Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday (Sep 29) confirmed that he will be raising bus fares in a few months’ time for the last quarter of 2017. Telling Singaporeans to “bear in mind the need”, Minister Khaw Boon Wan hoped that Singaporeans do not take the fare increase negatively:
“Fares also need to be regularly adjusted so the burden of paying for public transport enhancements does not fall excessively on the shoulders of taxpayers… While co-payment by taxpayers is appropriate, we have to make sure that the burden on taxpayers does not become excessive. As we continue to improve bus services , we hope commuters bear in mind the need for prudence, the need for bus service rationalisation and the need for fare adjustments.”
SBS Transit has also applied for fare increase on the same day yesterday to the government’s Public Transport Council (PTC), which will announce the revision in the last quarter of 2017.
Minister Khaw Boon Wan also added that he will be cutting existing bus services when the new Downtown Line and future rail lines open. The Transport Minister said that unprofitable bus services will be removed to not “waste government resources”:
“Bus services may be re-routed, merged or rationalised especially when new rail lines are opened. This is to optimise bus resources as ridership grows and ridership patterns evolve. Maintaining bus services with low ridership numbers would mean a wastage of Government subsidies to the public bus sector.”