Chee Hong Tat
Singapore
“The National Parks Board (NParks) resumed crow shooting operations in March 2026 across nine districts, including Yishun. These sites were prioritised based on several factors, including the volume and severity of public feedback on crow-related issues, as well as the technical feasibility of conducting shooting operations safely at each…”
“To drive sustainable construction and reduce reliance on conventional diesel generators, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has required the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS) or synchronised generator set systems at Build-to-Order construction worksites for all building tenders called since February 2025.”
“The Housing and Development Board (HDB) tracks resident feedback on maintenance-related issues, including spalling concrete and structural cracks within HDB flats. Such issues are much less common in younger flats, compared to older flats above 30 years old.”
“The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) provides resources on its website to guide building owners and Management Corporations Strata Title (MCSTs) on lift modernisation.”
“Private retail developments sold through the Government Land Sales Programme are intended to complement the commercial offerings in public developments undertaken by agencies, such as the Housing and Development Board.”
“The National Parks Board (NParks) is reviewing both the Animals and Birds Act and the Code of Animal Welfare (COAW). The former will include pet sector businesses and the latter will include and start with pet groomers.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,840 lines we hold for Chee Hong Tat, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 21 of 37.
“We currently have no plans to install public charging points for active mobility devices in Housing and Development Board estates. Active mobility devices which comply with EN15194 or UL2272 standards do not require special charging infrastructure and can be charged using standard wall sockets found at homes.”
“These offences are meant to penalise those who had deliberately or assisted another person to provide false or misleading information with the intent to induce IRAS to provide a higher amount of payout. Finally, to Mr Don Wee's clarification on informer anonymity, the amendments will safeguard informer anonymity by forbidding disclosure that could reveal the identity in civil or criminal Court proceedings. With those clarifications, Mr Speaker, I beg to move. 12.45 pm”
“Sections 17F(1),17F(3), 17F(5) set out the specific offences and punishments for obtaining or assisting another person to obtain a grant under the scheduled public schemes. Those convicted may be liable to a penalty equal to one, two or three times the amount of payout overpaid or would have been overpaid, and a monetary fine and/or imprisonment not exceeding three years with the exact terms decided by the Courts. These limits are determined with reference to the penalties for similar offences in the Income Tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST) Acts. Although the maximum penalties may be lower than existing offences under the Penal Code, they are tailored to target and deter the specific misconduct associated with the payout schemes. IRAS will regularly review the effectiveness of these penalties. The amendments will also grant IRAS the authority to compound offences, so, IRAS can offer composition as an alternative to prosecution. This allows minor infractions to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Mr Ng asked whether it is possible for IRAS to impose penalties on each offender if multiple individuals are prosecuted in relation to a single grant. The answer is yes. For instance, if a director and an accountant of the company were convicted of the most serious grant offence, they will each be liable to a penalty equal to three times of payout overpaid, and a monetary fine and/or imprisonment. So, two individuals, each one can be liable, separately, and individually. The party that receives the funds will also be required to repay the full amount of grant that he or she had obtained, in addition to the penalties imposed.”
“The amendments address the minority of cases – I would say the small minority of cases – allowing IRAS to impose interest only if the outstanding amount is not paid within the prescribed repayment period, which is usually within 30 days. This is to encourage timely repayment of public funds. If the repayment is made within the prescribed period, there is no interest imposed. For late repayments, the interest rate will be based on the Government interest rate on instalment payments, with a spread of three percentage points. A business which disagrees with IRAS' assessment of wrongful disbursement can appeal to IRAS with relevant information to substantiate its case. If the appeal is rejected and the recipient does not want to return the overpayment, IRAS may pursue legal action through the Courts – and then, it is for the Courts to decide the outcome. The wrongly disbursed funds are public monies from our taxpayers. The overpayment may not be due to the fault of the recipients, but as I explained in my main speech, it is fair that they should return the overpaid amounts. If they face genuine difficulties and need more time to make the repayment, they can appeal to IRAS and we will assess each case individually. Sir, let me now turn to the queries from Mr Ng and Mr Sharael on offences. These are introduced to deter and penalise errant entities or persons for committing fraud and abuse. IRAS does not have any legal powers to take action against errant employers for scheme abusers today. IRAS can only refer cases to CAD, as I explained earlier, to investigate and prosecute under the Penal Code. As a deterrent against scheme abuse, IRAS will need powers to impose penalties for offences alongside its investigative powers.”
