Train and bus ridership up for fifth year in Singapore

Commuter numbers set to rise further, with expanding rail network
Christopher Tan, Straits Times 20 Feb 10;

THE growing population, an expanded rail network and rising motoring costs have sent public transport ridership up for the fifth year running.

And the trend is likely to continue - in line with the Government's push to have more people commute by trains and buses.

Based on preliminary data obtained from public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT Corp, the number of average daily trips on buses and trains hit nearly 5.04 million last year.

This is 3 per cent higher than the 4.89 million recorded in 2008, and 20 per cent more since 2005.

Trains garnered all the growth, with the opening of Stage 3 of the Circle Line last May funnelling more people into the network. Trips by rail shot up by nearly 8 per cent to hit 1.952 million a day, while bus trips remained unchanged at 3.085 million.

Analysts expect trains to continue fuelling the rise in public transport ridership, with the opening of two more stages of the Circle Line this April, and the rest of the line by next year. New lines such as the Downtown, Eastern Region and Thomson lines, on track to open over the next decade, will also drive growth.

Royal Bank of Scotland Asia Securities analyst John Rachmat said higher public transport ridership will also come on the back of economic growth, higher tourist arrivals and Singapore's population increase.

'The Government will have to make the use of private cars progressively more unattractive in order to allow the limited space we have in Singapore to cope with the projected rise in population. This unavoidably implies more intense use of public transportation,' said Mr Rachmat, who is forecasting a compound average growth rate in public transport ridership of 7 per cent from 2009 to 2012.

While this is positive news to public transport operators as ridership growth will translate to higher revenue, commuters may increasingly feel the squeeze.

Marketing professional Lau Sau Kuen, who is in her 30s, said: 'Trains and buses continue to arrive on time but they are much more packed compared with five years ago.'

'I think our infrastructure is simply not ready to handle the increase in population,' the Bendemeer resident added.

Singapore's population hit 4.99 million last June, up 3 per cent from 2008 and up 17 per cent from 2005.

Government Parliamentary Committee chairman for Transport Lim Wee Kiak admitted that 'there is certainly room for improvement' in public transport.

'Public transport companies cannot operate on the premise that buses and trains run at maximum capacity,' he said, but added that 'commuters cannot expect a seat every time they get on board'.

He noted that operators have increased capacity of late.

SMRT, for instance, has added about 1,000 train trips and 2,000 bus trips per week in the last two years.

SBS Transit spent $147 million on 400 new buses last year; and since December, has added 12 trips per weekday on the North-East Line.

Secondary school teacher Yeo Jun Han, 26, said: 'The buses and trains are just as crowded. The worst thing is that they seem to be running single-deck buses during peak hours.'

The Public Transport Council has in place quality standards for bus operators to meet, including one requiring that 80 per cent of buses arrive at intervals of not more than 10 minutes during peak hours.

Although operators have been fined occasionally for failing to meet standards, the council said it has noticed improvements.

The Government is aiming to raise the share of public transport trips made during the morning peak period to 70 per cent by 2020. According to the latest Household Interview Travel Survey, the share stood at 59 per cent in 2008.