New Monthly Travel Pass will Lower Transport Expenditure for Off-Peak Commuters
No Fare Increase for Lower-Wage Workers and Persons with Disabilities
1 The Government will implement a two-year trial of a new Off-peak Monthly Travel Pass (OMTP), to encourage public transport commuters who are able to shift their regular travel out of peak periods to do so, and consequently reduce their monthly travel expenditure. The OMTP can be used for unlimited travel on the bus and rail network anytime outside of the weekday morning peak period (6.30am to 9am) and evening peak period (5pm to 7.30pm). This new concession scheme will commence on 5 July 2015 and is expected to benefit around 40,000 commuters.
2 Fares will be kept unchanged for Lower-Wage Workers and Persons with Disabilities in this fare review exercise.
Cheaper Monthly Concession Pass for Off-Peak Travel
3 Today, adult Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can enjoy unlimited bus and train rides if they buy the Adult Monthly Travel Pass at $120, while Persons with Disabilities and senior citizens can enjoy similar benefits with a Monthly Concession Pass at $60. From 5 July 2015 to 4 July 2017, these commuters can choose to purchase the Off-peak Monthly Travel Pass at two-thirds the prices of the Adult Monthly Travel Pass and the Monthly Concession Pass, i.e. $80 for adults, and $40 for Persons with Disabilities and senior citizens.
4 The Off-peak Monthly Travel Pass will offer unlimited travel on the bus and train network from the start of service to 6.30am, from 9am to 5pm, and from 7.30pm to the end of service on weekdays, and all day on weekends and public holidays. In other words, on weekdays, the OMTP can be used for travel at any time on the public transport network except for two blocks of 2.5 hours each in the morning (6.30am to 9am) and evening (5pm to 7.30pm).
5 The trial aims to encourage commuters who are able and willing to make changes to their daily travel schedules to travel during off-peak hours, similar to the objective of the Government’s ongoing trial of free pre-peak travel on the rail network. The Government will be funding this trial at an expected cost of $10 million a year.
No Fare Increase for Lower-Wage Workers and Persons with Disabilities
6 In July 2014, the Government introduced two new concession schemes for Lower-Wage Workers and Persons with Disabilities to help fares remain affordable for these two groups of commuters. Lower-Wage Workers under the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme enjoy a discount of 15% or more off adult fares. This also helps them pursue better job and training opportunities further away from their homes. Persons with Disabilities enjoy a discount of 25% or more off adult fares, and do not have to pay additional fares for distances beyond 7.2km. On top of this, Persons with Disabilities can opt to buy a Monthly Concession Pass for unlimited bus and train rides at $60 per month. Since the implementation of the schemes on 6 July 2014, close to 200,000 Lower-Wage Workers and 10,000 Persons with Disabilities have benefitted from the concessions.
7 In this fare review exercise, the Government has decided to keep the concessionary fares for these two groups unchanged, i.e. they will not see any fare increase, and the price of the Monthly Concession Pass for Persons with Disabilities will also remain unchanged at $60 per month.
8 Members of the public who have any queries regarding the three concession schemes, including the application process and the eligibility criteria, can call 1800-2255-663 or visit www.transitlink.com.sg.
Annex A: Concessionary Fare Structures for Lower-Wage Workers and Persons with Disabilities
Click on this link to see how you can benefit from the new Off-peak Monthly Travel Pass.
Click on this link to see some examples of household monthly transport expenditures with the changes to the fare adjustment.
