Public Transport Operators' Annual Share of Advertising Licensing Fees from Bus Stop Billboards

Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is each public transport operator's (PTO) annual share of advertising licensing fees from billboards at bus stops from 2008 to 2012; (b) whether there are guidelines on what such monies can be used for by the PTOs; and (c) whether the PTOs' share of advertising licensing fees from billboards can be increased in absolute and relative terms.

With effect from FY2012, the Government has decided to allow the public bus operators, namely SBS Transit and SMRT Buses, to retain a portion of the advertising licensing fees from billboards at bus stops. The portion each operator receives is determined by the scale of its operations and the total advertising licensing fee collected. For FY2012, SBS Transit is expected to receive around $13 million and SMRT Buses $5 million.

Prior to FY2012, the bus operators did not receive any revenue from bus stop advertisements.

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