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.”
The complete record
Every one of 519 lines we hold for Jeffrey Siow, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 11.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Second Minister for Finance, I move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time". Sir, we are operating in a much more challenging global economic landscape. Geopolitical rivalries have intensified. Economic competition has sharpened. Many countries are home-shoring key industries and companies. The competition for investment is fiercer than ever before. At the same time, global tax and tariff rules continue to evolve, creating uncertainty and complicating companies' decisions on when and where to invest. For Singapore to continue to be a choice location for businesses to expand and invest, we must keep our tax system up-to-date, responsive to industry needs and aligned with global tax developments. The Bill today serves two purposes. First, the amendments to the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act incorporate updates to the Pillar Two rules under the international Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) 2.0 initiative. Second, the Bill also brings into legal effect several tax measures already announced in this year's Budget Statement, as well as other changes to our tax system, following close consultations with the industry. I will now briefly outline the amendments to the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act. Last year, Parliament approved the enactment of the Act to implement the Domestic Top-up Tax and the Multinational Enterprise Top-up Tax under the Pillar Two rules. The rules require large multinational enterprises to pay a minimum effective tax rate of 15%, wherever they operate. Our implementation of the Pillar Two rules is aligned with the global implementation of these rules. Major economies, such as the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan have already implemented them.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Dr Choo Pei Ling for her strong advocacy of Tengah residents' interests. I have discussed extensively with LTA the Member's suggestion on whether we can open up Tengah Link during a select period or on an interim basis. Try as we might, it is not possible for us to do so because we have the intention to introduce more bus services for Tengah town, and Tengah Link will become a lot busier. By keeping it as a dedicated bus corridor, we also have the intention of adding bus stops to facilitate transfers for residents on Tengah Link. And as a consequence, that road will become more crowded and it is not possible for us to then allow it to be open to private cars. We have also considered the option of widening the road, but because of infrastructure and utilities on either side of Tengah Link, that, too, is not possible. So, I ask for the hon Member's understanding as well as Tengah's residents understanding on this issue, that we have tried our best, but it is unfortunate that we cannot open up the road to private vehicles.”
“Ridership during the evening peak is generally lower compared to the morning peak. We are monitoring the ridership on services 675, 676 and 677, but we have no immediate plans to adjust these services at this time.”
“From 2022 to 2024, an average of 414, or 59%, of the Heavy Vehicle Park (HVP) licence applications were unsuccessful each year. When assessing HVP licence applications, the Land Transport Authority ensures that the proposed sites are not located within residential areas, the proposed park layouts and parking lots are in adherence to the Vehicle Parking Provision Code of Practice, and the applicant is authorised to operate a Heavy Vehicle Park on the premise. Licence applications sometimes fail when the applicant is neither the premise owner nor a tenant of the space or provide incomplete supporting documentation.”
“The Public Transport Council (PTC) adjusts the fares for express buses based on their differential from that of basic services. Express bus services are typically operated on a unidirectional basis, which results in unit costs that are about 1.5 times that of basic bus services. As the express bus fare differential had not been adjusted since the introduction of distance-based fares in 2010, PTC assessed that it was timely to close the cost gap by raising the differential this year. PTC noted that the increase may have an impact on commuters who make express bus journeys. In cases where express bus services help to manage crowding on busier rail lines, such as the City Direct Services from the North-East during the morning peak, the Land Transport Authority will continue to provide fare rebates through the Travel Smart Journeys programme to encourage take up by commuters.”
“Over the last 10 years, around 800,000 unique individuals owned a car. An average of about 5% of car-owning individuals owned multiple cars. An average of about 15% of car-owning households owned multiple cars. Adjusting the number of cars owned by households on a per capita basis is not meaningful, as households have different needs and cars may also be used by individuals beyond the immediate household.”
“On average across Categories A and B in the first three quarters in 2025, around four in five or about 24,000 Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) were awarded to existing COE holders, around 2% or about 500 COEs were awarded to those who held a COE within the last 60 days, and around one in five or about 6,000 COEs were awarded to those who had not held a COE in the last 60 days.”
“I thank the Member for the question. I have addressed this at the 4 November 2025 Parliament Sitting. [Please refer to "Duration of Free Morning Off-peak Rail Rides Scheme on North East Line", Official Report, 4 November 2025, Vol 96, Issue 9, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“In 2022, the Land Transport Authority made temporary changes to the routes of several bus services, including service 87, due to construction works for the Cross Island mass rapid transit line. These services will revert to the pre-2022 routes after construction works are completed, which is expected to be in 2030. While the amended route of service 87 passes in front of Hougang Polyclinic, having more buses call at the bus stop would affect the existing six bus services calling at the bus stop and cause congestion along Hougang Ave 4. This would create safety issues for and inconvenience to pedestrians and other road users.”
