Public transport is significantly subsidised by government: Lui Tuck Yew

SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said public transport is significantly subsidised by the government, and this helps to keep fares affordable.

He was responding to a question by Member of Parliament Gan Thiam Poh, on the public transport subsidy for each Singaporean in the past ten years.

He said public transport operators bear the operational costs of running the system and these costs are recovered largely from fares.

The government bears the cost of infrastructural development, including capital-intensive infrastructure such as MRT tunnels and bus interchanges.

The government also pays for the first set of operating assets for rail, such as trains and signalling systems.

Mr Lui said such funding represents a significant subsidy to the public transport system and has helped ensure fares remain affordable.

He added that over the past 10 years, from 2002 to 2011, such investments in public transport have amounted to around 17 billion dollars.

Mr Lui also highlighted financial aid to help low-income Singaporeans cope with fare increases.

"The government has also provided targeted financial aid to low-income Singaporeans over the years, to help mitigate the impact of fare increases," said Mr Lui. "In the last five years, more than 10 million dollars of such aid was disbursed."

Source: Channelnewsasia

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