S Iswaran on new public transport fare formula

Public transport ridership has been excluded from the recently adjusted fare formula because of uncertainty about its recovery over the next few years. This has been uneven after the COVID-19 pandemic due to changing commuting patterns and flexible work arrangements. Ridership could be considered in future fare reviews when it fully recovers, Transport Minister S Iswaran told Parliament on Tuesday (May 9). In the meantime, replacing the network capacity factor with the capacity adjustment factor and fixing it at 1.1 per cent a year for the next five years will reduce potential variability in fares. The capacity adjustment factor reflects actual and planned growth in public transport capacity from 2020 to 2026. This largely arises from the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line, along with short segments of the North East, Downtown and Circle Lines. The Jurong Region Line, slated to open in 2027, will only be considered in the next fare formula review. Mr Iswaran was replying to MPs’ questions.