Use flat rates, fare caps in push for car-lite society

With the recent opening of Downtown Line 2 and the introduction of more bus services under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme, commuters are now offered more choices for their trips.

While the increased options bring increased convenience, I believe more can be done to push Singapore towards a “car-lite” society.

For instance, many of the world’s largest cities charge an affordable flat rate for rail usage.

The Mexico City rail system, one of the world’s largest and most-used rail systems, charges five Mexican pesos (S$0.40) for a trip on any of its 12 lines, while the Cairo rail system, serving another of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, charges one Egyptian pound (S$0.20) for a single trip. Despite the cheap fares, these rail systems are widely regarded as fast and efficient, with frequencies sometimes exceeding those here at peak hours.

Alternatively, in London and Sydney, the Oyster and Opal travel cards, respectively, are programmed with daily and weekly fare caps. In addition, the Opal card is programmed with an 80 per cent discount on Sundays.

In Beijing and Shanghai, the Yikatong cards have a modified version of capping transport fares. Once a commuter exceeds a pre-determined monthly public transport expenditure, he enjoys discounted fares on subsequent rides.

Having total public transport fare caps means commuters are not penalised for making many trips on the rail system.

If we want to encourage Singaporeans to adopt public transport more readily, we cannot penalise them for heavier usage of our transport network. A Smart Nation should have smart transportation pricing, and fare capping is one way to achieve this.