Operating hours of Night Rider services reduced

SINGAPORE — Due to falling ridership, public transport operator SMRT will cut the operating hours of its night bus services by more than two hours, to end at 2am. This will take effect from April 30.

Its seven Night Rider services —which run on Friday nights, Saturday nights and the eve of public holidays — will also ply routes in a single direction only, from the city to residential estates instead of looping between the city and the estates.

SMRT Director for Media and Marketing Communications Alina Boey said ridership for the Night Rider services has fallen steadily over the years to 11,000 per year as of February this year. “This translates to about 350 passengers across seven services per night, more than a 50 per cent drop since February 2008,” she said. Currently, the services run from 11.30pm until 4.30am. Ms Boey said cutting the operating hours allows SMRT to “maintain a balance between reasonable services for commuters and business sustainability”.

Night bus services were first rolled out in 2000. Providing a cheaper alternative for party-goers and night-shift workers, these services proved to be popular initially. But after a rapid growth in the number of services, operators subsequently scrapped services that were not utilised sufficiently by commuters. During their peak in 2001, there were at least 22 night bus services on the roads. Now, the number has dropped to 13. Nevertheless, in 2011, SMRT reiterated that the services had been popular as it announced a fare hike for these services.

Currently, the other public transport operator, SBS Transit, runs six Nite Owl services that ply routes from to the city to residential estates across the island. These operate from midnight to 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and on the eve of public holidays.

Commuters whom TODAY spoke to said the limited number of routes, the low frequency — the buses run at intervals of up to 30 minutes — and the long travelling time counted against the night bus services.

Still, Singapore Management University undergraduate Shelia Leow Shi Qi, 21, said SMRT’s move will indirectly hit the pockets of students such as herself. “Taking the cab will be a more expensive option due to the midnight surcharges,” said Ms Leow, who requires after-midnight transport to get home from the city about once a week. ADDITIONAL REPORTING TAN SHI WEI