SMRT says it can run NEL better than SBS - Saw P H
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120026538786587001.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
When SMRT's mileage cannot be compared to 2002 yet ridership in 2007 is higher than 2002's level -
defintely!
she will save train trips having packed like sardines trains~ -
Let SMRT run NEL is the end of the rail industry for Singapore.
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Straight-Talking Transit Manager Stays on Track
Singapore's Saw Brings Perspective Of a Retailer to SMRT
January 14, 2008
SMRT Corp.'s chief executive, Saw Phaik Hwa, is well known in Singapore for her bold retort to the government's overtures for the island republic's two rail operators to merge: "Make me an offer I can't refuse," she said.
The straight-talking Ms. Saw makes no secret of her belief that SMRT, which has contracts from the government to operate the two largest of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit lines, should be the sole rail operator. And while she believes that SMRT can also run the system's third, and smallest, mass-transit line better than rival SBS Transit Ltd. now does, she wasn't willing to consider buying the rail line four years ago, which then was losing about S$20 million, or about US$14 million, a year.
That was barely a year after Ms. Saw took over the helm as SMRT Corp.'s first woman leader and first chief executive from a private-sector background in December 2002. Previous chief executives of the mass-transit operator, which has been listed on the Singapore Exchange since 2000, were men who had trooped in from the military or public service.
Ms. Saw, 52 years old, spent her career in retail. A graduate of the National University of Singapore with a degree in biochemistry, she started with department-store operator Metro Group and spent more than 20 years at DFS Venture Singapore Pte., working her way up to become its first Asian and female regional president.
She has tapped her sales background to add retail space at SMRT's 51 rapid-transit stations. Rental income from retail outlets at the stations rose 13% to S$9.8 million in the fiscal second quarter ended in September, adding to a 5.2% year-over-year increase in total revenue, to S$197.3 million, for the quarter.
However, the issue of a merger still looms. In April, ComfortDelGro Corp., a Singapore-based global passenger land-transport company and SBS Transit's parent, proposed that the government restructure Singapore's public-transport industry, either by merging the two operators or having one run the buses and the other the trains. Should that happen, Ms. Saw would be no stranger to the upheaval that every merger or acquisition entails; one of her first tasks as SMRT chief executive was to oversee the integration of bus operator TIBS Holdings after the companies merged in 2001.
Tor Ching Li interviewed Ms. Saw, a Kuala Lumpur-born, Singapore permanent resident, at her office.
WSJ: What was your first job and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?
Ms. Saw: I started work as a department manager at Metro in Lucky Plaza. We were the first batch of graduates the company hired as managers, so the people we had to manage had 20 to 30 years' retail experience. But I quickly realized that most of the things you need to know as a manager don't take 20 to 30 years to pick up. So I learned that you need not be overawed by other people with more experience. Of course, a degree of continuity is needed. If you don't have the "buy-in" of the people who work with you, you will fail -- because they will make sure you do.
WSJ: Who gave you the best business advice?
Ms. Saw: No one person can give you the best advice, since the business world is highly complex. Of course it's good to listen to advice, but not necessarily to always take heed, for the simple reason that different people do things differently, and events take place under different circumstances. As long as decisions are made in the company's best interest, then you should be fine. You will never be absolutely right, but at least you will be more right than wrong.
WSJ: Do you find it challenging to manage a publicly listed company that operates a public service?
Ms. Saw: Unlike running DFS, where all you have to worry about is the bottom line, here you also have to think about what is best for the country and the people. First you have to believe in what you are doing, which is clearly stated in our business mission, vision and core values: "Moving People, Enhancing Lives." Then, we believe in giving back to society, not just in monetary terms to charity, but also by giving time to our chosen causes, which are the young, the elderly and for health. For example, we use our network of train stations and trains for an annual blood donation drive for the Red Cross. Over the years, we've managed to cultivate the spirit of volunteerism in our staff.
WSJ: Was it difficult coming into a company that had usually been run by men from a military background?
Ms. Saw: In all my jobs, I've always either been the first Asian, or the first woman, or both. Of course, in my first year here I had to do some housekeeping, after the merger of SMRT with TIBS Holdings in 2001. I felt it was very important to have a common mission and vision. So, we gathered about 300 executives and asked them to brainstorm what they felt was our corporate identity. We then shared the first cut, which was "Connecting People, Enhancing Lives" with more of our staff, who felt that "moving" described what we did better than "connecting," so that's what we have now. And our staff embraces our mission and vision because they created it.
WSJ: What's the one thing you wish every new hire knew?
Ms. Saw: That we don't owe them a living, and that every job shouldn't be confined to the job description. You should just do what you have to do, or should be done. At the end of the day, ask yourself if you have made a positive difference. If you have, then you have earned an honest day's salary. We've started leadership-training sessions at every level for our staff, because people have to make important decisions every day, and if bad decisions are made, then things will turn out a mess. I've personally conducted around 30 three-hour sessions for batches of 15 executives at a time, to stretch their minds and encourage more risk-taking, as well to help them understand themselves better.
WSJ: What are the three most important attributes of a good manager?
Ms. Saw: First, realize that managing is not just about yourself. Your colleagues must want you to lead, and have faith in you, and you have to show them that they can be just as good. Second, is to think critically and analytically, so as to be able to take calculated risks based on statistics. Last, a good manager must be able to effect change. If things just stay the same, you are not managing. -
actually the standard of SMRT is going downhill...........
just less than 2 weeks ago there is a train disruption during peak hour in the west and today we have a even bigger disruption....... this time in the east.......
last time when there is boon lay - pasir ris and boon lay - changi airport train in conjunction the train frequency is like around 2-3 minutes (for east west line) while when changi airport line was separated from east west line the frequency changes to 3-5 minutes but still acceptable?
but now? more MRT commuters and the waiting time can be 7 minutes for peak hours and 10 minutes during off peaks!
furthermore even with more commuters, they seems to hv no intention to increase the train frequency.....
maybe those SMRT big heads can come down to boon lay MRT on a weekday morning and see how drastic the situation is....... -
I think SBST can run better if they were to take over NSL and EWL.
