With the latest fare hikes to kick in from Dec 29, transport analysts told TODAY that commuters can only expect train and bus fares to go up in the years ahead. This is mainly because of an ongoing expansion of the MRT train network, which will only add to the costs that will eventually be passed on to commuters. They echoed what Mr Richard Magnus, chairman of PTC, said as he announced the fare hike, that fare reductions are “a no-no” in the next fare review exercise, considering that the “public transport environment” has changed and costs have changed. The new “network capacity factor” (NCF) tracks how much bus and rail capacity has changed in relation to real usage, and it contributed the most to this year’s fare hike at 3 percentage points of the 7.5 per cent increase the new formula allowed, which was brought down to 4.3 per cent owing to a carry-over reduction of 3.2 per cent from last year’s review exercise. It showed that capacity growth in the transport network outstripped ridership growth.... Continue Reading