Gov’t says service levels, disruptions separate from public transport fares

Unadjusted fares will impact service quality and reliability over time.

Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat clarified that service levels and disruptions should not be tied to how public transport fares are set when he addressed the recent East-West line incident which impacted thousands of commuters.

“Given the maximum allowable quantum of increase at 18.9% for this year, due to the 15.6% balance carried over from last year, PTC decided to defer most of the maximum allowable fare quantum and raise fares by 6%,” Tat said. 

The minister emphasised that if fares are not adjusted to reflect rising operating costs, it will impact service quality and reliability over time.

“Regardless of the investigation outcome, SMRT will bear the costs of providing the free bridging buses and regular bus services, the foregone fare revenue during the disruption, and the repair works,” he said. 

He added that for service disruptions, the Land Transport Authority would establish the cause and accountability and mete out penalties where necessary.