“Likewise, there will be similar safeguards in place, where the investigative powers will be restricted to trained officers authorised by the Commissioner of Inland Revenue. IRAS has developed its IT and data systems, disbursement mechanisms and fraud detection capabilities over the years. We will provide IRAS with sufficient resources to take on the enterprise disbursement role. Let me now move on to the second category of clarifications on the recovery of wrongly paid grants. Mr Sharael Taha and Mr Louis Chua asked for updates on the fraud and abuse cases involving COVID-19 grants and the amount of money recovered so far. From August 2020 to December 2023, IRAS reported 25 cases of suspected abuse or fraud to CAD. Thus far, investigations into four cases that involve Jobs Support Scheme payouts, amounting to approximately $120,000 had concluded. Three cases were successfully charged and convicted in Court, while one case was given a conditional warning. None of the $120,000 was disbursed as IRAS had detected the fraud early. The remaining 21 cases reported by IRAS are currently being investigated by CAD. As for wrongly paid grants, these are a small minority of the total amount of grants disbursed. IRAS paid out $31.5 billion for the Jobs Support Scheme, Rental Cash Grant and Rental Support Scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these, the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) found errors affecting less than 0.5% of total payouts, as Mr Louis Chua mentioned earlier. We have since recovered 99.7% of these wrong payments. And in response to Member's question, we did not charge interest. With the amendments in this Bill, the process of recovering wrongly paid grants will remain largely unchanged and it is not expected to impact the large majority of grant recipients.”
“The Minister for Finance will update the Second Schedule as and when necessary to include new schemes for which IRAS' enterprise disbursement functions can serve. Let me now address clarifications raised by Members relating to the proposed investigative and enforcement powers, which broadly fall into three categories: one, the rationale for centralising investigation and enforcement powers under IRAS and what are the appropriate safeguards; two, the process for recovering wrongful payments and recourse available in the event of a disagreement; and three, clarifications on penalties and offences. Sir, let me explain the rationale for conferring IRAS with investigation and enforcement powers. IRAS currently refers serious cases of fraud and scheme abuse to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) under the Singapore Police Force. However, CAD only investigates fraud cases that are criminal in nature and offences under the Penal Code. Before referring to CAD, IRAS would conduct its own investigation whenever there are cases of suspected abuse or fraud. IRAS currently does this by triangulating data and intelligence from various sources and looking for inconsistencies in submitted documentation. However, IRAS does not have the legal powers at the moment to compel the provision of information or to conduct on-site inspections and checks. This limits the reach and effectiveness of their investigation. And that is why we are tabling this Bill in this House. As the volume and total value of grants disbursed by IRAS increases, IRAS will need to have the necessary powers to conduct investigations more effectively, recover public funds and safeguard public interest. These powers are no different from what IRAS does for taxes today.”
“Let me start by reiterating that IRAS is taking on the disbursement of broad-based grants to businesses. These refer to grants where Government administrative data is used to determine firm eligibility and grant quantum, and the payouts are disbursed without a need for the businesses to apply. So, the examples that Mr Sharael Taha mentioned – SIRS, COVID Relief Grant – these were not administered by IRAS. SIRS was administered by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the COVID Relief Grant was administered by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). IRAS is able to play this role well as it has built up the IT systems and data linkages, payment mechanisms, and audit and fraud detection capabilities over the past decade. Hence, other Government agencies can tap on IRAS' capabilities for such broad-based enterprise disbursements. Mr Don Wee asked if IRAS can disburse application-based grants for businesses. Unlike broad-based grants which are disbursed automatically based on pre-determined criteria, application-based grants require officers to assess the merit of each application in accordance with the intent of the grant. Administering such application-based grants require specific industry or domain expertise which reside in Government agencies overseeing the respective industry sectors, and not with IRAS. Entities that administer schemes for businesses do tap on data from other agencies including IRAS, to streamline the application process for enterprises and their processing of the grants. The new Second Schedule lists the enterprise schemes which IRAS is administering, including schemes that it is winding down the disbursements and audits for.”
“Mr Speaker, I think Mr Giam and I may not differ so much on that point. First, I did not say that we only look at efficiency and just because the MRT is a more direct and faster route, therefore, we remove all buses. I did not say that. In fact, we deliberately, as I have explained, maintain and keep some of the bus routes that run parallel to MRT lines precisely because they are different commuters who require different options. But at the same time, we need to make some adjustments because the resources are finite and we do not want to have a situation where we just keep adding new bus services and new bus routes without actually reallocating some of the existing ones which have seen a drop in ridership levels. So, on that front, I do not think Mr Giam and I differ that much in terms of the approach that we want to take. 2.08 pm”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Giam, first of all, for acknowledging that – although not the most popular thing to do – it is necessary for us to make some changes to existing bus services which run parallel to new MRT lines so that we can reallocate the resources – the buses and the bus captains – to serve other areas, for example, new estates and new residents. They will need new feeder services. There will be new routes that will be required. I just want to say that I did not call Mr Giam a populist. I thank him for acknowledging that point and for supporting the important principle of why we are facing this trade-off and why we need to make some of these changes. Sir, in response to Mr Giam's point about Bus 228, indeed, we recognise that the changes do affect the commuters in the Bedok area, because when we shortened Service 22 and Service 66, which used to ply Bedok Reservoir Road, we retained Service 65 and, then, we also increased the frequency of Service 228 during the morning peak. And this is to serve commuters who travel between Bedok Reservoir Road and Bedok interchange, where there are other bus options. Sir, I have previously mentioned to Mr Giam that if there are some specific local issues that his residents are facing with regard to how we can better improve bus connectivity and bus services, we will be happy to get his feedback and the LTA team can then assess how we can make some adjustments to better serve the commuters. So, that offer still remains.”