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Running public transportation is not like being a retailer... Save those lucky draws for better maintained buses and more frequent trains
Public transport is a necessity... Retailer those concepts are more like 'want' than 'needs' -
I saw that lady on the news... I dun like her.
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yea.. smrt is getting worse n worse day by day..
like what the report said, she was from retail. and as a worker from the private sector in retail, our mrt network has been transformed into a huge retail business..
it's crap IMO.
every wall, screen, space has been fully utilised to ADVERTISE! I strongly think that reducing the frequency of the trains was done ON PURPOSE to keep commuters stuck in the train network and thereby increasing the time exposure to the advertisements and increasing viewership and ratings for the adverts.
another thing is that there used to be posters stating SMRT's dedication to efficiency.. something like 9x.x% of trains must arrive on time with a 0.xx% breakdown rate etc..
or like 9 in 10 trains must be xxx
WHERE DID THOSE PROMISES GO? thrashed! replaced by ADVERTISEMENT POSTERS!
WTH?
Plus let's not even start with the plasma screens.. every platform only has ONE. it's not in the MIDDLE, it's off centre to one side. YOU CAN'T SEE ANY XXX FROM THE OTHER SIDE. If you strained your eyes, perhaps you can see la.. like BOON LAY 3 MINS.
but how long does that LARGE TEXT INFORMATION appear? The last time I saw it, it appeared for UNDER A SECOND, before an advertisement replayed.
advertisement - 3 mins, infomation, 1 second.
Seriously, which is more important? PLUS, there is the scrolling ticker. heck, if you wanted to blast an advert, at least have the train info on the small ticker section, scroll messages only if HIGHLY URGENT, or when the LARGE TEXT is displayed.. so that at any one time, commuters can see the necessary info.. but NO.. ADVERTISEMENTS MORE IMPORTANT!
I wonder if she even takes the train.. or just drive to smrt hq everyday..
Haiz........ I think I can do a better job than her in serving the people.. but i'd probably drive smrt into the red.. lol.
maybe they should haf 2 heads.. one to serve, one to worry about the bottom line.. or perhaps turn SMRT into a NON PROFIT ORG. -
I HATE HER!Originally posted by wonderamazement:I saw that lady on the news... I dun like her. -
Originally posted by sBs_boy:I think SBST can run better if they were to take over NSL and EWL.
"one of her first tasks as SMRT chief executive was to oversee the integration of bus operator TIBS Holdings after the companies merged in 2001.
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i think (some of u might nt agree) this was a bad thing. those who lives in the north and north west side shld noe why. More imrpovements can be made to the SMRT bus service in my opinion. -
STFU seriously.
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She drives a Merdz Sports car. If i wasnt wrong.Originally posted by Vigelic:I wonder if she even takes the train.. or just drive to smrt hq everyday... -
Well do you pple think a rich woman like her will take the train to work ? Unlike SMRT , SBS have a policy of asking the executives to take public transport esp by sbs to know how was the quality of their service and give feedback to the director for reference every first day of the month . But how many pple does that of cos i duno .
And secondly i have friends from smrt telling me that they can have 5 pple in a team going to attend a fault . BUT only one person is doing the fault while the rest is actively using " eye power " . -
Check out what happened during the delay:
- Train operated at 28-minute frequency aka only 1 train although it is possible for 2 trains to run simultaneously from Pasir Ris to Tampines followed by single track from Tampines to Tanah Merah.
- MRT Shuttle bus driver did not know how to drive to the next station.
- Had to charter 40 SBS Transit buses out of the 70 for MRT Shuttle because SMRT Buses not enough.
Point: SBSTransit is much more better, EFFICIENT and HUMBLE than SMRT. -
Better as in?
Productively more efficient? Allocatively more efficient from social point of view? Allocatively more efficient from SPH's point of view? Dynamically more efficient?
I don't like her...and her dyed red + one patch of green hair. -
whoeevr gives a 2min frequency during peak hour will be the better option.
i don't care who gives it, as long as someone does. -
Correction: 30 sbst busesOriginally posted by NickL_C151:Check out what happened during the delay:
- Train operated at 28-minute frequency aka only 1 train although it is possible for 2 trains to run simultaneously from Pasir Ris to Tampines followed by single track from Tampines to Tanah Merah.
- MRT Shuttle bus driver did not know how to drive to the next station.
- Had to charter 40 SBS Transit buses out of the 70 for MRT Shuttle because SMRT Buses not enough.
Point: SBSTransit is much more better, EFFICIENT and HUMBLE than SMRT.
oh and i hope saw gets fired. seriously. her priorities are all wrong. or perhaps smrt shouldn't be a listed company -.- everything's all wrong.. mebe i shld live in japan or taiwan. hmm. -
Exactly! though i used to like SMRT alot and strongly dislike sbst in the past (no offence!) i really feel that the SPH's entry into SMRT, tied together with the commencement of duopoly with the start of NEL killed SMRT...
Back since SMRT started till 2003, it has been running really efficiently at intervals up to 5 mins during off peaks and 3 mins max during peaks...
and ever since this accident happened SMRT has become some crappy branded company that doesnt care much for service any longer...
Sad story that is...