Jeffrey Siow
Singapore
“These solutions have been installed for the Bukit Panjang LRT in 2023, and for the Sengkang-Punggol LRT in 2024. While physical and technological constraints have prevented the installation of platform screen doors at LRT stations thus far, this incident reminds us that we must never stop looking for better solutions.”
“The point-to-point transport sector in Singapore is market-based, which allows the needs of both commuters and drivers to be met. We have no plans to regulate ride-hail platform commission rates or passenger fares.”
“The amended route for Service 965 was designed to bring residents closer to amenities near Sengkang town centre, including schools, Sengkang General Hospital and the Sengkang Community Hub, compared to the alternative of routing through Compassvale Road.”
“The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Health (MOH) work closely together on transport options for healthcare needs. Our public transport network is barrier-free and wheelchair accessible. Taxis must accommodate foldable wheelchairs.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is the primary agency responsible for enforcing Active Mobility Act (AMA) offences on public paths, which comprise footpaths, shared paths and pedestrian-only paths. National Parks Board (NParks) officers are authorised by LTA to enforce AMA offences within NParks-managed parks and park connectors.”
“As earlier announced, the new bus stops, overhead bridges and lifts along the Tampines Expressway (TPE) will be completed between 2030 and 2032. Once works are completed, more residents in the northern parts of Rivervale estate will be within a 10-minute walk from a bus stop along TPE.”
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“Mr Speaker, on private hire car drivers, the $200 is currently a one-off, but we will watch how things develop and if there is a need for us to do more, we can come in again. But more importantly, if fuel prices continue to remain elevated at this price for a long period of time, actually, the market ought to accommodate it in the form of higher fares, which then, consumers will have to adjust their behaviours, including consumption. I think that is the best way to do it, rather than try to blunt the price signals by giving them a long-term fuel subsidy.”
“Yes, Mr Speaker, let me do that. Mr Saktiandi asked two things. One is whether or not the inflationary impact can be mitigated with our use of our monetary policies. And to that end, indeed, MAS will look at this as part of its regular review of monetary policies. I think we will see what they will intend to do in the coming months. I think his other question was about off-Budget measures and whether or not we have plans to do that. As I have explained in my speech, we do have drawer plans. If the situation changes and if needed, we will indeed activate them and bring them together as off-Budget measures if needed.”
“Mr Speaker, just to reply very quickly to the Member's suggestion on curbing private transport use. And in fact, that is the very reason why we do not want to reduce diesel or fuel taxes and duties. But our context is quite different from other countries. We, as Dr Tan explained, are not facing a shortage of fuel. What we are facing are high fuel prices and that in itself, should be an incentive for people to drive less, and maybe, hopefully to use public transport more. I would just want to just add very quickly that the situation that we have is a position of strength. It is not by accident. We are here, fortunate that we are discussing how to cope with higher fuel prices, rather than discussing whether we are running out of fuel. As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Shanmugam explained, we built our position as an energy trading hub over decades, that was a long-term move. We maintain strategic fuel reserves precisely because we anticipated supply disruptions and we do not control prices. We allow the price mechanism to function, so that energy is priced properly in Singapore and used efficiently. And all these are deliberate. They allow us to be in a strong position to act, not just react, so that we are able to cope with these crises. And it is all because we have a good Government that is prepared, anticipates problems and plans ahead for the future.”
“Mr Speaker, I think we fully agree with Ms Denise Phua's exhortation. Indeed, we want to absolutely ensure that these critical services continue to be operated for the vulnerable. And on behalf of those agencies that she mentioned, we will make sure that we take care of the vulnerable and the services continue to be run. And we will consult all relevant stakeholders to make sure that this is so.”