“Because I think that is one of the most objective ways of assessing whether commuters still prefer to take this bus service or are commuters then switching to other bus services or are commuters switching to taking MRT. So, for cases where the bus service has experienced a significant drop in ridership level because commuters are now shifting to other modes of public transport – not in the way that Mr Giam has described, in that they avoid taking public transport, I do not think that is the case because the overall public transport ridership level has not dropped. But what we see is people now switching to taking other bus services or they switch to taking MRT. And in some cases, when you switch to taking the MRT, it is actually faster for the commuter because the travelling time is more direct. And this includes walking, taking the bus and taking MRT. It is still faster than taking a direct, long trunk bus route.”
“Mr Speaker, I think Mr Giam has not answered my question. I will still put it to him one more time because I do want to know what his position is – which is that, if we just do what is popular, we keep all the existing bus services intact, even when the ridership levels have fallen significantly, when they run parallel to new MRT lines and we keep introducing new bus services to serve new routes, to serve new residents from new estates, would that not then lead to overall cost for the public transport system increasing? And if so, then, that means that it would translate into higher fares for commuters and higher subsidies that all taxpayers have to pay. So, I would like to get a reply from Mr Giam on what his position is on my question. Sir, in response to Mr Giam's questions, LTA would look at the bus changes very carefully. I think I have explained this to Mr Giam previously in this House. These are not decisions that we take automatically; just because there is a new MRT line that comes up, automatically or immediately you would remove some of these existing bus services. Because we understand that there is an impact on commuters. So, therefore, we would have to look at whether there are other bus services that are serving these routes that run parallel to the MRT. So, we do not take away all existing bus services that run parallel to the new MRT lines. We do preserve some of the services. But in deciding which ones to retain and which ones to change, shorten or remove, these decisions would then have to be also based on the changes in commuter travel patterns.”
“So, when we argue against changing existing bus services which run parallel to new MRT lines and have experienced significant reductions in ridership levels, we must also be honest in acknowledging that such proposals will come with a price tag. It is not correct to only focus on the convenience for some commuters without recognising that such an approach will end up with higher fares for all our commuters and higher subsidies that all taxpayers have to bear.”
“Mr Speaker, our public transport services are heavily subsidised by the Government, at more than $2 billion per year. This includes a subsidy of around $1 billion for trains and another $1 billion for buses. To keep our public transport system sustainable for all stakeholders, we had previously explained in this House that it is important to strike a balance between providing convenience for commuters and keeping the overall costs affordable for commuters and taxpayers. This includes making changes to some of the existing bus services which run parallel to new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines and have experienced significant reductions in their ridership levels when more commuters switch to taking the MRT. These assessments are done on a case-by-case basis, taking into account commuter travel patterns and the overall connectivity and resilience of our public transport network. Sir, like Mr Giam, I also have residents who are affected when we make changes to existing bus services. It is certainly the more popular thing to do if we just keep all bus services intact, even if their ridership levels have fallen significantly, while adding new MRT lines and introducing new bus services and routes to serve residents from new estates. Mr Speaker, I would like to ask Mr Giam if he accepts that taking the above approach means the total costs of our public transport system will shoot up. And the cost increase will then result in higher fares for commuters and larger subsidies paid by taxpayers. This is the trade-off that we face, between providing convenience for commuters and keeping the overall costs affordable for commuters and taxpayers.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) issued about 9,000, 7,000 and 5,000 notices of offences for common illegal modification offences in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively. Over the last three years, LTA conducted an average of about 1,600 additional inspections per year and has charged 16 workshops in total.”
