SINGAPORE: The recently announced increases in bus services will not lead to higher congestion on the roads.

Transport Minister Raymond Lim gave this assurance in reply to a question posed by MP for West Coast GRC Ho Geok Choo in Parliament on Friday.

Mr Lim said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) aims to introduce competition "for the market" as opposed to "competition in the market" so the number of bus services will be specified by the government and will not lead to higher road congestion.

Mr Lim also said the overhaul of the public transport network should be an incentive to car drivers to make the switch from private to public transport.

He noted: "There's the S$40 billion spending on public transport and S$14 billion on road improvements. Add the lot together and it's more than S$50 billion. Up to 2050, it's S$4 billion a year incentive for car drivers."

Mr Lim added that bus fares will be capped to ensure the increase in operating costs will not be passed directly to commuters.

LTA is also looking into seasoned fare cards that cut across all public transport modes and operators.

Other MPs also asked if the frequency of feeder buses could be improved for non-peak hours. Mr Lim replied that the Public Transport Council sets strict standards for bus operators for both peak and non-peak hours.

By August 2009, at least 80 percent of trunk and feeder services must run at up to 10-minute intervals during peak hours. For non-peak hours, the allowed headway is capped at 30 minutes.


- CNA/so