“When a rail disruption occurs, the train operators are required to inform commuters about the expected duration of the service delay within 15 minutes. However, the additional traveling time announced is meant to be indicative and to serve as a general advisory. The actual journey delay experienced by individual commuters will differ depending on their locations and destinations. The Rail Reliability Taskforce is studying how we can provide commuters with more customised information, depending on their specific location and destination. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is also studying additional metrics that better reflect the impact of rail disruptions on commuters, which will be included in future editions of its rail reliability report. For regulatory purposes, LTA only tracks the total time taken by the operator to resolve an incident and not the additional traveling time. For the period of January to August 2025, there were 17 mass rapid transit disruptions ranging from nine to 160 mins and 12 light rail transit disruptions ranging from 10 to 300 mins.”
“Dwell times at stations for our mass rapid transit and light rail transit trains depend on operating conditions and passenger loading. They must be long enough to provide sufficient time for all passengers, including elderly commuters as well as commuters using wheelchairs and personal mobility aids, to alight from and board the train in a safe manner. Dwell times range from around 35 to 60 seconds for interchange stations and from around 30 to 50 seconds for non-interchange stations. These dwell times have remained largely constant over the past decade and are comparable to metro systems in Taipei and Hong Kong.”
“In setting public transport fares, the Public Transport Council (PTC) aims to keep fares affordable for commuters, while ensuring that our public transport system remains financially sustainable. In deciding the fare adjustment each year, PTC is guided by a fare adjustment formula which reflects the costs of providing public transport services, including national wage growth, core inflation and energy prices. For this year's fare exercise, PTC has taken into consideration the fare formula output of 1.5% and the deferred fare quantum of 12.9%, which represents costs incurred in previous years that have not been passed through into fares. This results in a maximum allowable fare adjustment quantum of 14.4%, out of which PTC decided on a fare increase of 5%, with the rest being funded through a Government subsidy. There is no limit to how long the deferred fare quantum can be carried forward. In the fare reviews over the past two years, the deferred fare quantum has been reduced from 15.6% in 2023 to 9.4% today.”
“From 2019 to 2024, on average, there were 153 reported off-road accidents involving active mobility device annually. Of these accidents, 71 involved bicycles, 66 involved motorised personal mobility devices, 13 involved power-assisted bicycles and 15 involved personal mobility aids. Some accidents involved more than one type of device. Other incidents might not be reported and were typically resolved between affected parties. The Government does not collect data on civil suits filed by pedestrians against active mobility device users or compensations.”
“From 2022 to 2024, an average of about 650, or 1% of temporary Certificate of Entitlement (TCOEs) issued for successful bids were not used to register a vehicle within a year. The low proportion of TCOE expiry suggests that the dealers are not speculating and are bidding based on actual demand for Certificates of Entitlement (COEs). TCOE validity periods are already shorter than one year across all COE categories, ranging from one month for Category D to six months for Categories A and B.”
“The Land Transport Authority already prioritises the installation of lifts at pedestrian overhead bridges (POBs) with high footfall and serve more seniors. These POBs are typically near key transport nodes and amenities, like hawker centres.”
“Since 2018, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has progressively implemented Red-Amber-Green (RAG) arrows at more than 1,200 traffic junctions. Right-turn accidents at sampled junctions decreased by about 40%. LTA evaluates the impact of RAG arrows at traffic junctions through comprehensive traffic monitoring, data analysis and simulation. The waiting time for vehicles to turn right at sampled junctions with RAG arrows increased by about 20 to 40 seconds, depending on the junction characteristics and time of day. This is a 30%-50% increase in waiting time.”
“Autonomous buses, like those to be used for the upcoming pilot on public bus services 400 (Marina Bay) and 191 (one-north) are designed with wheelchair bays and low ramps that can be deployed to facilitate boarding and alighting of wheelchair users. Autonomous shuttles, like the eight-seater Roboshuttle used in Punggol, can accommodate folded wheelchairs and do not have ramps. For both pilots, the safety operators onboard will assist passengers on wheelchairs. We are working with operators and manufacturers to consider the accessibility and inclusivity of autonomous buses and shuttles for commuters with different mobility needs, especially for future operations where the safety operator is no longer on board the vehicle. Autonomous buses will use the same bus stops as regular public buses. These bus stops are barrier-free. The pilots for autonomous buses and shuttles will provide the Land Transport Authority with data to determine whether additional infrastructure, such as pick-up and drop-off points or sensors, will be needed.”
