Story Timeline:
- 14th April 2020 – COVID-19: Trains and buses to run less often as public transport ridership plunges (Current Article)
- 15th April 2020 – Singapore: LTA lowering train frequencies is not helping commuters to social distance
- 18th April 2020 – Khaw Boon Wan: LTA to look into train frequencies to prevent crowding during COVID-19 circuit breaker period
Trains and buses are to run at reduced frequency as ridership on public transport plunges in the current circuit breaker period.
From Wednesday (April 15), buses will run at longer intervals, while train service will be similarly adjusted from Friday.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said daily bus ridership has nosedived by more than 71 per cent and that of train by 75 per cent compared with ridership before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The adjustments ensured “sufficient space for commuters to maintain safe distancing from one another”, the regulator added in a statement following queries from The Straits Times.
It, however, did not state when normal service intervals will resume, but said it would monitor the ground situation and adjust services as necessary.
Starting Wednesday, selected bus services serving the Central Business District and recreational places will be suspended as the trips to these destinations have fallen the most, LTA said.
It will also continue to work closely with bus operators to adjust the frequency of the remaining services to match commuter demand during this circuit breaker period, from April 7 until May 4.
Meanwhile, train intervals on the North-South, East-West, North-East, Circle and Downtown lines will increase to five minutes during peak periods and about 10 minutes during off-peak periods.
This is up from the current three and five minutes respectively.
The Thomson-East Coast Line will continue to operate at intervals of around seven minutes during peak periods and 12 minutes during off-peak periods.
Its operating hours will also be shortened to between 6.30am and 8pm.
The Sengkang-Punggol LRT will run just a single loop service during off-peak periods and end service around 30 minutes earlier – just past midnight. There will be no change to the Bukit Panjang LRT’s current service interval.
“These adjustments will help to mitigate the significant financial impact caused by the reduced riderships, and help keep public transport operations financially sustainable,” LTA said.
Commuters can get details on which bus and train services are affected via the MyTransport.SG app or on the social media pages of LTA and the various transport operators.