“Mr Speaker, I had spoken earlier about doing something about the diesel tax expenses. So, I will just add a little bit more to the answer. I think that even if we do cut diesel tax duties, it might not necessarily pass through fully to the end consumer. Therefore, it is not really the best way to try to convey help directly to the people who need it the most. More importantly, as I said earlier, we do not want to blunt the price signals and reduce the incentive for the longer-term objective, which is to encourage actually businesses to switch to more energy efficient modes of transport, as well as to be more efficient in how they use their vehicles.”
“Mr Speaker, I think the Member's questions are very broad – they go beyond the scope of this current discussion that we are having on the crisis and it goes beyond the Ministerial Statement a little bit. What I will just say is that these are important concerns for our Government, and from a government's point of view, we will continue to work on these issues to make sure that we have a society that is well-supported and that their needs are well met. Specifically, on her question on transport affordability especially for families, we do have a comprehensive system to support lower-income Singaporeans, in terms of their transport needs. Today, public transport is very affordable. It is, I believe, about 2% of the average household income for the P30, if I am not mistaken. But more importantly, if there are people who cannot afford transport, we will find ways to support them. Even for large families who need to take private hire vehicles, we have additional subsidies that we have worked in through the Large Family LifeSG Credits. Overall, we will continue to make sure that transportation is affordable for our Singaporeans.”
“Finally, on the suggestions to have a U-Save scheme for companies, what we want to do is to again provide support to our companies broadly and quickly. We do not want to subsidise them necessarily too much on energy, because that will blunt the price signals and slow down the process of encouraging these companies to continue to be energy efficient, at a stage where it is very important for us to reinforce this message. We need to help companies in fact, move through this transition phase quickly, continue to be energy efficient; in fact, to be more energy efficient if they can, and through some of our schemes to encourage them to do so through buying more equipment and things like that, like for example, through the Energy Efficiency Grant.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Mark Lee for his questions. First of all, we really understand the cashflow concerns of SMEs that are caught in this current energy crisis and the price spike. It is important, therefore, for us to get support to the SMEs as soon as possible. And that is the reason why we have decided, the best way and the fastest way to get support to them is through the Corporate Income Tax rebates and through the cash grant, to provide them support in terms of cashflow considerations. And we are able to disburse and start doing that from April onwards, which should help, even in those cases that the Member mentioned about the contracts being locked in at fixed prices. Very much appreciative of the suggestion to involve the trade associations and chambers to support and guide businesses to get through this difficult period. Certainly, on behalf of the economic agencies, we will work very closely with the trade associations and chambers to do this. On the Energy Efficiency Grant, as I mentioned earlier, in response to another Parliamentary Question, what we do want to do is to really get out the support soon. So, we did not want to make significant changes to the parameters. But increasing the quantum of the support is something we can consider at a later juncture. And similarly, we will look at also the Business Adaptation Grant, which Mr Lee suggested. On financing support, there are not a lot of signs today that the financing ecosystem has severely tightened up. But we will watch this very closely, and if that is the case, indeed, we will then leverage on the existing schemes that we have to provide support to our companies.”
“Mr Speaker, let me take the first question by Mr Ang on the $200. We sized the $200 based on the average increase in fuel cost that full-time taxi drivers as well as full-time private hire car drivers experienced in a month. The average is about $150 to $250, so we have chosen a number that is in the middle of that range. Of course, there are many drivers in the private hire car community that are not full-time drivers. They drive part time for various reasons and so, in some ways, the $200 is sized at the higher end of the range. In addition, we also note that NTUC as well as the Land Transport Authority, have been in discussions with the platform operators to provide support for these drivers and platform operators have given fuel vouchers in the last few weeks to the drivers that are affected. We have also allowed for the fares of these services to also rise to accommodate some of these cost pressures. So, overall, there is a holistic cost sharing. I think that is reasonable for now. We will continue to observe the situation and if there is a need for us to do more for this group, particularly the vulnerable ones, we will do so.”
