SINGAPORE — The transport authorities have announced more perks to encourage pre-peak hour travel by MRT.
Commuters who end their journeys at 16 designated MRT stations in the city area before 7.45am on weekdays will enjoy free travel, while those that exit between 7.45am and 8am will be given a discount of up to 50 cents.
This one-year trial by the Land Transport Authority will begin on June 24, 2013 and will be funded by the Government, with the objective to encourage commuters to travel early and spread out peak-hour crowds, the LTA said in a press release this morning.
To cater to the expected shift in ridership, more train trips will be injected during the pre-peak morning period to provide additional capacity, the transport authorities added.
"The free travel trial will be a significant enhancement to the existing SMRT Early Travel Discount scheme, which offers up to 50 cents discount for travel on SMRT lines into 14 SMRT stations in the city area before 7.45am.
It will also entail a wider coverage compared to the current scheme as it will include SBST’s North East Line (NEL) and Sengkang and Punggol LRTs (SPLRT) - commuters who enter at stations on NEL and SPLRT and exit at the designated city area stations will be eligible for the discount," said the LTA in its statement.
"In addition, the two NEL stations in the city area – Clarke Quay and Chinatown – will be included in the scheme, bringing the total number of designated city stations from 14 to 16, or essentially every MRT station in the city area."
Responding to the announcement, SMRT Vice-President for Corporate Marketing & Communications, Ms Kalai Natarajan, said: "We are supportive of the trial that hopefully will shift the travel pattern of commuters away from the current peak periods, and spread the loading so that we can achieve a more comfortable travel experience for all.
"Since 2011, we have committed to setting aside up to S$5 million annually in support of demand management schemes to incentivise commuters to shift their travel patterns.
We are in discussion with the Land Transport Authority to work out the details and operational requirements in support of the trial, which will likely include the deployment of more trains and staff at the stations to assist commuters during the pre-peak travel window."
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