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At present, a commuter who transfers between buses or from a bus to a train pays more compared to someone who uses a direct service that travels the same distance to get to the same destination.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) announced that under a new fare structure to be phased in by next year, both commuters will pay the same fare.
Calling distance-based fares 'fair and equitable', GPC for Transport deputy chairman Ong Kian Min said: 'A commuter might want to avoid a certain stretch of road that might be congested, and this gives him the option to choose his route.'
However, he has reservations about how six in 10 commuters who take direct services might wind up paying more.
MOT had explained that a reduction in fares for those taking transfer routes will lead to a loss of revenue for public transport operators, and this would have to be shared by both operators and commuters.
Disagreeing with this, Mr Ong said: 'This is not justified...fares should be maintained for those taking direct services now. I would like to know why the operators cannot absorb the cost first and let the system settle down first?'
MOT believes four in 10 commuters will end up paying less with the new fare structure, and Singapore is not alone in going down this road.
Seoul introduced distance- based fares as well as bus service reforms in 2004 and commuter behaviour changed as a result of the reforms, said MOT.
Hoping for a similar result here, it said that a number of commuters choose not to make journeys involving transfers now because of the transfer penalty.
'So with through fares, more people will take transfers,' added a ministry spokesman.
Commuters who have to make a transfer to get to their destination will benefit the most with the change.
Financial analyst Grace Lau, 25, who takes a bus from her home in Upper Serangoon before transferring to a train to get to her Shenton Way office, said: 'Commuters shouldn't be penalised for the route they choose as one could be faster than the other but the distance might be the same.'
But it is not so clear if the new distance-based fare system will motivate commuters to change their travelling habits.
While a commuter might have several options - either through a direct service or transfers - to get to his destination, the distance for each must be the same for fares to be uniform.
Many commuters also said that travelling time and convenience are just as important as the fare, when choosing a route.
Food stall assistant Sally Lim, 53, said: 'I prefer taking a direct service instead of transferring from one bus to another. It can be very inconvenient.'
While commuters like Madam Lim are choosing to stick to their tried-and-tested route for now, a revamp of the land transport system still under way could see more direct services being withdrawn.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim had said in January that transfers are a key feature of a hub-and-spoke transport system, which commuters are set to see more of in the years ahead.
This means fewer direct services, which are considered inefficient and expensive.
Commuters can expect better service as a result as MOT has set public transport operators a new target - 80 per cent of commuters must complete their journeys within an hour, by 2015, up from 71 per cent now.
NEWS ANALYSIS: 'Transfers key to hub-and-spoke transport system'
