Bus, train fares in Singapore to rise from Dec 26

This works out to 60,000 more households becoming eligible for the vouchers, said the Transport Ministry in a statement.

Adult commuters will pay an additional 12 cents for shorter journeys of up to 3.2km, while any distance further than that will cost an extra 13 cents.

When the fare rise kicks in, an MRT ride from Tanah Merah to Bedok, which is about 2km, will cost $1.40, up from $1.28 for an adult commuter who pays by card.

If the adult commuter heads from Tanah Merah to Jurong East – a 26.2km ride – the fare will be $2.55 instead of the current $2.42.

Seniors will pay 74 cents for journeys of up to 3.2km, instead of 69 cents currently, while any journey longer than 7.2km will cost $1.12, up from $1.07 now.

The 7% fare increase comprises a 5.3% quantum determined by the fare adjustment formula, and 1.7% quantum that the PTC granted out of the 9.4% that was deferred from 2025.

In 2025, the fare formula output was 1.5%, with fares rising by 5% overall.

To cover the 7.7% portion that will be deferred to future fare review exercises, the Government will provide additional fare subsidies amounting to nearly $200 million in 2027.

This is in addition to the more than $2 billion it provides in operating subsidies for public transport annually.

The PTC said the largest contributor to the higher fare formula output in its latest review was a “substantial increase in energy prices” between July 2025 and June 2026 due to the Middle East conflict.

Energy prices worldwide have soared since the conflict broke out at the end of February 2026, and a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz disrupted the flow of a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies.

PTC chairperson Janet Ang said the year-on-year change in the monthly price of diesel fluctuated drastically during the time period taken into account for the fare review exercise, swinging from -14% to 138%.

“We recognise that it’s a difficult and challenging environment for everyone, but… public transport is a very energy-intensive industry,” she added.

Commuters affected by the fare increases will be given support, she said, but at the same time, there is also a need to look ahead.

“The objective of keeping fares affordable must go hand in hand with sustaining a high-quality transport system that Singaporeans can continue to depend on in the years ahead, and none of those are a walk in the park,” she said.

PTC, in its statement, said the share of monthly household income spent on public transport has remained low over the past ten years.

It said: “The proportion of household income spent on public transport by lower income households has held steady at 2.4%.

“For average-income households, this proportion has also held steady at 1.7%. Relative to other cities, our public transport fares remain one of the lowest in the world.”

PTC added that it will continue to monitor fare affordability closely to ensure that Singapore’s public transport system remains both affordable for commuters and financially sustainable for the long term.