“If there is a need for us to do more later, we can look at doing that as well. We spoke about the bus drivers earlier in relation to the earlier question by Mr Ng Chee Meng. Where there are bus drivers that indeed are not part of the existing package, we will work through the unions as soon as possible to provide support for this group.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. We very much understand the concerns of drivers and SMEs who are reliant on diesel fuel and may not have ready alternatives. The suggestion of whether or not to give a road tax rebate or reduction, it is too blunt a measure. We have, as I said in my speech earlier, aside from being a revenue measure, actually, road tax works in tandem with our other vehicle policies to achieve other longer-term outcomes, for instance, pricing in externalities related to public health and pollution, influencing vehicle buyers to choose more fuel-efficient vehicles. These objectives remain relevant and we do not want to go in the opposite direction. So, therefore, a reduction of road tax is too blunt a tool. And so, what we want to do is be more focused and targeted in who we support, and our approach therefore is to provide directed support to SMEs, companies, drivers – people who are more directly affected by the fuel prices. And the overall package provides that support – whether it is through the Corporate Income Tax rebate, as I mentioned earlier, as well as other targeted support, like the $200, that we are giving to the taxi drivers, the platform workers, which includes the private hire car drivers. We will continue to assess the situation closely, and if there is a need for us to provide further support, we can consider that at the later juncture. On the U-Save rebates we had initially sized them, as I mentioned, at 1.5 times the regular rate of what we normally give. It is to indeed cover the immediate tranche of both April to June and also subsequently from July to September, and the tranches will be disbursed in April and July respectively. At the moment we do not know exactly how much the fuel tariff is going to be. We know it is going to increase.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. In terms of large ticket items, and whether the Government can co-pay through better financing, that is something we can consider. But I think overall the approach we have for the Energy Efficiency Grant is that we want to first extend the coverage. Second, we want to get the support out there as soon as possible. So, without having to change the scheme parameters significantly, I think what we want to do is just extend the current parameters. But we will certainly consider at a later stage whether there are other things that we can do to enhance this in terms of financing. Similarly, for pre-approved, the reason why it is pre-approved is because we want to make sure that we get the support to the companies as soon as possible, which is why we have worked very closely with trade associations and business associations to understand which are the types of equipment that businesses use most frequently and are most energy saving. And we are happy to take in inputs together with the applications. I think today's application process is fairly automatic, but I will check with the economic agency to see whether there is room for us to give room for people to give suggestions on what type of equipment.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. On self-employed groups, specifically the Combi bus and limousine drivers, in 2002, the Government worked very closely with the NTUC to work out the support measures for this particular group. I think we will be happy to work with NTUC again to see how that can be done. [Please refer to "Clarification by Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance", Official Report, 7 April 2026, Vol 96, Issue 27, Correction By Written Statement section.] As for service buyers, and whether or not we can help them with the contracts, the Government has already stated its position as a responsible buyer for its own contracts. We hope that we can also encourage private sector service buyers, as well as service providers, to also come to reasonable accommodations for these purposes.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I just want to take the opportunity to do a plug for the Singapore's EV scheme for heavy vehicles. We have a grant of $40,000, which we announced, I think in March last year. There are companies that have already made use of the grant. The scheme also covers the provision of funding for chargers, which actually is the chief constraint behind why the adoption of electric heavy vehicles is not as prevalent as say, passenger vehicles. But we have this grant and we will encourage companies to make use of it, to switch to more energy efficient vehicles.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to just quickly respond to Ms Poh Li San's question on local bus services. We have received feedback from transport associations on the impact on local bus services and we are working very closely with them to smoothen out the impact on these bus services. As I mentioned, where the bus services are critical, we will co-share the cost of these services, but for others that are more general, we will work with them to smoothen out the impact. We will expect some pass-through of the cost to the consumers, just like my colleague Senior Minister of State Murali mentioned, through airfares. And broadly, we will support the bus companies through the business measures, for instance, like the Corporate Income Tax rebates that I had talked about in my speech. And on the consumer side, we are also supporting through the payments like the Cost-of-Living Special Payment, which can be used to defray some of these costs.”
