More incentives for commuters in north-east to avoid morning peak

Fare rebates of up to 80% for those who take express buses or shift MRT travel times

- Kok Yufeng

A scheme to encourage public transport users in north-eastern Singapore to change their travel patterns to ease peak-hour train congestion will be expanded from Jan 2.

Those who take selected express bus services instead of the train will get more rebates on their fares on weekday mornings. For the first time, the rebates, which are up to 80 per cent of the fare, will also be extended to train journeys.

These apply when eligible rail passengers from the north-east shift their morning commutes to avoid the most crowded period between 7.15am and 8.45am.

Four more express bus services will be added to the list, bringing the total to 11.

These additional express routes are City Direct Services (CDS) 675, 676, 677 and 678, which will all begin operations on Jan 2.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Dec 20 that the initiative is aimed at encouraging passengers to avoid busier segments of the MRT network during the morning rush.

It is an enhancement of the Travel Smart Journeys (TSJ) programme, which awards points to eligible participants. These points can be redeemed for credit.

To help ease the load on the congested North East Line (NEL), the programme was launched in 2020 as a trial and expanded in 2023. It was temporarily suspended on Nov 25 to facilitate systems upgrades.

Before the suspension, there were about 21,400 eligible TSJ participants, with about 1,240 commuters benefiting from rebates totalling $66,000 between March 2023 and November 2024.