I think each time the issue of transport comes about, a lot of emotions and opinions get thrown into the air.

There are, it seems, 2 camps. The Locals Vs The Foreigners.

The locals feel
- that the system isn’t good enough.

The foreigners feel
- that the locals are not aware of what they have
- the locals are not widely travelled enough.
- the system is better than many others in the world.

The truth is, everyone’s right. So why the disparity? I’m listing it down to a few things I feel contributes to the various ways of thinking…

How locals judge things and why
The marketing for our local transport system has always been preaching world-class standards. This, of course, is coupled with the work culture that demands our own work output to be world class – we’re expected to work long and productive hours with almost zero error.

World Class means efficient, effective, reliable. Basically whatever is world class should go beyond the expectations of our customers. It should pre-empt the needs of the customers. It should not have errors(and if it does, huge amounts of compensation should be given).

…and the locals have literally been bred with the mindset that to stay in the game, one has to do anything, and everything, imaginable to attain world class standards.

How the travellers and foreigners judge things
This includes Singaporeans who have been away for a long time. Having been to various places frequently, they adapt to the standards of the land and they naturally compare the infrastructure of one place to another. It seems like they make observations more than judgements.

There’s a large focus on, “Oh country A’s system is better than B. But A’s is nothing compared to C. Oh! But country D beats everyone flat out!”

The disparity
The locals judge the system based on whether the transport system meets the expectations of a ‘world-class’ system where world-class is defined by the standards that they’ve perceived for themselves.

The foreigners judge the system based on actual comparison with the standing of other nations.

So we might actually be the ‘best’. But if it doesn’t meet the ‘world-class’ standards that we’ve set for ourselves, it’s still a let down.

And if they’re not ‘world-class’ in our heads…how can they be the best? right?

What’s your take on why the difference in perception?