Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Average Ridership and Cost Per Passenger for Bus Service 825 and Potential Deployment of Electric Minibus Services

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Transport 

a.     what is the current average ridership and cost per passenger for operating Bus Service 825; 

b.     whether electric minibuses which operates on Bus Service 825 can be similarly deployed on bus routes plying narrow roads and where there is low ridership, to improve connectivity throughout the public transportation system; and

c.     if not, why not.

Reply by Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat:

1.     The average ridership of Service 825 is about 400 passengers per day; on a per passenger basis, the cost of running Service 825 is higher than the average feeder bus service, which has a ridership of around 4,500 passengers per day. 

2.     As previously explained in a written reply to a question filed by Associate Professor Jamus Jerome Lim in September 2023, we do not intend to proliferate the use of smaller-capacity buses in our public bus network. Procuring a separate fleet of mini-buses with a different operating and maintenance regime from the current public bus fleet, and the need for more bus captains to operate a large fleet of mini-buses, will result in higher operating costs that will be borne by commuters or taxpayers.