“Our Operating Performance Standards (OPS) require operators of mass rapid transit (MRT) lines to keep average passenger loading on our trains below five persons per square metre. Based on the latest loading figures from September 2025, the average loading recorded during peak periods did not exceed this on any MRT line. With the planned capacity upgrades and expansions to our rail network, we do not anticipate that any line will exceed OPS for loading by 2030.”
“Electric vehicle charging points in Housing and Development Board estates previously used by BlueSG vehicles are still available for public use. The Land Transport Authority is discussing with the current operator as well as other alternative operators on the continued operation of the charging points for public use. We remain on track to achieve our target of 60,000 charging points by 2030.”
“The Government is reviewing the eligibility criteria for Public Transport Vouchers and will consider the Member's suggestion.”
“There have been no reported cases of wheelchair or Personal Mobility Aid (PMA) users causing deliberate damage to our public transport infrastructure. However, there have been occasional cases of accidental damage. Our public transport workers are empowered by our regulations to turn away any errant commuters, such as those riding PMAs that exceed the allowable size. Where they encounter uncooperative passengers, they may request Police assistance. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be aligning the dimensions of PMAs allowed on public paths with those allowed on public transport to reduce instances of oversized PMAs being brought onto public transport. LTA will step up public education efforts on the amended rules for PMA use, which will be implemented in 2026. This will help our public transport workers better enforce against errant PMA users.”
“It is challenging for the Government to adjudicate among the many compelling needs across society that could merit car ownership, including families with special needs dependants. Our approach is to provide direct subsidies and support to such groups to address their specific needs, rather than through the Certificate of Entitlement system, which would be more complicated and costly to administer and may not achieve the intended outcome of supporting those most in need. For example, Ministry of Social and Family Development offers a means-tested transport subsidy to individuals under the Enabling Transport Subsidy scheme to support eligible Singaporeans and Permanent Residents with disability who need to use dedicated transport. Apart from investing in quality and inclusive public transport, the Government is also working to broaden point-to-point transport options for commuters who may require occasional access to cars. This includes working with car sharing operators on parking lots in accessible locations.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) takes a firm stance towards the import, sale and use of non-compliant Active Mobility Devices (AMDs), including motorised Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) and Power-Assisted Bicycles (PABs). LTA conducts operations regularly to enforce against non-compliant devices on public paths, as well as targeted operations against retailers that sell such devices. It is also an offence to illegally modify AMDs. Non-compliant devices are seized and enforcement actions are taken, with significant penalties imposed on offenders. The Ministry of Transport and LTA are considering tougher enforcement action against the keeping, use and sale of non-compliant AMDs. For instance, we are looking to strengthen regulations on online sale of these devices. We target to make the necessary legislative amendments next year.”
“At each Fare Review Exercise, besides determining the overall fare increase, the Public Transport Council (PTC) also determines how much of the adjustment each group of commuters should bear. Higher concessions are ultimately cross-subsidised by other commuters. PTC reviews the price and utilisation of monthly passes at each Fare Review Exercise. The prices of monthly passes for students and full-time national servicemen were recently lowered in 2023 by up to 10% and the prices of monthly passes for pre-university students remain the lowest among all monthly passes.”
“In deciding the fare adjustment each year, the Public Transport Council (PTC) is guided by a fare adjustment formula, which tracks the general cost drivers of providing public transport services, and considers other factors, such as the state of the economy and cost of living. It makes its decisions independently after considering these factors. For this year's fare review exercise, PTC decided on a fare increase of 5%, less than the maximum allowable fare adjustment quantum of 14.4%. This means 9.4% of the allowable fare adjustment will be deferred. The Government is providing another $200 million of additional subsidies in the coming year to cover the gap arising from this deferment. This amount is based on projected public transport revenue for 2026 and the deferred fare quantum. The eventual amount of subsidies provided to each operator to cover the deferred fare quantum is calculated by the Land Transport Authority based on the actual ridership for each of their rail lines. This is distinct from the more than $2 billion in annual subsidies provided by Government to keep bus and train services running. These subsidies allow operators to provide reliable and high-quality service while keeping fares affordable and also covers the cost of replacing and renewing our operating assets like buses and rail systems.”
