Public transport fares should not be tied to service, disruptions: Minister

He says penalties and non-payment of incentives help ensure standards are met

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

Public transport fares should not be tied to service levels or disruptions, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said in Parliament on Oct 15.

There are "other measures in place to ensure service standards are met", he said in a ministerial statement on the massive disruption that paralysed services on a stretch of the East-West Line for six days.

Between Sept 25 and 30, there was no train service between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations, after a train caused extensive damage to 2.55km of tracks and trackside equipment. About three million passengers were affected before rail services resumed on Oct 1.

Workers' Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) had asked whether the Public Transport Council (PTC) would review its decision to increase public transport fares, on the back of one of the worst disruptions to hit Singapore's MRT system in its 37-year history.

He also suggested considering service reliability in the period leading up to the date of the proposed fare increase as a factor in the fare adjustment formula.

From Dec 28, public transport fares will go up by 6 per cent, with each train and bus ride costing 10 cents more for adults who pay by card.

Mr Chee said that while the PTC had previously thought about linking fare reviews to disruptions and service levels, it ultimately "decided not to adopt this approach".