Singapore to raise public transport fares by 7% — Channel NewsAsia
In Singapore, from December 26, public transport fares for adult passengers paying by card will increase by 12–13 Singapore cents per trip. The decision was made by the Singapore Public Transport Council (PTC), Channel NewsAsia reports.
For journeys of up to 3.2 km, the adult fare will rise by 12 cents, while for longer routes it will increase by 13 cents. Overall, fares will rise by 7%, compared with a 5% increase last year. The PTC called this a record increase in monetary terms.
Rising energy prices
The PTC explained that the calculation of the new fare was significantly affected by rising energy prices from July 2025 to June 2026, which the council linked to the conflict in the Middle East. According to PTC chair Janet Ang, energy prices have risen by 21% over the past year, significantly increasing the costs of operating and maintaining the public transport system.
The fare adjustment formula allowed for a possible increase of 14.7%, including 9.4 percentage points of adjustments carried over from previous reviews. However, the council approved an increase of only 7%, deferring the remaining 7.7 percentage points for future reviews.
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Concessions and passenger support
The card fare for students, seniors and people with disabilities will increase by 5 cents. Fares for low-income workers using the Workfare Transport Concession Scheme will remain unchanged: the state will compensate for the increase for approximately 190,000 holders of such cards.
When paying in cash, adults will pay 20 cents more per trip, while students, seniors and people with disabilities will pay 10 cents more. At the same time, according to the PTC, less than 1% of trips are paid for in cash. Prices for all monthly travel passes will remain unchanged.
The PTC estimates that the increase will generate about S$176.9 million in additional fare revenue per year. The government will also increase the value of transport vouchers for low-income households from S$60 to S$80 and allocate an additional S$15 million to this programme.