“Mr Speaker, Singapore and Malaysia have been in discussions, taking into consideration the safety and efficiency of air traffic management in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's provisions. 11.58 am”
“The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set the target for shipping to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by or around 2050. Based on the Maritime Census 2022, 85% of ship owners and operators in Singapore, weighted by revenue, had a decarbonisation strategy, or had tracked and/or measured their emissions. We expect this percentage to increase over time. The maritime sector’s green transition has brought about new opportunities for businesses and new job roles for workers. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore will continue to work with our tripartite partners to upskill our workforce and enhance Singapore’s competitiveness as a hub port and international maritime centre.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) regularly inspects road markings to ensure it is fit for use, including to ensure it is visible. The inspections are conducted once a week for expressways and once every two months for other roads. Since July 2023, LTA has adopted video analytics technologies to better detect poor road markings under various weather conditions. LTA has been implementing more weather-resistant and visible reflective markings since adopting the Singapore Standard SS589 in 2017, which replaced the previous Singapore Standard SS498. The SS589 has more stringent requirements for better visibility in wet weather conditions and at night.”
“Under the Electric Vehicles Charging Act (EVCA), all EV chargers must be approved and registered by the Land Transport Authority before they can be used in Singapore. For public safety, chargers installed in non-restricted access locations are subject to more stringent inspection and fire safety requirements. Strata-titled developments, including strata-titled landed homes, are regarded as non-restricted access locations as they tend to have shared facilities, such as common basement carparks and shared chargers. Only EV charging operators (EVCOs) providing EV charging services to the public will require a licence to operate. Chargers operated by landed homeowners to charge their households’ vehicles or chargers operated by fleet owners to charge only vehicles in their fleets, do not require a licence.”
“The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) quota supply in the second bidding exercise of January 2024 was similar to the first bidding exercise in early January, so the price increases were due to higher demand. More than nine in 10 of Category A (Cat A) COEs and about nine in 10 of Cat B COEs were won by individual car buyers who are Singapore residents. Car-leasing companies, which largely bid for vehicles to be leased as Private Hire Cars (PHCs), won 3% of Cat A and 2% of Cat B COEs. COE prices can fluctuate due to several factors, such as higher demand for new cars due to events like car shows. From February 2023 to January 2024, Singapore residents won about three in four of Cat A and about two in three of Cat B COEs. Car-leasing companies won 21% of Cat A and 24% of Cat B COEs, lower than the 27% of Cat A, and comparable to the 24% of Cat B COEs they won in the preceding one year. This shows that the increase in COE prices in 2023 compared to 2022 was not mainly due to car-leasing companies. As the Ministry of Transport earlier stated, the COE quota for Categories A, B and C will continue to increase in 2024 before reaching the peak supply period from 2026.”
“The Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks at Jurong West Jewel and the upcoming Jurong West Crystal are situated more than 50 metres away from the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) viaduct and were built with noise abatement features, such as window restrictors which help residents to angle window openings to reduce railway noise. A multi-storey car park has also been built between the viaduct and the HDB blocks, which further buffers railway noise. As the noise levels measured at these HDB blocks are below the National Environment Agency’s noise limit, there are no plans to build noise barriers along these stretches.”
“Car-sharing complements the public transport network by providing an option for commuters who may require occasional use of a self-driven car. Like all fleet operators, car-sharing operators are responsible for ensuring that only vehicles meeting roadworthiness standards are deployed on the roads. The Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority are monitoring the developments in the car-sharing industry and will be consulting industry stakeholders on the appropriate approach to take to address potential concerns.”
“Bukit Batok West Extension residents who prefer to travel by express bus services to the Central Business District (CBD) on weekday mornings can take Service 991 or 992 to Bukit Batok West Avenue 3 and connect to express Services 174e or 868E. As an alternative, residents can also take Services 941, 991, 992 or 993 to either Bukit Batok or Jurong East Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations and use the MRT to travel to the CBD.”
“From 2019 to 2023, the average speed on Singapore’s expressways during peak hours was about 60 kilometres per hour. Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Central Expressway (CTE) and Pan Island Expressway (PIE) experienced heavier traffic during the peak hours. On a per lane-kilometre basis, Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE), CTE and Seletar Expressway (SLE) had the highest traffic accident rates involving injuries or deaths.”
“Currently, most commuters boarding the North East Line at Sengkang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in the morning peak are able to board the first arriving train. With the opening of the North East Line extension to Punggol Coast station in 2024, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will add six new trains to the North East Line, which will shorten wait times for commuters. Based on ground observation, apart from Compassvale and Renjong Light Rapid Transit (LRT) stations, most commuters using the Sengkang LRT are able to board the first arriving train. Trains arriving at Compassvale and Renjong stations are more crowded as they are the last stops on the east and west loop respectively before Sengkang Town Centre station where most passengers alight. LTA has procured 25 two-car trains to boost the Sengkang-Punggol LRT capacity. The new trains will be delivered progressively from this year onwards and will double the number of two-car trains in Sengkang-Punggol LRT fleet by 2027. LTA will also enhance Sengkang Town Centre station to improve commuter flow. In addition to the MRT and LRT systems, residents in Sengkang Town are served by 37 bus services, travelling to destinations such as Ang Mo Kio, Tampines, Pasir Ris and Changi Airport, including two City Direct Services that run during the morning peak to bring Sengkang commuters directly to the city. LTA has also been implementing improvements to Sengkang bus services to meet new demand, such as adjusting the route of Service 102 to serve new housing developments in Fernvale.”
