My salute to a charismatic Chief Executive

1. shared visionCommunity Outreach Programme for People’s Association
Land Transport
Authority
WE KEEP YOUR WORLD
MOVING
WEDNESDAY, 19 MAY 2010
MICHAEL YAP
Five years ago, an air force
general drove through the gates
of Hampshire to assume the top
post as Chief Executive of Land
Transport Authority. He exuded
boundless energy. His giant steps
were almost impossible to keep
up. We were amazed by his
friendliness and indefatigable
persona. This certainly wasn’t a
leader who manages at the com-
fort of his throne. He rolled up
his sleeves and were very much
on the ground. He lead by
example, both professionally
and socially.
Mr Yam Ah Mee was a Chief
Executive whom rowed the
dragon boat along side his com-
rades, dressed like a biker in a
leather jacket during one of the
LTA Dinner & Dance and played
pool with fellow colleagues at
the Recreation Club. He was
even game enough to take to the
cat-walk to raise funds for char-
ity at the Circle Line Discovery
Day in April 2010.
As Chief of the LTA, Mr Yam
has led major initiatives to pro-
mote public transport, optimise
road use and expand community
engagement programmes across
Singapore.
Mr Yam was perhaps the per-
fect embodiment and manifesta-
tion of LTA’s Corporate Vision
to create a people-centred land
transport system. His focus
and emphasis have always been
on people; the community we
serve.
To paraphrase a 12th century
theologian and author John of
Salisbury: “We are like dwarfs
sitting on the shoulders of a
giant. We see more, and things
that are more distant, not
because our sight is superior
or because we are taller, but
because he raise us up, and by
his great stature add to ours”.
Mr Yam has been appointed
PA Chief Executive Director-
designate from 1st May and
will take over from MrTan Boon
Huat as the CED from 1st June
2010. Even at this transitional
stage of his career, Mr Yam has
already begun to forge a solid
bridge between his ex-colleagues
in LTA with his new colleagues
at PA. This networking maestro
had laid the tracks for both PA
and LTA staff to come together
to share best-practices and
knowledge in varous aspects
such as public relations, com-
munity engagement and public
education.
When Mr Yam knew that LTA
is organising a Community Out-
reach Programme for PA on 19
May, he rescheduled his meeting
with the senior management of
PA. His intention was crystal
clear. He wanted to free their
schedules so that they could
attend LTA’s COP session.
105 staff, including the Group
Directors, Directors, Deputy
Directors, Group Constituencies
Managers and Senior Constitu-
encies Managers of PA attended
the COP. LTA shared with PA
counterparts the Distance Fares
scheme which will be launched
on 3rd July 2010.
Although LTA and PA have
always shared close working rela-
tions, such a great show of sup-
port from PA could only come
as a result of the man whom we
have grown to love and respect.
Deep in our hearts we know
that LTA can always count on
Mr Yam. He may have left LTA,
but LTA will always have a place
in his heart.
We Can See Further
Senior Management and staff from the People’s Association pre-viewed the new Downtown Line train and also visited the Land Transport Gallery at Hampshire Road
DISTANCE
FARES
Pay By Distance,
Choose Your Route
DISTANCE FARES, what
is this new fare system about?
105 staff from PA attended a
briefing session on this at LTA
Hampshire Road Auditorium
on Wednesday afternoon, 19
May 2010.
For those who were unsure
as to why they were invited to
this briefing, LTA’s Acting Chief
Executive, Mr Lim Bok Ngam
cleared the air: “It is because
all of you are important part-
ners who have helped LTA to
broaden our land transport
network and outreach with the
community. I’m sure our Project
Communications colleagues as
well as Community Partnership
colleagues are no strangers to all
of you. Today is also an occa-
sion where we want to show our
appreciation to all of you for the
ground support rendered to LTA
all these years.”
“In fact, PA and LTA share
many common interests and
a central vision. I understand
that in PA, you have a corporate
positioning statement that goes
“Our Community, My Respon-
sibility”. For LTA, our corporate
positioning statement is “We
Keep Your World Moving”.
Both statements underlie a simi-
lar vision to take personal owner-
ship in whatever we do to make
a difference in our community.”
Mr Lim’s welcome address set
the stage for an intensive sharing
of the new fare system which we
call Distance Fares.
In a nutshell, our partners
at PA learnt that 7-in-10 com-
muters will benefit from Dis-
tance Fares in terms of savings
in weekly expenditure. Today’s
concession groups (senior citi-
zens, children/students) should
also benefit from Distance Fares.
In addition to discounts off
adult fares, journey fares for the
conession groups will be capped
at 7.2km. There will be a full
2.5% fare reduction for 2010
together with Distance Fares.
There will no longer be fare pen-
alty on transfer journeys. In fact,
with Distance Fares, commuters
can make up to 5 transfers in a
journey, up from maximum 3
transfers prior to Distance Fares.
The new fare system will take
effect on 3rd Jul 2010.
Some felt that there were
simply too much information
shared in such a short time.
Some were understandably
overwhelmed. Generally, our PA
partners did manage to gather
the essential facts and benefits
of Distance Fares. With it, com-
muters pay according to the total
distance travelled. And that com-
muters will have the flexibility to
choose their travel options that
suit them best. Participants were
also asked to give their feedback
to five pre-recorded messages on
Distance Fares that LTA intend
to air over the radio.
During the Q&A session,
some valid concerns were raised
for LTA to address and follow
up. Some of the participants
expressed their concern that it
would be a challenge to change
the commuting habits of con-
cession groups such as senior
citizens and students. They are
so used to the old system of flat
rate for feeder bus services that
they may forget to tap out before
alighting from the bus.
“Constant reminders should
be made by LTA at least for a
period of six months so that
all commuters know what to
do with regard to the new fare
system call Distance Fares.” - Mr
Shanker Sivaram, Assistant Con-
stituency Manager for Admiralty
Constituency Office.
“Please consider making it
more convenient for senior
citizens to seek refund at all bus
interchanges, instead of only at
Transit Link Office. At least for
the initial period after implen-
tation of Distance Fares.” - Mr
William Yeo, Deputy Constitu-
ency Manager for Bedok Res-
ervoir-Punggol Constituency
Office.
Amongst the wish-list of novel
ideas that LTA had received
through the survey form after
the session is the request for LTA
to develop and launch the Dis-
tance Fare calculator on iPhone
App Store. One participant sug-
gested that LTA dissemniate the
information of Distance Fares
through Facebook and Twitter.
It was indeed a very fruit-
ful session as frank views were
exchanged and ideas shared. As
Mr Lim Bok Ngam aptly puts it,
there will be many more oppor-
tunities for PA and LTA to work
together to help bring about a
people-centred land transport
system.
Some of the publicity materials that LTA had flooded island-wide to publicize Distance Fares to commuters.
How to fully enjoy Distance Fares?
SIX POINTS TO REMEMBER
• Pay with an EZ-link or
NETS Flashpay stored value
card.
• You may make up to 5
transfers within a single journey,
with a 45-minutes allowance
between each transfer.
• You can take up to 2 hours
to complete your journey.
• You can enter and exit the
train network only once in a
journey.
• You should not take the
same bus service number more
than once in a journey.
• Senior citizens enjoy con-
cession fare for journeys that
start after 9:00am on weekdays
and throughout the operating
hours on weekends.
People’s Association
OUR COMMUNITY,
MY RESPONSIBILITY