Taking public transport? Fares to go up by 10 cents per journey from Dec 28

Adult commuters taking public transport can expect to pay 10 cents more per journey starting from Dec 28.

Meanwhile, concession card holders will see an increase of 4 cents per journey. This group includes students, seniors, persons with disabilities, and those on the Workfare Transport Concession Scheme (WTCS).

The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced the revised fares at a press conference on Monday (Sept 9), noting that it has granted a 6 per cent overall increase in fares, which is less than a third of the 18.9 per cent maximum allowable quantum. The remaining 12.9 per cent will be deferred to future fare review exercises.

Graduating students will continue to enjoy concessionary fares for four months after the end of their course of study, the PTC said. This extension will apply to students whose concession eligibility ends on or after Dec 28, 2024.

The change, which is expected to benefit around 75,000 graduating students a year, comes after Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat asked the PTC earlier this year to look into ways to help students and their families better manage the cost of transition between different stages of schooling, or between schooling and entering the workforce.

To help moderate the fare increases for commuters, the Ministry of Transport is providing an additional $250 million in support to help cover the cost of deferring this year's fare increase quantum, on top of the $2 billion in operating subsidies already provided for public transport annually as well as the additional funding of up to $900 million for the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme. 

The measures include providing Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs) worth $60 each for lower-income households, up from the $50 PTVs that were provided from the previous fare review exercise.

In addition, the income eligibility criteria for PTV has been raised to cover resident households with a monthly household income per person of not more than $1,800, up from $1,600. The move, which will start by the end of this year, is expected to benefit an additional 60,000 households.

"We understand that cost of living is a key concern for Singaporeans, and as much as we can, we want to keep the keep the financial impact of fare adjustments manageable for commuters," said PTC chairperson Janet Ang at the press conference.

But energy prices, which rose sharply in 2021 and 2022, have not fully receded, while core inflation and wage growth remain high relative to the pre-Covid years. "Together, this means that the cost of operating our public transport system remains elevated," she explained.

She noted that the PTC has not granted the full allowable fare increase quantum in the last few years, and as a result fares have not kept up with the higher operating cost environment that public transport operators face today.

The 6 per cent fare increase announced in the latest fare review exercise is a necessary step to narrow the gap between fares and cost. "Otherwise, the alternative is to have the Government, or more rightly taxpayers, provide additional subsidies to cover the increased costs of public transport," she said.

ALSO READ: Who will bear the cost? Chee Hong Tat shares why suggestions on freezing public transport fares are 'not sound'

benjamin.chia@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.