The Workers’ Party notes the report of the Fare Review Mechanism Committee. We welcome the Committee’s recommendations to provide concessionary fares to persons with disabilities, and to bring the price of the monthly concession passes for polytechnic students closer to those of secondary students, in line with what our MPs have brought up in Parliament previously. We are also glad that the Committee has recommended enhancements to the existing concessionary schemes across the board for Singapore citizens, especially low income workers and senior citizens.
The Workers’ Party believes that public transport should be provided as a public good and not for profit. While we acknowledge that the Committee’s Terms of Reference does not include a review of the existing public transport framework, we feel that it should not be the Government’s responsibility to safeguard the profits of SMRT and SBS Transit, which are commercial entities. We believe that serving the public interest should be paramount as public transport is a basic necessity in Singapore. We believe that incorporating service quality into the fare adjustment formula should be explored further as service quality directly impacts the public transport experience of commuters.
GERALD GIAM
CHAIR, MEDIA TEAM
THE WORKERS’ PARTY