Chee Hong Tat on tradeoff and price tag in keeping bus services with significant drop in ridership

Changes to some existing bus services which run parallel to new MRT lines and have experienced significant reductions in ridership are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account commuter travel patterns and the overall connectivity and resilience of the public transport network, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat. Replying to an MP’s questions in Parliament on Friday (Feb 16), he noted that residents are affected when existing bus services are changed and the “more popular thing to do” is to just keep bus services intact even if their ridership levels have fallen significantly. He said there is a tradeoff between providing convenience for commuters and keeping overall costs affordable for commuters and taxpayers. There is a “price tag” in arguing against changing existing bus services which run parallel to new MRT lines and have experienced significant reductions in ridership levels, he said. “It is not correct to only focus on the convenience for some commuters without recognising that such an approach will end up with higher fares for all commuters and higher subsidies that all taxpayers have to pay,” he said.