New fare system kicks in

New fare system kicks in, but some commuters have to pay more

A new fare system kicked in on Saturday for those taking buses and trains.

Public transport operators are using a new formula to calculate fares based on the distance travelled.

The transfer penalty has also been removed.

However, some commuters felt they had to pay more for their fares.

One commuter said: "This is more expensive. It charged us more by 20 cents."

Another commented: "It is a bit more expensive only. I still have to take (public transport), what to do?"

A third noted: "For people like me who always like to transfer, it is slightly cheaper, but not much cheaper."

These responses are within the Public Transport Council's expectations. With the new fare system, it expects 60 per cent of commuters to enjoy savings in their weekly fare expenditure.

However, one in three commuters would see a fare increase.

One reason is that they may hardly make any transfers and so they would not benefit from the removal of transfer penalties.

In addition, the temporary three per cent fare rebate offered last year by public transport operators expired on Saturday.

A commuter said: "We have a monthly budget for our travel, so we have to recalculate everything to find out the best route.

"But mostly, I do not think it will affect (me) because when I am going from office or going to office, it is only a straight bus; in the fare stage now, it is like a 2-cent increase."

The Land Transport Authority said the idea is to get everyone to pay the same transport fare for the same distance travelled.

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-