Public Transport Council to decide on revised fares

SBS Transit and SMRT have made fare review submissions to the Public Transport Council (PTC) despite the fare formula prescribing a 1.9 percent decrease in bus and train fares this year. According to the Straits Times, both public transport operators have made the submissions as "a procedural process" rather than a request for a fare revision. 

The PTC will deliberate on how much fares for each journey and each commuter group will be adjusted, taking into consideration the submissions by the operators even though outgoing Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced in August that fares would be cut by "up to 1.9 percent" following a sharp and sustained drop in oil prices.

Both companies are understood to be appealing for smaller reductions, citing higher costs such as manpower needs, as well as repair and maintenance to meet higher service standards. The PTC is expected to decide in the next few weeks and the new reduced fares should kick in by the time Downtown Line Stage 2 starts running on the 27^th of December this year.