On one the
afternoons, we took the public bus from a shopping mall in order to get to my
sister’s apartment. The London’s bus transport system is similar to the Ez-link
card system in Singapore. The bus was travelling and subsequently pulled over
at a bus stop for passengers to board and alight. People were tapping their
cards while they were boarding and disembarking. Suddenly, something out of the
ordinary caught my attention. A grown man had just boarded the bus via the rear
door without tapping his card! It was as though he was an NUS student taking
the school’s internal shuttle bus! I was expecting a response from either the
bus captain or the passengers, but surprisingly, all of them had no reaction. It
was as if his actions were normal! If he were to do that in Singapore, he
would definitely be stopped by the bus captain or receive alarmed expressions
from the passengers!
Being puzzled
by his actions, I asked my sister who has been working in London regarding this
bizarre scenario. She explained that
such cases were a common sight and has already become a social norm.
Actually,
even till now I am still not very sure why such an act is acceptable in a
developed nation like London. So guys, it would be great if any of you know why
and feel free to give me your opinions on this!
Hey Gang Rui!
ReplyDeleteSound like quite an interesting case you've encountered. I don't think the what he did would be accepted in Singapore. I guess because Britain is a welfare state so perhaps they would allow such things to happen. To my knowledge, people in India and certain parts of China are allowed to just hop on the bus from the rear door. In some cases, there probably isnt even any need to pay the fare. I think its a case of how strictly the rules are enforced.
Looking at it from a reversed point of view, if Londoners come to Singapore, they would also be quite shocked(must like you were) at the strictness of our enforcement systems. They wouldn't be allowed to smoke under shelters, no chewing gums, no littering, no alot of things that they are allowed to do in their country. I guess that's why Singapore has been labelled the 'fine' city. In Singapore, we have forged a 'clean' image culture(due in part to the face saving idea), so if you don't attend school, you're the exception rather than the norm. In other parts of the world, this might not be so.
yea i guess the difference in cultures does matter!
DeleteHey Gang Rui,
ReplyDeleteI was in London too and the place and people are surely some of the coolest people I've met. As for the bus incident, I'm sure the people minded. However, voicing out your concerns and not approving of an action are two entirely different things. Furthermore, the amount charged on each bus trip might be too trivial for the others on the bus to take action. Leon's theory of the welfare state induced apathy would then make sense.
But we should look at it in a broader context. For an example,in Singapore sometime back there was a survey where they asked citizens whether they would take action if they saw a man VERBALLY abusing a woman in public. I can't remember the numbers but I think the majority of Singaporeans would go about their own thing. In London, a friend told me how he saw a man forcefully grab a woman's elbow. The people around them proceeded to give him a good tongue lashing.
My point is, sometimes different people perceive offences differently and what might be serious to us might not be as big of a deal to someone of a different culture.
Cheers,
G.
hahahaha the survey about Singaporean behaviour is really quite true. I guess if the government could do something to change this culture of ours we would be a much better nation!
DeleteHey Gang Rui,
ReplyDeleteI understand your shock finding that case. Event in Indonesia, it is impossible for not paying bus fare. Probably, just like govin said, people there did not react because that was not offended yet for them. They have different definition in strictness. It reminds me for some norm i find in NUS. Here, I can wear flip-flop to school, eating and drinking in classroom. While in my home university, mostly, lecturers do not allowed students do that. Event walking in school area (not in class) wearing sandal, some lecturers event cant stand it.
Hmmm so i guess you feel life is much better in this university!
DeleteHi Gang Rui,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. But as Govin mentioned, maybe to them, the fare is too small an amount to justify a commotion or transport delay.
Unlike Singaporeans who kick up a fuss for the most trivial of issues, the Londoners don't. And vice versa of course. Singapore is indeed very strict and rigid.
Cheers!
Hi Gangrui
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings after reading your blog post. Sometimes I wonder why must the bus driver in Singapore be so mean and have no empathy for commuters who do not have sufficient cash to travel. I personally came across a bus driver who scolded a foreign worker for not putting sufficient coins into the collector. I understand that the bus captain have strict guidelines set aside for them by the company, but I do not agree that it justify scolding someone who have financial difficulties paying for transportation fee. We were brought up in a society where we were trained and taught to follow strictly to rules and regulations or risked facing severe penalties. Somehow people are starting to have less empathy for others, like what Govin has mentioned in some report that majority of Singaporean ‘will go about their own thing’ when encountering a man verbally abusing another women. This is not a positive sign for a developed society, as we tend to ‘mind our own business’ and not have any empathy for others.
Chris