“Mr Speaker, let me respond to Mr Foo Cexiang's two questions. The first is on the port and port services, and whether they can be considered as critical services. As I mentioned in my speech, what the Government agencies will do is to assess whether or not such services are critical parts of what we have to do and whether the direct impact of these services is due to the rise in prices. So, in this case, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will assess that and make a case to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for support. On the Economic Strategy Review, indeed, I agree with the Member that there are opportunities for us to look at. The Economic Strategy Review is a plan for us to remake our economy for the next five to 10 years. It is a long-term strategy. One of the key things that we are looking at through the Economic Strategy Review is how to strengthen Singapore as a hub of flows. I think the energy crisis reiterates for us how important that strategy is. It is precisely because that Singapore is in the middle of energy flows that we are able to have energy security and to be able to be in the position that we are in.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to make a clarification for my speech. I earlier said that several Members have asked if the Government will consider reducing fuel or diesel subsidies. I misread. What I meant to say was that several Members have asked if the Government will consider reducing fuel or diesel duties. It is the exact opposite of what I actually said, so I thought I should clarify.”
“The VPC scheme is being reviewed. The Land Transport Authority also intends to investigate and strengthen enforcement against errant heavy vehicle parking operators.”
“Over the past 24 months, the Land Transport Authority received 19 cases of claims for damages from private residential property owners in the Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency allegedly attributed to the North-South Corridor (NSC) construction along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. After investigations, 18 cases were assessed not caused by the NSC works and one recent case is still being assessed. As the assessment process typically involves detailed site inspections, the time taken to resolve each case depends on its complexity.”
“In the past three years, there have been about 25 reports to the Land Transport Authority regarding unauthorised works on road reserve fronting private landed housing. Four have thus far been rectified by the owners. The remaining cases, which are assessed to not affect safety and connectivity, are pending resolution with the homeowners. Where unauthorised works on public roads and footpaths affect the safety and connectivity, property owners will be required to restore the affected areas immediately at their own cost.”
“Lighting for cycling paths at potential conflict areas, such as sharp bends and intersections with other paths, need to be twice the brightness of other cycling paths. Features such as "SLOW" markings, speed regulating strips and "Give Way to Pedestrians" signs also encourage users to slow down. Guidelines are in place to ensure that the plantings along streets do not affect cycling path lighting.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) pilots and implements alternative crossing designs where appropriate. For example, LTA implemented a scrambled crossing at the junction of Robinson Road/Boon Tat Street, where there is high demand for pedestrians to cross diagonally and limited impact on traffic. However, the scope for implementing such crossings is limited. Where feasible, crossings are widened to accommodate dedicated crossings for pedestrians and active mobility users, such as at Market Street and East Coast Road.”
“Major junctions near expressways or major arterial roads leading to and from key commercial and industrial zones typically have the highest peak hour traffic volume. Our adaptive traffic light system, Green Link Determining System, adjusts traffic light signals based on prevailing traffic conditions to improve traffic flow. The Land Transport Authority will continue to leverage on technology, such as predictive artificial intelligence, to enhance traffic management.”
“We have no plans to introduce purchase incentives for electric motorcycles as there are electric motorcycles that are of comparable pricing to the mass-market internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents in the market today. The low adoption of electric motorcycles could be due to their shorter driving range compared to their ICE equivalents and other factors, like the lack of an adequate fast-charging or battery charging and swap station network.”
“As of end-February 2026, two months since the launch on 1 January, 119 electric heavy vehicles have been registered under the Heavy Vehicle Zero Emissions Scheme. Electrification remains the most commercially and technologically viable decarbonisation pathway for the land transport sector. We will continue to monitor technological developments and study the feasibility of adopting hydrogen and other cleaner energy technologies.”
