior motive? We level criticism at the government because we aspire for a better Singapore (and not just materially), and because we have a stake in the future of the country.
But there are times when motives do become questionable. For example, if Malaysia and Singapore were to get into a spat, and we applaud and cheer on Malaysia, what is our motivation? Are we then not shooting ourselves in the foot?
A word of caution also to those who find every man and woman in white repulsive, and every action (or inaction) by the government repugnant. If we lump all and sundry into one basket and label it offensive and obnoxious, we risk being all bark and no bite, and we end up shooting blanks.
Ultimately, though, there’s nothing worse than to be afflicted with the disease of silence and indifference.
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https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...to-government/
For me I can safely say that I am proud and loyal to Singapore .
oBike working on refunding user deposits and collecting remaining bicycles
oBike said on July 1, 2018, that it would announce the entire refund process for users once details are finalised.
Published Jul 1, 2018, 4:30 pm SGT
Calvin Yang
SINGAPORE - Bike-sharing firm oBike, which abruptly shut down operations last week, is working closely with relevant parties on a solution to refund its users their deposits.
The Chinese-founded company, in a statement on Sunday (July 1) afternoon, apologised for the inconvenience caused to all affected parties, and is working towards solving concerns raised over the past week.
Its closure left users wondering whether they would get a refund of the deposit, of up to $49, that they had to make to use its bikes.
As of 5pm last Friday (June 29), the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) had received 884 complaints from consumers asking for oBike to return their deposits.
oBike assured users that the entire refund process will be announced once details are finalised.
Last Monday (June 25), oBike unexpectedly announced that it was stopping its operations in Singapore.
The company, which has been given a deadline of July 4 by the authorities to clear its fleet of at least 14,000 bicycles, is working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to collect all remaining idle oBikes still strewn all over the island. “We will have further discussions with LTA if we are unable to collect the bicycles in the given time frame,” it added.
oBike also said it is working closely with the Personal Data Protection Commission over its next course of action. It assured users that user data will not be sold or used for any other purpose other than for the oBike service.
oBike’s surprise move comes three weeks after another operator, GBikes, said it would stop its Singapore services from this month.
oBike, which began operations in Singapore in January last year, had told the media in January this year that it had about 14,000 bicycles and one million users.
When announcing its closure, oBike said it foresaw difficulties in meeting LTA’s new licensing requirements for the bike-sharing sector. The licensing regime, announced in March, set such standards as capping the number of bicycles offered by each firm and ensuring their users do not park the bicycles indiscriminately.
On Sunday, the company, which began operations in Singapore in January last year, added that it is “fully committed to solve these issues to ensure proper closure for our stakeholders in Singapore”.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
nitecrawllerr
So in time of war, would u be patriotic and fight alongside with the govt/saf?
I will protect my family; my love ones ; my friends ; my assets ; and my way of life . How about you ???
Hit by rising water and electricity bills, Singaporeans and businesses tighten belts
By TOH EE MING
With water tariffs and electricity bills set to go up by more than 20 per cent from this month, Singaporean homeowners and businesses are tightening their belts, and keeping a close watch on their energy and water consumption as they brace themselves for the price hikes.
Published 02 JULY, 2018UPDATED 03 JULY, 2018
SINGAPORE — Over the past year, Ghim Moh resident and fruit seller Anna Chan, 56, has been making more effort to cut down on electricity and water consumption by switching her old air-conditioner and washing machine to energy-saving models.
She recycles water from her washing machine to clean the toilets and floors, and uses water from washing vegetables for her plants. She also continually reminds her family members not to leave the tap running unnecessarily.
With water tariffs and electricity bills set to go up by more than 20 per cent from this month, Singaporean homeowners – such as Ms Chan – and businesses are tightening their belts, and keeping a close watch on their energy and water consumption as they brace themselves for the price hikes.
Ms Chan’s efforts have seen her reducing her utilities bill to about S$60 per month. “Knowing that it’s now going to be (more expensive), we definitely have to cut down our usage… If not it’s very heart pain,” she said in Mandarin.
Taxi driver Kent Chia, 46, forks out about S$100 monthly in utilities for his five-room flat, and his family-of-three is “extra mindful” of electricity and water usage, and they “save where we can”. They have a washing machine that uses less water, and they plan to wash dishes and utensils in a basin instead of individually.
