Bus & Train Fares To Increase by up to 5 Cents From 26 Dec 2022: Here’s All You Need To Know

Fare Review Exercise (FRE) 2022: Bus Fare Singapore and Train Fare Singapore To Go Up by 2.9%

Following the annual Fare Review Exercise (FRE) this year, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has announced that there will be an increase in public transport fares by 2.9% from 26 Dec 2022 onwards.

The PTC explained that:

The global energy crunch in 2021 caused energy prices to increase by 117%. This, together with increased manpower costs and inflation, led to a maximum allowable fare adjustment quantum of 13.5%, according to the PTC’s fare adjustment formula.
The PTC has decided to apply the same principle as FRE 2021 and continue to exclude the Network Capacity Factor from the computation of this year’s fare adjustment quantum.

In other words, the PTC is trying its best to balance fare affordability for commuters in a period of rising inflation while ensuring the sustainability of Singapore’s public transport system amidst rising costs.

For context, overall inflation or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased to 7.5% year on year (y-o-y) in August 2022, up from 7.0% y-o-y in July 2022.

Whereas the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Core Inflation (excludes accommodation and private transport costs) in August 2022 soared to 5.1% y-o-y, up from 4.8% y-o-y in July 2022.

For context, the last time MAS Core Inflation was higher was about 14 years ago, in November 2008, when it went up by 5.5% y-o-y.

Not to mention that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will increase from 7% to 8% from 1 Jan 2023 and 8% to 9% from 1 Jan 2024.

But with rising operational costs, it would not be possible to continue deferring fare increases.

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TL;DR: Singapore Public Transport Fare Increase 2022 — Mrt Price Singapore and Bus Price Singapore to Rise From 26 Dec 2022

Latest Bus Fare Increase and Train Fare Increase (2022)

At a glance, this is how the 2022 Fare Review Exercise will affect everyone:

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• Train Fare Adult and Bus Fare Adult Changes in 2022
• Student MRT Fare and Student Bus Fare Changes 2022
• Bus And Train Fare Changes for Senior Citizens in 2022
• Bus And Train Fare Changes for Children in 2022
• Bus And Train Fare Changes for Lower-Wage Workers in 2022
• Bus And Train Fare Changes for Persons With Disabilities in 2022
• Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs)
• 5 Ways You Can Save Money on Bus and MRT Fares
• Some Commonly Asked Questions Answered

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Train Fare Adult and Bus Fare Adult Changes in 2022

For adult fare journeys up to 8.2km, there will be an increase of 4 cents per journey.

Adult fare journeys beyond 8.2km will see an increase of 5 cents per journey

Adult Concession Card Price and Bus Concession Prices

There will be no changes in price to the Adult Monthly Travel Pass and Cash Fares.

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Student MRT Fare and Student Bus Fare Changes 2022

There will be an increase of 1 cent per journey for students.

MRT Student Concession and Student Concession Card Price

There will be no change to monthly concession passes and cash fares.

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Bus And Train Fare Changes for Senior Citizens in 2022

There will be an increase of 1 cent per journey for senior citizens.

Senior Citizen Concession Pass Price

There will be no change to monthly concession passes and cash fares.

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Bus And Train Fare Changes for Children in 2022

Children under seven years old and up to 0.9m will continue to enjoy free travel on basic bus and train services, Nite Owl bus services and Chinatown Direct Bus Services when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

Children under seven years old and above 0.9m in height can also travel for free on the above-mentioned services with a valid Child Concession Card.

However, do note that Student cash fare may apply for Express Bus Services and City Direct Services. Please check with the bus captain when you board the respective bus services.

Free child concessionary travel does not apply to the NightRider services and Premium Bus Services, and the child will need to pay an adult cash fare.

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Bus And Train Fare Changes for Lower-Wage Workers in 2022

There will be an increase of 1 cent per journey for lower-wage workers.

Lower Wage Workers Concession Pass Price

There will be no change to monthly concession passes and cash fares.

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Bus And Train Fare Changes for Persons With Disabilities in 2022

There will be an increase of 1 cent per journey for persons with disabilities.

Persons With Disabilities Concession Pass Price

There will be no change to monthly concession passes and cash fares.

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Need Help With Your Fares? You May Be Eligible For Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs)

To provide support for households to cope with fare adjustment, the Government will be providing 600,000 Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs) worth $30 to lower-middle-income households from the Public Transport Fund.

Households that received a voucher under the last exercise and remain eligible will receive the voucher in the mail by end-December 2022.

Whereas applications open in early 2023 for this tranche of the PTV.

Who Is Eligible for the Public Transport Voucher?

According to the Public Transport Council, the Public Transport Voucher is available for resident households whose monthly household income per person does not exceed $1,600.

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5 Ways You Can Save Money on Bus and MRT Fares

Also, check out these tips on how to save money on Bus and MRT fares:

Some Commonly Asked Questions Answered

1) Why Is There a Fare Review Exercise?

The annual Fare Review ensures that public transport fares can keep up with the costs of running a public transport system smoothly, safely, efficiently and reliably.

Our fares pay for:

• diesel to fuel our buses
• electricity to power our trains
• salaries & training for public transport workers, as well as
• other miscellaneous costs.

If you’re wondering what the Fare Review Exercise has been like over the years, here it is at a glance:

2) How Does the Public Transport Council Calculate the Fare Adjustment Rate?

The Fare Adjustment Rate is determined by the current Fare Formula — which was implemented in 2018 and will be in place till 2022.

It’s used to cap the maximum allowable fare adjustment and it looks like this:

This formula takes into consideration cost changes due to:

• Inflation
• Wages
• Energy prices
• Network capacity.

Just in case you thought that the PTC anyhow come up with the 7% Fare Adjustment Cap back in 2019, here’s a full breakdown of the computation of the 2019 Fare Formula:

And here’s the same formula in action for the 2022 Fare Review Exercise:

Yep, there’s a science to it.

The more you know!

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Read More

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