Public transport fare to rise 3.2%

New fares to take effect from 6 April.

According to a release, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has decided to grant an overall fare adjustment of 3.2% for the 2013 Fare Review Exercise. This is about half of the combined 2012 and 2013 fare caps of 6.6%, with the remainder rolled over to the 2014 Fare Review Exercise, which would also have to take into consideration the 2014 fare adjustment quantum 1.

The PTC has also decided to implement in full all the recommendations proposed by the Fare Review Mechanism Committee (FRMC), noting that the Government has decided to likewise implement the two new Government-funded schemes for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and Lower-wage Workers (LWWs).

In total, about a million commuters are expected to benefit from these enhanced and new fare concessions.

With effect from 6 April 2014, adult card fares for buses and trains will increase by 4 to 6 cents per journey. Senior citizen concessionary fares will increase by 2 to 3 cents per journey, while student concessionary fares will increase by 2 cents per journey.

Cash fares for train and adult bus rides will increase by 20 cents per trip, while senior citizen and student concessionary cash fares for bus rides will increase by 10 cents per trip. Commuters are strongly encouraged to use contactless smartcards, instead of paying cash fares, to enjoy lower fares.

In its deliberations, the PTC took guidance from the FRMC’s recommendations which were accepted by the Government in November 2013, including the new fare formula, fare review mechanism, and the monitoring of public transport affordability for the second quintile and second decile groups.

Central to these recommendations is the principle that fares should be kept affordable while ensuring the commercial viability and sustainability of the public transport operators.