“Of the approximately 590 on-road accidents from 2023 to 3Q 2025 involving personal mobility devices (PMDs), power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and personal mobility aids (PMAs) that resulted in injuries, 19 involved pedestrians, 181 involved seniors aged 65 and above and 24 involved children aged 12 and below. These figures can be overlapping. Data at this level of granularity is not collected for the approximately 120 off-road accidents, which are generally less severe. In the same period, there were 10 reported fatal accidents involving PMDs, PABs and PMAs on the road, and none for off-road accidents.”
“For broad-based payouts, the Government considers various factors, including the latest economic and inflation outlook, the overall size of fiscal injections, whether certain groups of households need more help and fiscal sustainability. This allows the Government to take both a quantitative and qualitative approach and be more responsive to prevailing conditions while sharing with Singaporeans the benefits of our economic growth.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. We are trying our best to keep to the project timelines. At the moment, our assessment is that it remains on track, that it is not possible for us to bring the project timelines forward. This is really because the works are complex and we want to ensure that the safety of the workers and the people involved are prioritised. So, we are not rushing the project. We are on time to do so. On his second question, I think what we have done is to provide alternatives for our commuters as far as we can. There are adjustments that commuters will have to make in terms of their travel routes, but there are alternatives on both the train and the buses, and these are sufficient for us to accommodate the alternative travel plans that commuters need to make, whenever we have to do these works. Going forward, we will have to do these works across the board, for the network, in a more intensive and widespread fashion, because our train network is ageing. And so, we seek the commuters' support and understanding that this is quite normal. I think no other train system in the world offers travel rebates when doing such maintenance works; and I think it is commonly accepted that this is part of the way we try to do our best to sustain the efficiency, the reliability, as well as the financial sustainability of the public transport system.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his suggestions. I think when the time comes for us to look at what are the supporting services that we will put in place for the North East Line's works, we will certainly consider those suggestions that he has given us.”
“Following the first week where around 30,000 commuters tried out the shuttle bus service, weekly ridership for shuttle services has settled at around 20,000. We do not have a precise estimate for the number of commuters using alternative rail lines as commuters are free to move between lines after tapping into the system. Despite the decrease in peak Circle Line frequencies to facilitate tunnel works, the approach of providing and publicising bus and rail alternatives has kept wait times and loading for trains manageable. Most commuters continue to be able to board the first train, other than at certain busy stretches during the peak hours where higher crowding is observed even without the planned closures. We will incorporate feedback from commuters in refining our provision of alternative travel options for future service adjustments.”
“In January 2026, 85 mobile enforcement cameras were deployed across various hotspots to enforce on active mobility, bus lane and illegal parking offences. The Land Transport Authority will deploy additional cameras based on enforcement needs.”
“The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sets guidelines on the carriage and use of electronic devices on flights, including power banks. These guidelines address safety risks, such as fire hazards involving lithium batteries. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) aligns its safety regulations with ICAO's guidelines. These include restrictions on the allowable capacity of lithium batteries onboard aircraft, how they must be carried and limitations on their use during flight. ICAO is expected to update its guidelines on lithium batteries in the coming months, which will be incorporated into CAAS's regulations. CAAS is working with airlines to prepare for these changes.”