“The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is working with the industry to implement initiatives that can optimise the use of our anchorage space. The detailed configuration of the anchorages within the Port of Singapore will be determined following upcoming technical studies for the "Long Island" project.”
“All trains on the North East Line, Downtown Line and Thomson-East Coast Line are fitted with gap fillers. Installation of gap fillers on Circle Line trains is being carried out progressively and will be completed by 2025. More than half of the North-South and East-West Line trains are progressively being decommissioned, and by 2026, will be replaced with 106 new trains which come with gap fillers. We are currently reviewing whether the remaining North-South and East-West Line trains could be retrofitted with gap fillers.”
“As of January 2024, there have been a total of five autonomous bus trials and one autonomous taxi trial conducted in Singapore. One of the autonomous bus trials, which is conducted at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, is ongoing. There has been progress in autonomous vehicles (AV) technology in recent times. However, AV developers would have to further develop specific capabilities for our local conditions, such as the perception and sensing capabilities of AVs under complex traffic environment and during inclement weather conditions.”
“The height difference between the platform and train floor varies based on passenger loading and wear on train wheels and rails. While the height difference cannot be fully eliminated, the Land Transport Authority is progressively implementing gap fillers across most of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network where feasible. Gap fillers help to bridge the platform gap and usually come with a gentle slope to enable passengers to safely board and disembark trains. Station staff are also available to help passengers who require assistance.”
“I thank the Members for their questions. I have addressed them in my reply a 5 February 2024 Parliament Sitting. [Please refer to "Facilitating Transition to SimplyGo Fare Platform", Official Report, 5 February 2024, Vol 95, Issue 120, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“Residents of Jurong West Jewel and Jurong West Crystal are currently served by Services 99, 192 and 974. These services provide direct connections to nearby transport nodes, such as Joo Koon Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, Pioneer MRT station and Boon Lay Bus Interchange and MRT station. Service 99 and Service 192 also provide direct connections to nearby amenities, such as Boon Lay Market and Shopping Centre and Jurong West Hawker Centre respectively. The Land Transport Authority will continue to monitor travel pattern changes and adjust the provision of bus services as necessary, in tandem with changes in travel demand.”
“A total of 15 bus services ply Jurong Gateway Road. Bus Stop 28301 in front of Block 131 Jurong Gateway Road cannot accommodate all 15 services without resulting in longer tailback of buses queuing, which can affect the safe movement of commuters, buses and other vehicles. Due to site constraints, the existing bus stop cannot be further expanded. For smoother and safer traffic flow, only the six bus services turning left onto Jurong East Central from Jurong Gateway Road call at Bus Stop 28301. Commuters can access Services 160 and 870 at Bus Stop 28441 along Jurong East Central outside the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, or at Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange. As announced in its press release in November 2023, the Land Transport Authority will be constructing a passenger lift to improve barrier-free access to Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange from Jurong East MRT station.”
“As point-to-point drivers are self-employed individuals, each driver will decide on his or her own working hours. The tripartite Workplace Safety and Health Council has a set of guidelines which encourage drivers, including taxi and private hire car drivers, to limit their shifts to no more than 12 hours. There is a small group of full-time salaried taxi drivers under ComfortDelGro’s employee-driver scheme. As these drivers are covered under the Employment Act, their contractual hours of work are up to an average of 44 hours a week over any continuous three weeks, subject to a daily limit of 12 hours and excluding overtime hours.”
“For instance, the ongoing airport-wide roll out of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s New Clearance Concept, which automates and digitalises end-to-end clearance processes for passengers, would help to reduce clearance time at the immigration halls. By continuing to work together as one Changi community and leveraging on our strong tripartite partnerships, I am confident that Changi Airport will be ready to welcome more passengers to Singapore and offer them the distinctive traveller experience that Changi is known for.”
