A few months back, the government has announced that fares for public transport will soon increase by 4.3% in Singapore. With the new models and systems of public transport introduced this year, it can be said, that the decision is timely and appropriate.
The good thing about Singapore’s transportation system is that while private-hire car bookings and modern vehicles such as electric cars are scrambling to find their place in the industry, the government does not idle by with the improvements needed to be done on the public transport system, especially in its bid to address the traffic problems in the country.
New MRT Train and Bus Fares Implemented
The Public Transport Council (PTC) has officially rolled out increased fares for some trains and bus trips starting December 29. Commuters are now required to pay six cents more on adult card fares for both mode of public transport, as shared in a report by the Straits Times.
With the new fare prices put into effect, single-trip train fares and adult cash bus fares have increased by 10 cents whereas the prices for monthly travel passes remain the same.
Meanwhile, card fare increases for students and senior citizens have been capped at one cent, and their cash fares remain as they were before.
Similarly, the increase in fares for lower-wage workers and people with disabilities has been set at one cent only.
As per the PTC, the fare adjustment took into account a new component called “Network Capacity Factor.” This criterion calculates the difference between transport supply and commuter demand.
Other components included are changes in core inflation, wage, and energy cost.
To know more about the PTC’s fare adjustment computation, you may click on this LINK.
The changes which were put into effect days before the New Year are just some of the new initiatives the government has worked on to ensure a more socially-, and economically-attuned direction it will take in the following years to come.