“Lifts will be installed at four pedestrian overhead bridges between Whampoa and adjacent towns, across the Pan Island Expressway and Central Expressway. We are prioritising these bridges ahead of those that already have ramps. As of October 2025, the pedestrian overhead bridge between Jalan Tenteram and Kim Keat Avenue has been upgraded. Site studies have also commenced for the pedestrian overhead bridges between Jalan Rajah and Toa Payoh Stadium and between Whampoa Drive and Hong Wen School.”
“The breakdown of household car ownership by property type is in Table 1 below.”
“The Land Transport Authority works closely with the organisers of large-scale events to extend public transport service hours when needed. Event organisers are responsible for adhering to the agreed timings and plans for dispersing large crowds to public transport nodes.”
“About one-third of commuters who board the North East Line from Punggol Coast to Kovan during weekday morning peak hours alight within the central area.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Traffic Police (TP) have put in place measures to encourage safe and responsible behaviour on roads and paths. Traffic laws and penalties apply to all road users, including riders from food delivery companies, as do rules on the use of active mobility devices on paths. These rules include requiring mandatory theory test certification to ride a Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) or e-scooter and requiring the use of lights at the front and back of bicycles, PABs and Personal Mobility Devices during hours of darkness when riding on park connectors, public paths and roads. Platform companies are responsible for ensuring the safety and health of their delivery riders. This includes ensuring that their riders using active mobility devices on public paths have adequate third-party liability insurance coverage during the course of their work. LTA and TP regularly engage food delivery platforms, rider associations and industry partners to promote safe riding practices. For example, in June 2025, LTA partnered with the Digital Platforms Industry Association, Workplace Safety and Health Council and the National Delivery Champions Association to launch an e-guide for delivery riders, emphasising safe riding and parking practices. LTA and TP also conducted campaigns, such as the Be Safe, Be Seen campaign, to promote safer riding habits with Grab and safety talks and training sessions for delivery riders with foodpanda.”
“It is an offence to import, sell and use non-compliant Power-Assisted Bicycles (PABs) and motorised Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs). It is also an offence to keep a non-compliant PAB. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducts operations regularly to enforce against these offences. Non-compliant devices are immediately seized and enforcement action is taken. Under the Penal Code, it is a criminal offence for someone to cause a fire, such as through a rash or negligent act. However, as with any investigation, whether using a non-compliant or illegally modified active mobility device meets the threshold for criminal liability will depend on the facts of each case. In addition, under the common law, any person who suffers personal injury or property damage caused by another's negligent conduct, including negligent acts that cause fires, may seek damages through civil proceedings. The courts will assess the claim and determine the extent of the financial compensation to be awarded to the affected party. Current laws can already hold such errant active mobility device users personally liable. We will continue to enforce against such devices using existing rules and engage users on electrical safety and safe device use.”
“The early closure of the Circle Line (CCL) is needed to complete the testing for the opening of CCL Stage 6. When service adjustments are required, alternative options like shuttle buses are not provided if the number of commuters affected is small and there are sufficient available alternative routes.”
“The Government has plans to update the Occasional Paper. We are working on improving our data collection on wealth and will share the findings when it is ready.”
“The $200 million amount is an estimate based on projected public transport revenue for 2026 and the deferred fare quantum of 9.4%. This will be drawn from the Consolidated Fund.”
“Since May 2023, the Land Transport Authority redistributed and injected a total of 30,813 Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) across the COE categories. We will continue to monitor the COE supply to ensure it is stable.”
“The Housing Development Board (HDB) pays fair market value when it purchases State Land for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats. The fair market value is determined by the Chief Valuer, an independent professional office, using established valuation principles no different from that of other professional valuers. This includes referencing relevant resale flat transactions and considering site-specific attributes and resale conditions. The issue of land cost should not be conflated with the issue of pricing for BTO flats, be they Standard, Plus or Prime flats. The land cost is the amount paid by HDB for the land. This is different from the flat price, which is what the BTO flat buyer pays HDB for the unit. BTO flat pricing is based on affordability, not cost.”
“Vehicle sale prices generally have risen in tandem with higher Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums, but not to the same extent. Other factors, including lower Open Market Values and Government subsidies on electric cars, have contributed to higher COE bids. The COE clearing price is set at the highest unsuccessful bid plus $1. Today, car buyers have the option of bidding for their own COEs instead of through their dealers. There is no evidence car dealers are bidding up COE prices beyond what buyers are prepared to pay. Some buyers also prefer car dealers to bid on their behalf for convenience.”