“Monthly passenger traffic at Changi Airport in December 2023 has recovered to around 90% of pre-COVID levels. For the full year 2023, Changi Airport handled 58.9 million passenger movements, or 86% of the traffic recorded in 2019. We expect Changi Airport’s passenger volumes to reach pre-COVID levels in 2024. Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5) is needed to meet the demand for air travel in the longer term and to ensure that Singapore continues to be well-connected with the rest of the world. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has been working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Changi Airport Group in the development of T5. We are making good progress in the design, following a two-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect construction to start next year, and for T5 to be operational in the mid-2030s. To provide for sufficient capacity before T5 is ready, Terminal 2 (T2) was fully reopened in November 2023, after three and a half years of engineering and expansion works. This provided an additional five million passengers per annum (mppa) to Changi’s pre-pandemic capacity, bringing the airport’s total handling capacity to 90 mppa. On the manpower front, MOT and CAAS have been working closely with aviation stakeholders to build up their workforce to support the ramp-up in capacity at Changi Airport. To date, the air transport sector workforce has reached over 95% of pre-COVID numbers, and we expect it to fully recover this year. We will work with the companies and unions to press on with the upskilling of existing workers and training of new hires. In tandem, we are working to accelerate the adoption of automation and technology at Changi Airport to increase productivity.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Yip for raising this very important point. Indeed, when we move to digital solutions, we must also make sure that we do not leave our seniors, some of whom may not be so familiar with technology, behind. And it is precisely because of this consideration that we had reached out and included seniors in our consultation exercise with the more than 1,000 commuters. Seniors were an important stakeholder group that we consulted early on and, based on their feedback, LTA then decided not to sunset the concession cards' CBT system because we are mindful that some of the senior commuters may find it difficult to make the switch because they may not be so familiar in using the app. So, I just want to reassure Mr Yip and this House that we do pay a lot of attention to taking into account the needs of different groups of commuters when we implement some of these solutions. In this particular instance, we would have been able to do better if we had consulted more widely and would be able to garner a wider range of views that would have helped with our decision-making. We underestimated the strong preference of some commuters to view the card balance and fare deductions at the fare gates and bus card readers. But we will learn from this and we hope to do better next time.”
“Mr Speaker, I will start with the second question from Mr Chua. I had answered Mr Giam earlier on a similar point, that, over time, we do want to work towards having the SimplyGo card being able to be used for retail, public transport and also motoring. On the first question, we do support mobile wallets, too. Under our SimplyGo, you can use your smart device, your phone, to be able to pay for public transport using SimplyGo. We will be interested to find out a bit more about the system in Japan. If there is a solution there and we can borrow some good ideas, we will be happy to do so.”
“So, I think, in the end, the decision taken was based on an important consideration, which is, until we can resolve the technical limitations, it is good to give commuters choices and options so that those who prefer the features of SimplyGo can choose to use SimplyGo, if they wish to; those who prefer the features of the CBT system can continue to use these cards, if they wish to.”
“Mr Speaker, the information for ABT is not stored in the card, because, for example, if you have credit cards, there is no card balance to talk about because it is a credit card, bank card or mobile wallet. So, because of that design in the ABT system and the majority of ABT users are actually using bank cards and mobile wallets, as Ms Poa would have heard from my main reply earlier. This is currently not in the ABT system not just here, but also in other cities. Whether we can find a solution to overcome the latency problem, we will try our best. At the moment, we are not aware of any solutions that can be applied at scale to the whole public transport system, both here and overseas. But we will work with our industry experts and other Government agencies and, if we can find a solution to overcome this latency problem, that would be a plus to enhance the usability and the features of SimplyGo. The second question, just to clarify, Mr Speaker, I did not say that there was no feedback from the 1,000 commuters with regard to the concerns of not being able to view the fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and bus card readers. In fact, that was one of the first feedback that came to LTA, especially from seniors. And based on that feedback, LTA then decided not to proceed with the plan to sunset the CBT system for concession cardholders because we understand that, for seniors, many of them told us that they are not familiar with using the app, so, that is why we decided to retain the CBT system for concession cardholders. For adult commuters, there was some feedback, but we also heard positive comments about the benefits.”
“Mr Speaker, to Mr Xie Yao Quan's question, we currently plan for both the CBT systems – the CBT system for adult commuters and also the CBT system for concession card holders – to both run till at least 2030. Of course, if we are able to find a good solution before that, we can always make a decision whether to integrate earlier or to switch over earlier. But as I mentioned, one key consideration for us would be the user experience and the features of SimplyGo. So, likewise for the concession card holders, if we are able to integrate the system and to be able to have the two CBT systems come together earlier than 2030, we will certainly find ways to do so. Mr Speaker, may I also seek your permission to answer a question from Mr Giam that I missed out earlier. My apologies, Mr Giam. Mr Giam had asked if we have savings, can we give back to commuters as rebates? Sorry, I did not answer the Member's question earlier. Mr Speaker, the costs of implementing the ABT and CBT systems, including this estimated $40 million that I mentioned for the CBT system for adult commuters, will be borne by the Government. It does not go into the fare formula and it does not affect the fares to be paid for by commuters. So, I think in the same vein, if there are some savings that LTA is able to have through cost avoidance, some cost savings in implementing the project, I think we also would not then flow it back directly to commuters in the form of fares. Because it did not affect the fares in the first place. So, any cost savings, I think we would then be able to save on behalf of all taxpayers.”
