MRT, bus fares to rise by 10 cents for adults who pay by card from Dec 28

Concessionary fares for groups like seniors and low-wage workers to go up by 4 cents

- Kenneth Cheng and Lee Nian Tjoe

Each train and bus ride will cost adults who pay by card 10 cents more from Dec 28, as public transport fares climb by 6 per cent.

Concessionary fares for seniors, students, people with disabilities and low-wage workers who pay by card will rise by four cents per journey, the Public Transport Council (PTC) said on Sept 9 after its yearly review of train and bus fares. About two million commuters are in this group.

The fare changes mean that an adult passenger taking the MRT from Tampines to Raffles Place will pay $2.02 from Dec 28, up from $1.92 now.

In 2023, fares went up by 7 per cent, or up to 11 cents, for adults who pay by card.

Fares rose by 2.9 per cent in 2022 and 2.2 per cent in 2021. In 2020, there was a freeze on fares to help the public cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

PTC, which regulates fares and ticket payment services, said the 6 per cent rise is less than a third of the allowable increase of 18.9 per cent for 2024.

This comprises a 3.3 per cent adjustment for 2024 and a 15.6 per cent hike deferred from the 2023 exercise.

The 2024 adjustment was driven by growth in core inflation and wages in 2023, but was moderated partially by an 18.6 per cent drop in energy prices from their peak in 2022, said the council.

PTC said it understands that the cost of living remains a concern for Singaporeans, and it decided to grant the 6 per cent hike to "cushion commuters from the full fare increase".

The remaining increase of 12.9 per cent will be rolled over to future fare review exercises.

The council was asked at a press conference on Sept 9 why it did not allow more of the deferred hike from the previous exercise to be cleared in this round.