Commuters call for better bus connectivity, more incentives in transport masterplan discussion

SINGAPORE – For Ms Carla Castle, 29, a public servant, the City Direct bus journey from her home in Jalan Kayu to her workplace in Bugis takes about an hour.

Previously, she relied on the MRT, a trip that could take between 1hr 20min and 1hr 45min.

At a focus group discussion held by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Jan 23, she suggested running City Direct bus services – which ply

express routes between housing estates and the city

– more frequently, and extending Travel Smart incentives for train commuters into the evening peak.

“That would incentivise people to travel at different times... I think that’s a good way to disperse the crowds,” she said.

The Travel Smart Journeys programme is aimed at encouraging passengers to avoid the busier segments of the MRT network in north-eastern Singapore during the morning peak. By doing so, they can earn rebates worth up to 80 per cent of the journey fare.

Ms Castle said including the evening peak in the scheme would spread the office crowd over a few hours, adding: “It seems like that’s one of the more immediate solutions (to crowding on the MRT) that could be implemented.”

She was among 40 participants in the Jan 23 session, part of a nationwide public consultation launched by LTA in November to refresh its Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP).

The refreshed plan, slated for release in 2027, will build on the current LTMP 2040, while addressing changing travel patterns and advancing technologies, and improving walking, cycling, transfers, comfort and accessibility.

Since the launch of the consultation on Nov 15, LTA has received more than 3,500 responses from the public, said Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng, who hosted the discussion at LTA’s Hampshire Road office.

LTA said themes that emerged include improved connectivity, greater comfort, more considerate commuter behaviour and inclusivity.

For Mr Adiel Rusyaidi Ruslani, 24, an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, more could be done for residents in the west who rely on the East-West Line.

“As a west-sider, I think that I’m very disadvantaged in terms of getting to other sides of the country,” he said, suggesting limited-stop bus services to improve cross-island connectivity.

He also suggested bus-only or train-only concession passes for adults, as more commuters switch to City Direct bus routes. Such concession passes are currently available only to students and national servicemen.

Other participants from the west noted that while two new MRT lines – the Jurong Region Line, opening in phases from 2027 to 2029, and the Cross Island Line, due in the 2030s – are in the pipeline, neither offers a direct link to the city.

Other suggestions raised during the session included improving transfers between MRT lines and buses, and providing more accurate arrival information, particularly in the light of recent disruptions to the estimated bus arrival time system.

Another common theme was commuter behaviour, including giving up seats to those who need them more and not playing loud music.

Participants also urged LTA to focus on the overall user experience, saying public transport was not just about getting from point A to B, but also how the journey is experienced.

At the close of the session, Mr Baey thanked participants and outlined key challenges facing Singapore.

He noted that infrastructure takes time to build, manpower remains tight, and more than half of Singapore’s bus captains are foreigners, with the authorities required to work within these constraints.

He added that changing commuter culture would take time, and that Singapore’s limited land size means shared spaces are inevitable.

The Jan 23 session is the second of six sessions – after the first on Jan 17 – that LTA plans to conduct. They will involve about 240 participants in total from diverse backgrounds, including seniors, families with caregiving needs, working adults and young people.

Mr Baey said other sessions will be held for different demographic groups as well as commuters who travel to specific areas, so that discussions can delve deeper into targeted issues.

Correction note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct start date of the first of six focus group discussions.