“So that over time, just like today, your EZ-Link card can be used for retail, can be used for motoring and can be used for public transport, we also want to work towards SimplyGo being able to be used for all three – retail, public transport and also monitoring. But the process will take some time and that is why we need to extend the CBT system for adult commuters at this point in time because the system is reaching end-of-life in 2024. We could, of course, extend by one year, as Mr Giam suggested, but I am not very confident that we will be able to find a solution in one year and having put in the hardware and the necessary equipment, we thought it is more prudent to plan, for the purposes of budgeting and planning, for it to run for at least a few years until at least 2030. That will give us time to be able to explore possible solutions together with industry experts and other Government agencies.”
“So, the user would be able to exit but if he or she does not top up the card before the next trip, then this card would not be able to be used for the next journey. I do not want to go into too much technical details but I hope that answers Mr Giam's question as to how this system operates. The whole purpose is to avoid causing a congestion and to slow down the flow of commuters because I think efficiency is very important for our commuters. Sir, the consultation process that LTA has gone through, I had mentioned in my interview with the media that one lesson that we learned is we should have consulted more widely and hear the views of a wider group of commuters, and in particular, I think people who have concerns about this feature of being able to view their fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and bus card readers, being taken away. LTA did do some consultation with more than 1,000 commuters. Part of the exercise also involved giving adult commuters, seniors and students ABT cards for them to try and then to get their feedback after they have used it for a few months. So, this process did throw up some very useful feedback. I mentioned some of the changes that were made in my main reply, after we got the feedback from the commuters. So, I thank our commuters who participated in this exercise for sharing their views with us. But I think we under-estimated the strong preference of some commuters who want to retain this feature. So, I do acknowledge that if we had consulted more widely, we would have come across these views earlier on in the process. Sir, the plan is not to stop here. Currently, the SimplyGo system indeed cannot be used for motoring, but we want to work towards enhancing the features and the user experience for SimplyGo.”
“Mr Speaker, the issue about the fare gates, I had explained in my main reply that at the moment, the ABT technology does not allow the card balances and the fare deductions to be shown quickly. So, if you use a CBT card, because the information is stored on the card, you can tap it and then it will process it and it will show within half a second. But with an ABT system – and this is not just in Singapore; this is so true in places like London and Hong Kong – you have to check with the backend what the information, is to be able to calculate what is the fare deduction and what is the balance. So, if you were to then wait for the information to be transmitted back to the fare gates or to the bus card readers, it could take several seconds. And this may be okay if the flow of commuters is very light, but it is going to cause delays and it is going to add to the queues, especially during periods when the volumes are higher, peak periods, for example. So, because of that constraint, the ABT systems – not just in Singapore, but also elsewhere – are designed such that they do not display the balance information at the fare gate. I hope that answers Mr Giam's question. He has a second part to the question, which is then how come the person can tap and go out, and do we not then have information about the fares at the point of tapping? Sir, this is something which is a bit technical here. LTA would let the person tap out and then compute the balances at the backend and that will then be reflected on the app, as Mr Giam mentioned, with a short delay; not immediately. But the next time when the user taps in and assuming that user does not have sufficient balance after the last journey, this card will then be blocked.”
“And we will, over time, hopefully be able to improve the user experience and the features of SimplyGo. I think that will be an important factor in trying to encourage more people to switch over.”
“Mr Speaker, to Mr Lim's first question, indeed, I think that is the plan that we have, to progressively be able to integrate the two CBT systems. But because the two systems and the two types of cards – as in the cards for the adult commuters and the cards for concession card holders – are currently not compatible, we cannot make this change overnight. But as Members are aware, these stored value cards, EZ-Link cards, for example, have an expiry date. So, when the current cards expire, if we are able to then issue a new card under the integrated system, then in the future, we can gradually and progressively work towards having one CBT system. That is part of our plan. We intend to move towards that direction. Between having two systems versus having one CBT system, I think it is better to have one CBT system. Sir, the second point that Mr Lim brought up, I think it is a good idea that we will certainly consider – how to encourage commuters who wish to switch over to SimplyGo to be able to do so. But I want to explain that the important thing here is to retain the option for commuters to choose because of the trade-off between the two systems. At the moment, ABT systems are still unable to display fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and at the bus card readers quickly. So, because of this limitation, we feel it is important to give commuters both options so that they can choose which system they prefer. Those who prefer to use the CBT system because they want to retain this feature can do so. Those who do not mind switching over to SimplyGo, because there are some benefits of SimplyGo as I explained in my main reply, they can also have the option to do so.”