“Companies taking up artificial intelligence (AI) transformation initiatives will receive tax deductions through the Enterprise Innovation Scheme. We do not impose workforce-related requirements or require companies to report the impact on their headcount or workers' wages, as we do not want to make the scheme requirements or disbursement processes too onerous for such companies. There are however other initiatives that support the reskilling of workers, including with AI. For example, the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package supports companies to redesign job roles, reskill workers and adopt AI-powered technology solutions. These schemes require companies to meet certain objectives to receive grants or other financial support.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Absolutely agree. I think our intent is to try to deploy as many double decker buses as possible. Just to explain a little bit, we do still have a legacy fleet of single deck buses. I am often asked, "Oh, why is it during peak hour, we are still deploying single deck buses?" and I get lots of angry emails very often on this particular issue. The reason is actually there are additions to the buses. I put in all my double deckers and then, on top of that, during peak hour, whatever single deckers I have, I also put in. And therefore, people do not like it when they see the single deck bus coming, but it is in fact an addition; it is not a subtraction. Secondly, for electric buses, in the beginning when we first started buying them, most of them were single decker. And in Singapore, because we have to customise our buses, we had to wait for some time before the double deck electric buses came on stream. And so in the interim we did buy some of the single deck electric buses to start the electrification process. So, that is why you have still fairly new electric single deck buses in Singapore. But of course, we want to try to have double decks, high-capacity buses as much as we can, because they are the most efficient, space saving and reduces our reliance on bus captains, because one bus captain driving a double deck is much better than one bus captain driving a single deck. So, these are sort of the reasons that are hard to see on the outside, but I hope the Member and the public understands why you still see single decks on the roads today.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. So, first of all, I have a lot of sympathy for the concern. We hear this a lot, very often from our Singaporean motorcycle riders. As to whether or not they are being treated fairly. This is why we have the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) and the Goods Vehicle Permit (GVP) schemes. The idea is that Malaysian motorbikes, when they come in, they pay a fee and then this equalises the cost. The fees are set such that the cost of owning and using a foreign registered vehicle in Singapore is equalised with that of a Singaporean vehicle. We applied a fee to cars, we apply a similar but lower fee to motorcycles. LTA and MOT, we periodically review this fee, and in fact, we are going to raise the fee substantially from 2027 onwards. At the same time as when the RTS Link is open. In addition, for our local motorcycles, just so that I address this point, the Government already applies lower ARF, lower road taxes – in fact, ERP charges are also lower for motorcycles relative to other vehicle types. So, it addresses and recognises how motorcycles are in fact using not fully the same road space as a car but nonetheless still using some road space. They cause some level of congestion and therefore, we have to make sure that is priced properly and the externalities are properly taken into account.”
“Mr Chairman, I updated briefly in the speech. We are going to launch the autonomous buses in those two areas. I mentioned the two bus numbers which has now slipped my memory. I believe it is 400-something in Marina Bay and 100-something in Shenton Way. So, we will launch those I think in the second half of this year.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. I will take Mr Chia's first question, and then I will have the two Senior Ministers of State reply to his subsequent two questions. First of all, I do confirm that indeed we will look specifically at Mr Chia's suggestion, which is to look at a system that is OMV-based, but also to look at merging Cat A and Cat B in a single-bidding category. I think we have to look at how to do this, because there is probably still some merit to having some distinction between a mass market car category and a higher-end car category. We have to see how we can do this, but I think his idea is a very interesting one and we are very happy to try to explore that in the context of trying to find a system of categorisation that is a little bit more stable in the longer term. As to who we consult, we will consult a range of stakeholders, obviously car buyers, both potential and current car users. We also want to consult the industry, so this would include both the motor dealers, but also car manufacturers and other industry observers. I think we will also consult academics as well, because in a system like the COE, it involves auctions and I suppose, auction theory is very well developed. It is something that the academics will have something to say; and we will be very happy to seek views from them as well.”
