After an annual review, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has approved an increase in adult bus and MRT fares by S$0.12 to S$0.13 per journey.
This is the highest increase in public transport fares so far, and will take effect on 26 Dec, said the PTC in a news release on Tuesday (29 Sept).
Under the upcoming fare scheme, adults travelling a distance of up to 3.2km will pay S$0.12 more.
Those travelling farther than 3.2km will pay S$0.13 more.
Concession card holders (i.e. students, seniors and persons with disabilities) will also be affected — they will pay S$0.05 more per journey regardless of distance.
However, lower-wage workers under the Workfare Transport Concession Scheme (WTCS) will pay the same fares, as the Government will absorb their fare increases — shielding about 190,000 WTCS cardholders from the impact of this year’s fare adjustment.
This time round, fares paid in cash will again increase, reflecting the higher operating costs of cash handling, PTC said.
They will go up by S$0.10 per journey for students, seniors and persons with disabilities, and S$0.20 for adults and other commuters.
PTC noted that commuters paid cash for less than 1% of all public transport journeys.
A summary of the increases is as follows:
Source: Public Transport Council
Besides WTCS fares, the prices of all monthly passes will also remain unchanged, after being lowered last year.
This is to help heavier users of public transport cope with the cost increases, PTC said, adding:
Monthly passes provide commuters who travel frequently and consistently throughout the month with the option to limit their monthly public transport expenditure.
PTC encouraged those who use public transport frequently, including adults and concession cardholders, to buy monthly passes to help them manage their transport expenditure.
It noted that while there are currently about 126,000 monthly pass users, about 110,000 more commuters can potentially save an average of around S$26 a month by switching to a monthly hybrid pass, the prices of which are as follows:
Source: Public Transport Council
Overall, bus and MRT fares will increase by 7.0% this year — less than half of the maximum allowable fare adjustment quantum of 14.7%.
However, the amount of increase is more than last year’s (5.0%) and that of 2024 (6.0%), and the same as that of 2023 (7.0%).
This comes after the 2026 Fare Review Exercise (FRE) derived a 5.3% fare adjustment formula for this year, higher than last year’s 1.5% due to the “substantial increase in energy prices” between July 2025 and June 2026 prompted by the Middle East conflict.
A 1.7% quantum was granted by the PTC out of the reduced deferred fare quantum of 9.4% from 2025, PTC noted, adding:
This continues the measured approach taken by the PTC over the past few years to cushion commuters from the maximum allowable fare adjustment quantum, while gradually closing the gap between the cost of providing public transport and fares.
The Government will continue to provide additional fare subsidies to cover the deferred fare adjustment quantum, PTC said.
In a press release on Tuesday (29 Sept), the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said it would provide close to S$200 million in subsidies.
This means that commuters will receive more than S$1 in fare subsidies for every public transport journey, accounting for the annual operating subsidies of more than S$2 billion.
The Government will also disburse Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs) worth S$80 each to lower-income households.
This will be an increase in value from S$60 last year.
The monthly income eligibility ceiling will also be expanded from S$1,800 per person to S$2,100 — resulting in about 60,000 more households qualifying for a voucher, or around four in 10.
Commuters can use the PTVs to top up fare cards or buy monthly passes after the public transport fare increase.
In the first stage of the 2026 PTV exercise, households that had received a voucher during the 2025 exercise and continue to meet the criteria will automatically receive PTVs.
From early 2027, households that meet the criteria but did not receive a PTV in the first stage can apply for PTVs online or at their local community centres or clubs. Details on the application process will be announced at a later date.
Also read: Train service reliability should not determine public transport fares: Chee Hong Tat
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Featured image from MS News.