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Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Transport with the shift in Central Business District (CBD) commuting due to flexible work arrangements, whether the Ministry will review the bus routes to or within the CBD and redeploy some bus services to the neighbourhood towns to cope with rising demand in last mile connections.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Transport in light of LTA data showing changes in public transport ridership patterns 

a.     how has the Ministry or LTA responded to these changes to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of our public transport system;  

b.     whether the Ministry intends to commission a thorough study into the causes of any permanent changes in post-pandemic ridership patterns; and

c.     if so, when will such a study be conducted.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     The Land Transport Authority (LTA) regularly monitors the supply and demand of public bus and train services. Any necessary adjustment of these services would include changes in bus services, redistribution of buses across different services, and using double-deck buses instead of single-deck buses to meet higher demand.

2.     In October and November 2022, average weekday ridership on public buses and trains was close to 90% compared to the same months in 2019, up from about 70% in January 2022. Public transport journeys by workers to the Central Business District during morning peak hours in November 2022 were estimated to be about 70% compared to the same month in 2019. The ridership figure may rise further when more workers return to the office in 2023.

3.     The Ministry of Transport and LTA will continue to monitor ridership patterns closely. We will make the necessary adjustments to public transport supply if there are sustained changes in commuter demand, or when there are significant developments such as the opening of new MRT lines and stations.