“The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone will allow Singapore and Johor to complement each other's strengths. Companies can benefit from Singapore's global networks, connectivity and business ecosystem, and Johor's land and resource advantages. The combined offering presents an attractive value proposition to investors and companies keen to invest in the region and would also open new opportunities that will strengthen our maritime and aviation hubs.”
“We monitor the charger utilisation rates closely and where there is growing demand, we will work with charging operators to scale up deployment, electrical capacity permitting. To deter lot hogging, EV charging operators have implemented idle fees at several charging locations, especially those with high demand. The operators determine charging prices, which is dependent on demand, location and charger power rating.”
“We had addressed similar questions on 12 November 2024 and 4 February 2025. There is no change in our assessment. [Please refer to "Introduction of Feeder Bus Service to Serve Compassvale Crescent", Official Report, 12 November 2024, Vol 95, Issue 146, Written Answers to Questions section.] [Please refer to "Extension of Bus Service 371 Route for Benefit of Elderly Residents in Sengkang and Compassvale", Official Report, 04 February 2025, Vol 95, Issue 150, Written Answers to Questions section.]”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) imposes a “no-opening” moratorium of one year on newly resurfaced roads to minimise abortive works and inconvenience to stakeholders. However, when there are emergency requests from utility service providers to reopen newly resurfaced roads to supply utility services, LTA will exercise flexibility. There is no additional cost to taxpayers for such re-excavation works. The respective utility service providers are responsible for the full cost of the works, including any road resurfacing or re-excavation required to maintain their networks. At times, due to the extensive and interconnected utility networks beneath the roads, works need to be carried out in stages. The Road Opening Coordination Committee (ROCC), chaired by LTA, does not direct the implementation of road works, but facilitates the coordination of works across government agencies and utility service providers. Where feasible, we deploy solutions to facilitate maintenance without repeated road excavations. Both Common Services Tunnels (CSTs) and other solutions such as Utilities Specific Ducts (USDs) achieve this purpose by consolidating and allowing easier access to utility infrastructure such as water pipes, electrical cables and telecommunication cables. CSTs are large tunnels which allow inspection and maintenance throughout the tunnel, and are suited for areas with high infrastructure loads, such as the Marina Bay area. USDs are smaller ducts, and are more suitable for the needs of HDB estates. That said, there may be areas where CSTs and USDs cannot be deployed due to cost and site-specific constraints.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon Member Mr Ng Chee Meng for his question on the Seletar Line, which is not the first time he has asked this. As I explained earlier, the planning of an MRT line is in tandem with housing developments and travel demand. These are longer-term plans which the agencies work together very closely and we try to make sure that there is enough travel capacity to accommodate the demand for the long term. In the short term, we do make adjustments in terms of continual improvements, whether it is adding new buses to the transport corridor, whether it is introducing the free off-peak travel scheme. These are short-term adjustments that we try to make, to make sure that the commuters' travel demands can be adequately catered for. The Seletar Line is being studied. I hope to have an update on this sometime across the turn of the year and most probably during the Committee of Supply period. But we will take a look at it and let LTA do its work to study the line.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the hon Member for her questions. The scheme applies to the NEL for two reasons. The first is that this is the most well used part of our MRT network at present and we think we want to see whether we can optimise the off-peak crowding on that line. The second reason is that for parts of the NEL that are above Kovan station at the moment, they do not have an alternative route to the MRT network, until the Cross Island Line is built in five years time. And so, should there be a disruption and when there is a disruption, actually, the impact is quite significant to manage. Therefore, it is in our interest to try to reduce the peak hour crowding as much as we can. Bishan, in relative terms, is slightly less crowded, more well-connected. So, for the moment, we have decided to keep the pilot to the NEL. On the second question on accessibility, I fully understand the Member's concerns. Our objective with the scheme is to move a small proportion of those who are able and willing to move from peak hour travel to off-peak. And we are giving them a little incentive to do so. This will not only benefit these commuters, but it will also benefit the commuters who have no choice but to travel during the more crowded periods. It will benefit them through having less crowded trains, hopefully shorter waiting times for the trains and generally a better commuter experience for them. So, it is a win-win situation for all. And more broadly, beyond that, accessibility considerations are very much top of our priority when it comes to public transport. We will be very sure to focus on that.”
