Good news: Fare hike won’t leave you walking after all

Public transport fares are going up but help will be extended to the needy through vouchers.

The Public Transport Council has announced an overall net public transport fare adjustment of 1.0% for 2011, which will take effect from 8 October 2011.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the Government together with the public transport operators, SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit, have set aside $4 million to fund 200,000 public transport vouchers to help needy families cope with the fare adjustment. The Government will draw down $3.45 million from the Public Transport Fund, which was set up in 2007 to provide help to lower-income households on public transport costs. The public transport operators, on their part, have set aside $0.55 million.

Each voucher is worth $20 and can be used to purchase or top up contactless smartcards for transit or to buy monthly concession passes.

The application period will be from 1 to 30 September 2011. The Citizens’ Consultative Committees will process the applications and help distribute the vouchers to needy families. The vouchers would be delivered to the CCCs in mid-October 2011.