The Government plans to make public transport a choice mode of travel. While waiting for the new MRT lines which can greatly relieve the morning peak hour, perhaps we can have policies in place to attract people to take public transport.

I have two suggestions in mind which can act as short-term solutions.

I suggest a new hybrid (bus/MRT/LRT) season pass for adult commuters. This will be similar to the hybrid concession pass available to certain groups of people at a price. It will allow unlimited travel on all air-con and non air-con buses (SBS Transit and SMRT, except Express, Fast Forward, Night, Chinatown Direct and Stadium Direct services), plus a maximum of four rides a day on MRT and LRT, regardless of distance travelled.

Transport expenses are thus fixed for a commuter who buys the pass. In addition, the commuter can take any bus that is travelling towards his destination and thus make multiple transfers with no additional cost. Moreover, his waiting times are reduced as he doesn't have to wait for just one bus service number. The price of the pass will be subject to operational costs.

Perhaps the Ministry of Transport can also provide incentives in terms of monetary rewards for people who travel by bus/MRT/LRT. For example, a commuter can get some reward if he has travelled more than a certain distance by bus/MRT/LRT.

This is similar to the NTUC Link points system, but, instead of points, fare stages are accumulated. Ez-link cards can be used to store the information. In fact, SBS Transit has already introduced several promotions like the Ride And Redeem scheme.

I welcome the efforts by SBS Transit to attract commuters to take its buses and trains. However, more can be done by extending coverage.

I hope these sweeteners can attract more people to take public transport while waiting for the new MRT lines to provide a more comfortable journey for all.

Tan Jun Jian