“Mr Speaker, the scheme that we have proposed is a series of continuous adjustments that we make to the public transport system in response to travel demand. On the whole, in the longer term, what agencies do is they do plan the transport infrastructure and the capacity of the transport infrastructure in tandem with housing developments. The time frames are long for an MRT line – it takes about 15 years to build. And housing is about five years for a new BTO estate. So, they try to make sure that is synchronised. But in the short term, on a year-to-year basis, we also make continuous adjustments, whether it is adding new buses or in this case, proposing this free off-peak travel scheme. And I think overall the objective is to optimise the capacity of the train network, in particular, of specific trains during peak hours and to make for a better travel experience for our commuters. So, we should see the free travel scheme as part of that series of continuous adjustments. As for whether or not, we will proceed with the scheme after a year, let us evaluate the scheme. The 7% was based off a previous scheme which had very different parameters. But roughly, if we hit something like that, I think we can think about whether or not to either continue with the scheme, extend it in its current form or adjust the parameters further or even fold it as a permanent feature into the system. That is really up for debate.”
“I thank the hon Member for her question. In terms of more resources, as I had mentioned in my reply, if the outcome of the programme is around what we expect, which is hopefully about 7% of the peak hour load shifted to off-peak, then there is enough capacity during the off-peak and we will not need additional resources before 7.30 am. The programme as of now, as a pilot, is fully funded by the Government. So, there are no additional resources that are needed. The revenue loss to the system is entirely covered by the Government. But what actually will be the Government expenditure on the scheme really depends on the take-up of the scheme.”
“What we have done is, for future lines, going forward, to see if we can budget for stations that are longer, in advance, and then, perhaps, in future, to only have smaller capacity trains and to extend the capacity of those trains when we need to.”
“Mr Speaker, on the hon Member's question on the peak hour passenger load, today, our operating performance standards are five passengers per square metre (sqm), which translates to about roughly 1,600 people per train on the NEL. In practice, the trains are not filled to the maximum because commuters decide not to board the train if it gets too crowded. But today, when we track the loading of the trains, it is in and around four passengers per sqm, which is not anywhere near the operating performance standard. In terms of the technical limitations of improving the capacity of the train lines, the free off-peak travel programme is one of a suite of measures that we have to try to manage the overall capacity of the train in terms of optimising it, but also to reduce the peak level crowding. Beyond that, we have been adding new trains to the NEL over the years. We have improved the signalling systems so that the headways between the trains have come down significantly. Outside of the train system, we have also added City Direct buses to bring people from their residence in the North East to the city centre. As for whether or not we can add more train carriages, that is often suggested. In Singapore, we have not taken this step because most of our train lines are underground and if we have trains that are longer than the station length, firstly, you either have to shut down the line to expand the station or there would be fire safety considerations because the carriages that do not have the exit doors, passengers would have to come through a longer way to get out and typically, that is not recommended for us to do that. So, we have not taken that step yet.”
“The Ministry of Transport's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau's report on the allision of Vox Maxima and Marine Honour identified multiple causal factors and made six safety recommendations, all directed to the company managing Vox Maxima. Separately, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has taken action against four crew members of the Vox Maxima who were convicted and fined under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 for failing to discharge their respective duties. MPA has safety protocols in place for emergency response, especially in situations where there is a loss of electrical power on board. A similar allision scenario has been incorporated in the simulator training and assessment of MPA's harbour pilots. The "Vessel's Checklist for Piloted Movements", which must be completed before pilotage, has also been amended to include a new requirement for ship crews to ensure that their anchors can be readily let go in an emergency. In the longer term, MPA is studying the feasibility of stationing harbour tugs at critical areas within the port to provide an additional layer of support for ships experiencing mechanical or electrical failures.”
“Besides contributing to Singapore's net zero emissions commitment, the transition of our public bus fleet to cleaner energy vehicles will improve air quality and public health of commuters. Currently, we are replacing only buses nearing end of life with electric buses. The life cycle costs of electric buses are similar to that of diesel buses, with higher procurement cost offset by lower fuel and maintenance expenses. As technology improves and costs continue to come down, we may be able to accelerate the transition to electric buses without a significant impact on the cost of providing public bus services or public transport fares.”
“The total number of bus captains has increased by about 9%, from around 8,900 in 2015 to around 9,700 in 2024. The nationality breakdown of bus captains has remained largely stable throughout this period, with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw a dip in the proportion of foreign bus captains. As of December 2024, around 28%, 15% and 57% of our bus captains are Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and foreign Work Pass holders respectively.”