We thank readers for their views on the cessation of the Park & Ride scheme ("Park & Ride suffers from lack of public awareness" by Mr Chai Ming Yao; Oct 18, "Track Park & Ride users to prevent misuse" by Mr Tok Choon Boon; Oct 13, "Tweak Park & Ride scheme to discourage misuse" by Mr Douglas Chua Hock Lye; Oct 11, "Park & Ride succeeds in taking cars off the road" by Mr Yah Jun Yang; Forum Online, Oct 18, and "Stated reasons not strong enough to scrap Park & Ride scheme" by Mr Lim Yew Kwang; Forum Online, Oct 17).

The scheme was implemented in 1975 to reduce congestion in the Central Business District (CBD).

Subsidised parking was provided at selected carparks on the fringes of the CBD to encourage motorists to switch to public transport before entering the CBD.

Our public transport network has since expanded significantly, and commuters are now able to travel into the CBD conveniently using public transport for the entire journey.

We have invested heavily in new rail lines that connect commuters directly to the CBD. We have also expanded the bus network significantly, including running City Direct bus services.

Furthermore, more than half of Park & Ride users do not switch to public transport after parking their cars at Park & Ride carparks. This suggests that the scheme is being taken advantage of by some motorists as subsidised destination parking.

The take-up rate of the scheme has also been low. Hence, the Land Transport Authority has decided to terminate it from Dec 1.

With improved public transport options, we encourage motorists to switch to public transport for their entire journey.

Ong Hui Guan

Deputy Group Director

Policy and Planning

Land Transport Authority