Equity amid public transport fare hike

Since no one likes paying more for an essential service, it is natural that Singaporeans will respond with discomfort to news that

the cost of bus and train rides will go up by 7 per cent this year

, the steepest since the hike in 2019, when, too, fares rose by the same quantum. However, the Public Transport Council (PTC), which announced the rise this week, has insulated concessionary fares for seniors, students, people with disabilities and low-wage workers – who together constitute a substantial proportion of the travelling population – from the impact of the full increase.

The overall fare rise, which reflects the continued increase in energy prices, core inflation and strong wage growth, could have touched a whopping 22.6 per cent. However, the PTC has rightly been guided by the need to ensure that public transport remains affordable to commuters in general and to vulnerable income groups in particular. Of course, public transport providers, too, have to remain financially viable. Balancing public affordability and commercial viability is never an easy job, but it is noticeable that this year’s revision shields vulnerable commuters even more so than in previous years by maintaining or actually lowering the cost of monthly passes, which are a boon to frequent users of public transport. Thus, the PTC has sought to distribute the burden of rising costs equitably among commuter groups.