Housewife Chuang Pek Yah, 62, who lives in a condo in Bukit Timah, tries to save money by dimming the ceiling lamp, and she is considering doing the laundry every other day, instead of daily.
But Madam Chuang admits that it is tough to shake off habits such as her thrice daily showers. That goes up to five times a day when she does housework in humid weather.
Her family-of-four already pay S$100 a month for their water bill, and a further fee hike would lead to her “getting very frustrated”.
Madam Chuang is one consumer who is already feeling the pinch from water hikes. The first phase of a 30 per cent increase in tariffs kicked in last July after remaining unchanged for 17 years, with the second phase starting this month.
The higher water prices spurred households to cut water consumption last year from 148 litres to 143 litres per person per day. This was the sharpest drop in at least a decade, said the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli during the Committee of Supply debate in March.
The dip was due to the increase in water prices, adoption of water-efficient fittings and appliances, as well as the wetter weather, said national water agency PUB.
HELP FOR PRICE HIKES
Electricity prices will also go up by 6.9 per cent over the next three months, as utilities provider SP Group will be charging 1.5 cent more per kilowatt hour (kWh) between July 1 and Sept 30, bringing the price to 23.65 cents per kWh. SP Group had previously attributed the hike to the higher cost of natural gas for electricity generation.
While electricity tariffs continue to rise – the first quarter of 2018 hit a new high in more than two years – it can change over time due to the volatility of oil prices.
But some households will get help to manage the price hikes, as the Ministry of Finance announced on Monday (July 2) that about 900,000 Singaporean Housing and Development Board households will receive the next instalment of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Voucher – Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebate this month. It is expected to come up to S$280 million over four quarters, starting from July.
However, local hawkers told TODAY that they are forced to swallow the cost increases, as raising food and drink prices will only drive away customers.
Some of them, including a 56-year-old noodle stall owner in the Holland Drive Food Centre – who declined to be named – have resorted to using fewer ingredients and serving smaller portions. His water bills come up to S$300 a month.
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https://www.todayonline.com/singapor...-tighten-belts
So how you guys dealing with higher electricity and water tarrifs ?
Work to remove bicycles has started: oBike chairman
Published 4 hours ago
Zhaki Abdullah
Sue-Ann Tan
SINGAPORE - Work to remove oBike’s bicycles from public places has already started, according to the chairman of the beleaguered bike-sharing firm.
Mr Shi Yi, oBike’s founding investor and chairman, said several companies have already been appointed to clear the two-wheelers from public areas, and work to remove them started on Monday (July 2).
However, he reiterated that the firm may not be able to clear all of its bikes by Wednesday (July 4), the deadline given earlier by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
oBike, which began operations in Singapore in January last year, has about 70,000 bikes here.
“Due to the scale of oBike’s operation and capacity restraints, we will highly likely require an extension,” said Mr Shi.
The LTA said on Tuesday that it would consider extending the deadline if oBike demonstrated its commitment to the “full and prompt” removal of its bicycles.
If oBike failed to do so, the LTA would begin clearing the bicycles on Thursday, and impose fees for doing so on the bike-sharing firm.
Users could face criminal charges if a police report is filed against him or her for taking an oBike home.
Related Story
Taking an oBike home is illegal - even if company has shut down, say lawyers
The Straits Times understands that various agencies such as the LTA, town councils and the National Parks Board are monitoring the situation to see if oBike will remove a significant number of bicycles, as well as whether it is making progress in areas such as user refunds and data protection.
The firm’s abrupt closure on June 25 left users wondering whether they would be able to get a refund of their deposits of up to $49, which they had to pay to rent the bicycles.
Mr Shi told The Straits Times on Monday that oBike owes its users here about $6.3 million in deposits.
Separately, ST reported on Wednesday that oBike owes more than $140,000 in fines to at least five town councils.
However, the payment of these amounts is subject to the decision of the liquidator, said Mr Shi.
“We will do our best in the interest of our users,” he said, adding that an official announcement regarding the appointment of a liquidator would be made on Thursday.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
nitecrawllerr
I contemplating migrating with whole family.
Luckily you have a choice . For me 1 don’t have a choice as I need to take care of my age parent .