“And today, if you go to Boston, it is a much nicer place to be in, and we have all, as a student, I have driven on that before. I can tell you, it was not a pleasant experience, and more importantly, it bifurcated the sea front from the city. So, I do not think we really want to do that as far as possible here. Mr Liang also mentioned about logistics. Very much so, we will work with the industry to try to improve how we do logistics in Singapore, make it smoother, in terms of delivering goods. In fact, MOT and MTI have been coming together to try to develop a logistics strategy that is more coherent. And I think at the appropriate time we will update the House on this. Finally, on traffic clearance. Actually, the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) already does quite a good job. Today, they take about an average of 15 minutes to clear jams or clear an accident on the highway and to then allow traffic to continue smoothly. Usually, after they clear the accident, if it is a minor accident, it takes about maybe half an hour to an hour for traffic to get back to normal. But for a serious accident, where if it involves a fatality, it needs a bit more time, and that is when the more difficult jams happen. So, I think in terms of performance, it is already not bad, but I agree with Mr Liang that we should use technology to see how we can speed up those processes and reduce the impact of such incidents.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. First of all, I want to apologise to Mr Liang Eng Hwa because he made a wonderful speech on transport with many ideas. And I was unable to reply to all the ideas that he had put out. But as he asked the clarification, it gives me an opportunity to be able to respond more fully to the good ideas that he has suggested. Firstly, I want to reassure him because he had a very major concern about how if he had brought up traffic congestion, that ERP would be my first response. The answer is: not to worry, ERP is not our first option by any means. For the most part, ERP is always our last response, not least because ERP 1.0 gantries were hard to build and expensive to build; but even with ERP 2.0, I would like to reassure the Member that we would use road pricing only when it is really necessary. So, that is the first point. On using technology, I think Mr Liang gave many examples and I agree with him that, in fact, using AI for systems, such as traffic light management, would significantly improve the fluidity of our traffic. And in fact, the LTA is exploring this. They showed me something recently, has a very nice acronym called CRUISE. I do not know what it stands for, but it looks reasonable and I am happy to find a time to share with Mr Liang, if he is interested. There were a few other suggestions on, for example, double deck highways on Keppel. I think Mr Liang also suggested that. I think that is less likely something that we will do. I am reminded of Boston, a city which had I spent quite a bit of time in. They had this Big Dig – I do not know whether you would be familiar with it. They spent many years and vast amounts of money putting that two double decker highway into the ground.”
“So, it is a significant support already. We have to see then overall, how the fiscal sustainability of the bus network can be maintained, so that we can continue to grow the network at a sustainable pace and that salaries are also then incorporated into the overall cost of maintaining this network.”
“Chairman, we have plans to inject up to 20,000 additional COEs over the next few years, as Mr Ang has pointed out. That plan remains unchanged. It was on the premise that the total mileage has fallen and our ability to manage congestion using ERP 2.0 will be enhanced. So, those reasons stay valid; we will continue to inject those COEs over the next few years. We have been doing it based on a certain methodology that involves redistributing guaranteed de-registrations via cut and fill, as well as then subsequently doing the injections. The objective is to smoothen the COE quota supply overall. As to whether we want to inject another parameter, which is to rebalance Cat A and B, we will evaluate that, but I am hesitant about introducing too many parameters. Because, as I think one of the Members, I think it was Mr Edward Chia, who said that in the course of doing this, we do not want to add too much uncertainty, too many variables and therefore, too much perturbation to the market. So, we will evaluate it, but I think, just sort of thinking offhand, probably not too likely. On the second question on the bus captains, we are discussing with the unions as well as with the bus operators on how to execute the increase in the salaries for new recruits, starting salaries of bus captains. And I think Government is prepared to see what we can do to put in more support to the system. But I wish to point out that, in fact, for the bus network, the Government has already put in a lot of resources to support the financial sustainability of the bus network. I mentioned the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, which is a significant inject of funds. Overall, on a yearly basis, the Government puts in a billion dollars as subsidies into the bus network.”
