More bus services, up to 80% off fares: LTA expands peak-hour crowd management scheme for north-east commuters

Commuters living in the north-east region who travel before 7.15am or between 8.45am and 9.45am will enjoy discounts of up to 80 per cent off their fares from Jan 2 next year.

This is part of the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) expanded Travel Smart Journeys programme, which is aimed to encourage passengers to travel outside of the morning peak period on weekdays.

In a news release on Friday (Dec 20), LTA said commuters must tap in at Punggol Coast, Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang or Buangkok MRT stations along the North East Line (NEL), or any station along the Punggol and Sengkang LRT lines to be eligible for the discounts.

Those who do so will be awarded points on the SimplyGo app that can be converted into e-vouchers.

This incentive is on top of the existing morning pre-peak fare scheme, where rail passengers can save up to 50 cents off their fares if they tap in before 7.45am on weekdays.

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The programme will also be expanded to include more bus services from Jan 2.

These include the new City Direct Services (CDS) 660M and the upcoming CDS 675, 676, 677 and 678. Bus service 43e and CDS 654, 660, 666, 671, 672 and 673 will continue to be eligible for the incentive.

Under the enhanced rewards structure, commuters will get points equivalent to an 80 per cent discount on their fares if they travel on the NEL before 7.15am or if they switch to the eligible bus services during the morning peak periods, LTA said.

In a media interview on Dec 3, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the bigger fare rebates are aimed at spreading the peak-hour load on public transport, while sharing the resulting cost savings with passengers.

The idea is to provide more impactful fare discounts to further incentivise passengers to change their travel behaviour, he added.

The minister also left the door open for the programme to be expanded beyond the NEL, reported the Straits Times.

Launched in 2020, the Travel Smart Journeys programme was expanded in 2023 before it was temporarily suspended on Nov 25 this year.

Under the scheme's previous format, commuters who opted for seven eligible express bus services instead of the NEL between 7am and 9am were awarded points worth $1.50 per eligible trip.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com