SINGAPORE — Pledging results from enhancements to the public transportation system within the next five years, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday assured commuters that they do not have to wait too long before “gradual but noticeable and perceptible” improvement can be seen.

Among some of the near-term improvements: This year, 190 buses will be added on the roads, which means that half of the 550 buses under the five-year Bus Service Enhancement Programme will be on the roads by the end of the year.

In the second half of the year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will also start on an incentive and penalty system for public bus operators based on commuters’ expected waiting times.

And within the next five years, trains will carry 70 per cent more passengers into the Central Business District (CBD) during morning rush hour. Given that such a sharp increase in ridership is not expected, commuters will experience less-crowded trains, Mr Lui said.

In his speech on the White Paper, Mr Lui said in Parliament that he fully understands “the scepticism and unhappiness” of the public on the population projections, given their daily experiences on public transport.

“What we have experienced in public transport in the last few years has affected how we view the future,” said Mr Lui, adding that he takes the MRT on a “regular basis to get a first-hand update on the situation”.

“Seen through the prism of the current situation, I can appreciate how unthinkable it may seem that we can accommodate a population by 2030 that is up to 30 per cent higher than (that of) today, even though we have firm plans to double the rail network over the same period.”

Mr Lui conceded that the Government had under-invested in public transportation — namely in building new rail lines and buying new trains — “in the early years of the last decade”. He said: “As the Prime Minister had explained, this was because we had very challenging economic circumstances, and we also had the difficult experience of the North East Line opening in 2003 and operating for some years with ridership well below what we planned for.

“Because we were too prudent and conservative in public transport infrastructure investment during those years, we now find ourselves doing a lot of catching up.”

Last month, Mr Lui had announced that the rail network will be doubled by 2030, with two new lines to be built.

He said: “A possible 6.9 million population by 2030 is the parameter we are using for our land transport infrastructure. We have sized the doubling of the rail network so that there is a sufficient buffer.”

He reiterated that commuters “do not need to wait till 2030” to enjoy a “more predictable and comfortable” journey. “Over the next five years, we will significantly increase capacity with additional trains, open a new MRT segment every year and work hard to improve reliability for train and bus services,” he said.

Mr Lui said he has also asked the LTA to see how the Government can tap the resources of private bus operators in specific areas to accelerate the Bus Service Enhancement Programme. The LTA will put up tenders for some of the new routes under the programme, Mr Lui said. “I invite private operators to respond,” he added.

Even with more buses plying the roads, the Government needs to work with operators to ensure more regular waiting times for commuters.

To that end, Mr Lui cited places such as London and Seoul which have managed “with difficulty to improve bus reliability over a number of years through an incentive and penalty system based on commuters’ expected waiting times”.

Bus operators there have had “to adopt a new mindset, invest substantially in fleet management capabilities to monitor their buses and make the appropriate interventions”.

To improve train reliability, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) aims to halve the withdrawal rate of trains to one every 2,000 trips, by focusing on train upgrading and preventive maintenance. The ministry will also consider further improvements to schemes encouraging commuters to travel outside peak hours “possibly later this year”, Mr Lui said. The MOT is also “working with major employers and institutions, especially in the CBD, to inject more flexibility in their working hours”, he added.