Written Reply by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan to Parliamentary Question on Effect of Malaysia’s Lockdown on Public Transport Operations in Singapore and Measures to Minimise Disruptions and Ensure Optimisation of Resources and Cost Efficiency

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Transport

a.     how will our public transport be affected by the lockdown of Malaysia since almost all operators employ Malaysians who commute to work in Singapore daily;

b.     whether there will be measures targeted for affected operators so as to minimise disruption to our public transport system;

c.     whether ridership has been affected due to an increasing number of people working from home; and

d.     how are operators ensuring the optimisation of resources and cost-efficiency during this challenging period. 

Reply by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan:

1.     Malaysia's Movement Control Order has so far not affected our public transport services drastically. First, the number of public transport workers who remain in Malaysia is a very small proportion of the public transport workforce. Most chose to stay and work in Singapore. Second, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the public transport operators worked overnight to adjust the duty rosters promptly, to respond to the sudden announcement. 

2.     Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, public transport ridership has fallen by more than 30%. This is due to individuals and companies responding to Government’s safe distancing measures, which include telecommuting and minimising discretionary travel. 

3.     As the situation is still evolving, we will continue to work closely with public transport operators to better match supply with demand. If intensified safe distancing measures result in a significant dip in ridership, we will adjust bus and rail capacity, to optimise resource allocation. But we will do this carefully, to allow buses and trains to remain less crowded during this extraordinary period.