“And so, this is why after hearing this feedback and understanding the concerns, we decided not to proceed with the original plan to sunset the CBT system for adult commuters.”
“Mr Speaker, to Ms Pereira's first question, the $40 million is an estimate. This is the estimated cost to purchase new hardware and equipment, software and also to operate and maintain the CBT system for adult commuters till at least 2030. In implementing the system extension, LTA will spend prudently and we will try to reduce the cost as much as possible. There is also the CBT system for concession card holders, which LTA had earlier decided to retain after getting feedback from commuters during its consultation with more than 1,000 commuters. LTA will look at ways to be able to progressively integrate these two CBT systems over time and without inconveniencing commuters, so that we can work towards, if possible, having one CBT system in future rather than two. And I believe this will help to reduce overall costs. Sir, Ms Pereira's second question – the merger of EZ-Link and TransitLink is to enable the two organisations to be able to work more closely together and it is not linked to the decision of whether or not to sunset the CBT system for adult commuters. I had explained in my main reply the key considerations behind LTA's announcement on 9 January. It is really to try and avoid incurring the cost of extending the system when it reaches end-of-life in 2024. And also, LTA observed that by December 2023, about two-thirds of adult commuters have switched over to using SimplyGo, whether bank cards, mobile wallets, or the SimplyGo stored value ABT cards. But we had under-estimated the strong preference of commuters who would like to continue seeing the fare deductions and the card balances at the fare gates and at the bus card readers.”
“Then, I think it will be easier to convince commuters to be able to switch over to the new system. Sir, Mr Saktiandi's second question, is whether we can put more card readers for people to check their balances at MRT stations and bus interchanges. We currently have such ticketing machines at the MRT stations and at bus interchanges. I have asked LTA to introduce and to add more of such readers so as to make it more convenient for commuters who are not using the SimplyGo app, but who would like to check their card balances to be able to use these readers more conveniently.”
“Mr Speaker, I first want to thank Mr Saktiandi for speaking on this issue. Very early on, after LTA made the 9 January announcement, I remember Mr Saktiandi shared his views, representing the concerns of his residents. I thank him and also other Members for the feedback. Sir, the systems in Hong Kong and London and many other cities around the world who are starting to offer ABT or who have implemented ABT systems, show that there is currently no solution to be able to display the fare deductions and card balances in a very short time at the fare gates or bus card readers. This latency limitation of the system makes it difficult for us to present that feature to commuters at this point in time, because by doing so, you can imagine especially during peak periods, it will slow down the flow of commuters and lead to long queues and delays. Because of that, the trade-off is that they maintain two systems. So, in Hong Kong, for example, there is the ABT system that can support bank cards, but they also have what they call the Octopus card, which is a card-based ticketing or CBT system, similar to our EZ-Link stored value card. London, I believe, has a similar arrangement. There is an ABT system and then there is a CBT system. This is also what we will do. By having SimplyGo ABT, to support bank cards, mobile wallets and the ABT stored value cards, and we will also have the CBT system for concession card holders and for adult commuters. So, commuters can choose which system they prefer and which system will best meet their needs. As I mentioned in my main reply, if over time, we are able to find a solution to be able to display fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and bus card readers, then this trade-off can be resolved.”
“We will consult widely to understand the needs of different groups of commuters and carefully assess the costs and benefits. In planning and implementing our next steps, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and LTA will continue to spend public funds prudently. In areas where we can save money, we will try to reduce costs as much as possible. But where it is necessary to spend, we will do so.”
“In making this decision, we will not be able to avoid the estimated cost of $40 million to maintain the adult CBT system till at least 2030. However, we will have an extended CBT system that can serve the needs of adult commuters who want to continue viewing their fares and balances at fare gates and bus card readers. The estimated cost of $40 million will be borne by the Government and will not affect public transport fares. We will also find ways to integrate the two CBT systems over time without affecting commuters and to reduce overall costs where possible. I have tasked LTA to improve the features and user experience of SimplyGo and to find ways to overcome the technical challenge so that it could display fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and bus card readers without slowing down the flow of commuters. There is currently no solution at the moment, but we will try our best. We will work with other Government agencies and we will work with industry experts to explore possible solutions. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked about fare errors. Sir, these can occur with both CBT and ABT cards, though the error rate is very low. When commuters encounter fare errors, they can surface their fare disputes to claim a refund. With the extension of the concession card and adult CBT systems, both systems will be able to operate till at least 2030. And we retain the option for adult commuters and concession card holders to remain on the CBT system if they wish to do so. We do not have to make a decision now on whether to extend these systems beyond 2030. In making the decision subsequently, important factors would include whether we can overcome the current technical limitations of the ABT system and which system commuters prefer to use.”