“Chairman, I will take the first question and I will have Minister of State Baey take the second one. For the COE review, I intend to start this immediately. We will have to take the rest of the year to do the consultation. We will take it as part of the Land Transport Master Plan process as Minister of State Baey has explained. Hopefully, by the end of this year, we ought to have some form of conclusion.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I agree with the hon Member that indeed there are alternative occupations that, particularly this group who are Singaporean, can potentially take in the economy. But this group of PHC drivers, it is a diverse group. There are professional drivers who are doing the same thing as taxi drivers, driving full-time. There are people who are also in transient employment and this is a good way for them to come in and continue to earn an income, maybe when they are in between jobs. And so, to that end, we have not intentionally tried to restrict the numbers But as the Member has pointed out, this is a important pool of labour. Certainly, I would appreciate if some of them go into the bus industry, help us address the constraint that we have for public buses. But we have to leave it to the market and to let them decide.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. We had decided to make adjustments to the PARF rate precisely because the take-up of EVs has increased, and this has made the original objective of PARF, which was to encourage early renewal of vehicles and therefore, have a younger vehicle fleet that is less pollutive, that initial objective is now less relevant with the take-up of EVs. We are watching the adoption of EVs very closely. I think the trend is positive. And as Members know, what we are trying to do is to encourage more emission friendly cars, and we will continue to do that in the coming years.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think we will always need a balance of both ownership as well as usage controls, both of which are necessary and important to keep road congestion in check. With Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) 2.0 and other usage tools, we have the ability to sharpen our usage policies to make it more targeted and perhaps to then make the usage of our roads more efficient. And depending on the outcomes, potentially we can then adjust our ownership policies and our vehicle quotas accordingly.”
“Thank you. The Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) rebate was designed to encourage the renewal of the vehicle population to keep the vehicle fleet younger and hence, safer and less pollutive. With electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more commonplace, there is now less of a need to encourage early deregistration through the PARF rebate. This is why we lowered the PARF rebate and also reduced the rebate cap from $60,000 to $30,000. We do not expect the changes to affect Certificate of Entitlement (COE) renewal behaviour significantly. The recent changes to vehicle taxes were implemented with immediate effect, in line with our general approach on market sensitive tax changes. In this case, it was to avoid bidders rushing to market, or distorting the COE market. This was the same approach we had taken in 2023 when the PARF rebate cap was implemented and the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) was raised. Vehicle taxes and rebates are also consistently levied at the point of registration, not the point of sale, to ensure all buyers in a specific COE bidding exercise are treated equally. Fewer than 2,000 car buyers with committed purchases are estimated to be affected. These include mostly buyers of higher-end internal combustion engine cars. Buyers with existing purchase agreements who have yet to secure a COE may wish to discuss with their dealers to come to a mutually acceptable agreement. We understand that some dealers have already made alternative arrangements with affected buyers.”
“Since 30 May 2025, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has received and approved one request for an adjustment of scheduled maintenance from the rail operators. This was a one-month deferment of air-conditioning filter replacement for four Thomson-East Coast Line trains deployed for testing works. When assessing such requests, LTA takes into consideration the potential impact on safety and service reliability, the adequacy of mitigating measures put in place by the operator and longer-term effects on asset performance.”
“To fully restore the Expected Time of Arrival system, physical works had to be carried out for a significant proportion of the bus fleet, and the accuracy of the system had to be verified against actual bus arrival records. During this period, performance of the system fluctuated as the proportion of rectified buses deployed for service each day varied. The Land Transport Authority had provided regular progress updates until all buses were rectified and the system was fully restored on 12 February 2026. Financial penalties will be imposed on the third-party vendor in accordance with the terms of the service level agreement. The upgrade to the Bus Fleet Management System is projected to be progressively completed by 2027.”
“The Land Transport Authority is conducting a study on user behaviour for the driving experience with Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) 2.0. The study would examine the effectiveness of new visual cues and alerts in place of the physical gantry. Outcomes of the study will inform the design and implementation of ERP 2.0's road guidance features, including road signs, road markings and digital notifications. More details will be provided in due course.”
“The Ministry of Transport does not intend to implement distance-based charging in the immediate term. Our priority is to ensure motorists have time to get used to the new Electronic Road Pricing 2.0 system. Usage-based charging is in principle a fair approach. We will need to study the impact on groups, such as those who drive as part of their work and would likely pay higher usage-based charges as they drive longer distances. Should we decide to pursue distance-based charging in future, we will provide adequate notice.”