Extension of Free MRT Travel to Ease Peak-hour Travel

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the free travel to CBD MRT stations will be extended in its coming review; (b) how many commuters have benefited from this scheme since it was launched; (c) what is the percentage of improvement it has contributed to peak-hour travel; and (d) whether the scheme can be extended to more stations in non-CBD areas serving the industrial and business parks.

We recently announced that the Free Pre-peak Travel scheme will be extended to June 2017. Around 65,000 commuters benefit from the scheme daily. The number of morning peak hour exits at the designated city centre stations has fallen by about 7%, with the ratio of peak to pre-peak exits falling from 2.7 to 2.1.

The Free Pre-peak Travel scheme is aimed at reducing crowding along the most congested stretches of our rail network during the morning peak period, which are primarily city-bound trips. We started the Travel Smart Rewards Programme to complement the Free Pre-peak Travel scheme. Under Travel Smart, commuters travelling to MRT stations outside the city area can earn credits for travelling outside peak periods. For commuters who consistently travel off-peak, the Off-Peak Monthly Travel Passes offer further discounts over the regular monthly travel passes.