Public transport council begins fare review

SINGAPORE — The Public Transport Council (PTC) today (Nov 19) announced that it has started its annual fare review exercise, and transport operator SMRT has indicated its plans to apply for a review.

Public transport operators have until Dec 19 to submit their applications, the PTC said in a press statement. The council’s decision on the applications will be made known in the first quarter of next year.

In evaluating the applications, the PTC said it will be guided by the fare review mechanism and fare adjustment formula recommended by the Fare Review Mechanism Committee and accepted by the Government in November last year.

“This will ensure a good balance between meeting the needs of the commuting public and keeping the public transport system financially sustainable,” it said.

“In discharging its responsibilities, the PTC will pay particular attention to fare affordability for the more vulnerable groups of commuters.”

In response to queries, SMRT vice-president of corporate information and communications Patrick Nathan reiterated that the operator is committed to “delivering a reliable and customer-oriented public transport service”.

“We seek a better alignment of fares and operating costs, and will be submitting our application for a fare review in the coming weeks,” he said.

The other public transport operator, SBS Transit, could not be reached for comment at press time.

Under last year’s fare review exercise, commuters had to pay between 4 cents and 20 cents more for bus or train fares, starting from April.

Overall, fares for buses and trains went up by 3.2 per cent this year and the PTC had said a similar increase may be in store next year.

Announcing the fare revisions for this year in January, the PTC also unveiled enhancements to existing concession schemes to benefit children below the age of seven, students in polytechnics and private institutions, senior citizens and heavy users of public transport.

Two new concession schemes — funded by the Government at an expected cost of S$50 million a year — were also rolled out to benefit disabled people and lower-income workers.

On Facebook today, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said the authorities must continue to make public transport affordable for all Singaporeans. “I hope that the PTC will study if we can insulate vulnerable groups such as senior citizens from a fare increase or at least mitigate the impact on them,” said Mr Lui in a post. He added that his ministry will also study how it can enhance the new concession schemes that were introduced this year.

Mr Lui said he has also asked the Land Transport Authority to study whether ongoing travel demand management efforts can be strengthened and to encourage more commuters to travel during off-peak hours.

“Perhaps the Government can introduce off-peak monthly passes; which should also help reduce the travel expenditure for this group of commuters,” he said.