Rejoice, all you early birds and off-peak MRT commuters. The free pre-peak travel and off-peak pass trials have been given an extended lease of life until the end of 2017 — they were initially scheduled to end this year on June 30 and July 4 respectively. It was in 2013 and 2015 that these schemes were introduced, according to the Ministry of Transport, and now the Public Transport Council will review the initiatives.
FYI, under the free pre-peak travel system, passengers have to exit the MRT station at their destination before 7.45am on weekdays at 18 stations in the city area — Bayfront, Bras Basah, Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut, Downtown, Esplanade, Lavender, Marina Bay, Orchard, Outram Park, Promenade, Raffles Place, Somerset, Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer. As for those who tap out between 7.45am to 8am at these stations, they get 50 cents off their fare.
Under the off-peak pass, commuters get as many rides as they want except during peak hours on weekdays — these monthly passes for adult citizens and PRs come at a price of $120, while senior citizens and people with disabilities get them for $60.
Due to the other measures that the Transport Ministry has taken to improve Singapore’s public transport — such as the construction of new MRT lines and the addition of trains and buses to the network over the years — it seems it’s now “timely to take stock and review the effectiveness and continued necessity of the [trials]”.
The results of the review will be announced by the end of the year.
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