Trains and buses to run at longer intervals

It will be a longer wait for public transport commuters who are still out and about.

Trains and buses will run at longer intervals as ridership on public transport plunges in the current circuit breaker period.

Starting from 15 April 2020, buses will run at longer intervals while train services will be similarly adjusted from 17 April 2020. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said daily bus ridership has nosedived by more than 71% and train ridership by 75% compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The adjustments ensure "sufficient space for commuters to maintain safe distancing from one another", the regulator added in a statement following queries from The Straits Times.

The LTA did not state when normal service intervals will resume, but said it would monitor the situation on the ground and adjust services as necessary. Also from 15 April 2020, selected bus routes serving the Central Business District and recreational places will be suspended as the number of trips to these destinations has fallen the most, the LTA said.

The authority said it will also continue to work closely with bus operators to adjust the frequency of the remaining services to match commuter demand during the circuit breaker period, from 7 April to 4 May 2020.

Meanwhile, train intervals on the North-South, East-West, North East, Circle and Downtown lines will increase to five minutes during peak periods and about 10 minutes during off-peak periods. This is up from the current three and five minutes respectively.

The Thomson-East Coast Line will continue to operate at intervals of around seven minutes during peak periods and 12 minutes during off-peak periods. But operating hours will be shortened to between 6.30am and 8:00pm.

For the Sengkang-Punggol LRT, there will be just a single loop service during off-peak periods, and service will end around 30 minutes earlier - just past midnight. There will be no change to the Bukit Panjang LRT's current service intervals.

"These adjustments will help to mitigate the significant financial impact caused by the reduced ridership, and help keep public transport operations financially sustainable," the LTA said.

Commuters can get details on which bus and train services are affected via the MyTransport.SG app or the social media pages of the LTA and the various transport operators.