Overall, there was a daily average of 7.46 million bus and train rides in 2024, 3 per cent below the 7.69 million rides recorded in 2019. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: Ridership on Singapore’s MRT and LRT lines surpassed pre-Covid-19 levels for the first time in 2024, even though the average daily number of overall rides on public transport still came in below that in 2019.
On average, there were 3.41 million MRT rides each day in 2024, based on figures released by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (Jan 31).
This was an increase of 5.2 per cent over 2023 levels, and exceeded the 3.38 million daily MRT rides clocked in 2019.
The average daily ridership on the LRT network in 2024 came to 210,000, an increase of 4 per cent over the 2023 figure. It was a touch above the 208,000 rides in 2019.
There was an average of 3.84 million trips a day on public buses in 2024, 2.4 per cent higher than the 3.75 million rides in 2023.
But this still came short of the 4.1 million daily bus rides in 2019.
Overall, there was a daily average of 7.46 million bus and train rides in 2024, 3 per cent below the 7.69 million rides recorded in 2019.
Transport experts attributed the rise in MRT and LRT ridership to the continued expansion of the rail network, but said flexible work schemes mean overall public transport ridership has yet to catch up to pre-pandemic levels.
LTA on Jan 31 also released ridership figures for taxis and private-hire cars.
At 431,000, the number of daily rides in private-hire cars in 2024 was 8.6 per cent above the 397,000 trips in 2023. It surpassed the 419,000 rides clocked in 2019 for the first time.
It was a vastly different picture for cabs, which recorded a continued decline in ridership.
The average daily taxi ridership of 187,000 was 10.5 per cent lower than the 209,000 trips in 2023, and just slightly more than half of the 353,000 trips recorded in 2019.
Taxis and private-hire cars, which collectively make up the point-to-point (P2P) transport sector, managed an overall average daily ridership in 2024 of 618,000, which is still below the 772,000 rides in 2019.
Associate Professor Raymond Ong, a transport infrastructure researcher at the National University of Singapore, attributed the increase in train ridership to the expansion of the rail network in 2024.
He pointed to the opening of the fourth stage of the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line (TEL4) in June 2024 which connects those living in the East Coast area to Marina Bay and Woodlands North.
Spanning 10.8km, the stretch comprises seven stations – Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap and Bayshore.
On the Sengkang-Punggol LRT network, Teck Lee station opened in August 2024, serving the business park in the Punggol Digital District and the Singapore Institute of Technology’s campus.
Dr Samuel Chng, head of the Urban Psychology Lab in the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, said the adoption of flexible work arrangements partly explains why overall ridership has yet to exceed 2019 levels.
But with the continued expansion of the rail network, “we can expect MRT trips to continue to increase in the coming years”, he added.
Prof Ong said that while the average daily ridership for buses has not caught up to 2019 levels, it is still the most widely used mode of public transport.
“Even with more MRT stations being opened, leading some passengers to switch away from buses, we are still seeing bus ridership increase, so don’t discount the bus as a core mode of public transport,” Prof Ong added.
In July 2024, the Land Transport Authority announced that it would spend up to $900 million to improve public bus connectivity over eight years.
This includes accelerating the roll-out of bus services in new towns, and introducing express feeder buses to serve new housing developments and more peak-hour express bus services to complement busier MRT lines.
Singapore University of Social Sciences transport economist Walter Theseira noted that the ridership data should be seen in the context of Singapore’s population growth since 2019.
At last count, the total population of Singaporeans, permanent residents and non-residents in Singapore stood at 6.04 million in 2024, compared with 5.7 million in 2019, based on government data.
“Per capita ridership is actually much lower than what the top-line figures indicate,” said Associate Professor Theseira.
“It points to changes to commuting and travel from flexible work, remote work and services, and at least some part of those changes is likely permanent.”
Housewife Julietta Ismail, who lives in Marine Terrace in Marine Parade, said the opening of the MRT station in the area, which is part of TEL4, has made it more convenient for her to get around, including to nearby amenities.
Around four times a month, the 51-year-old will take the train to the Marine Parade station, which is one stop away, to shop at Parkway Parade mall.
“It is just faster and more convenient for me,” she said.
In 2022, Colin Chen, head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) finance for the Asia-Pacific at MUFG Bank, switched from driving to taking a bus to work from his home in Pasir Panjang to his office in the Central Business District.
The 61-year-old said that although the bus journey is longer, he finds it more convenient because there is no need to look for a parking space.
As for the continued drop in the number of taxi rides in 2024, Prof Theseira said it is clear that taxi operators have chosen to let their fleets shrink, and cab drivers are also shifting to private-hire cars or retiring.
There were 13,117 taxis as at the end of 2024, down 29.3 per cent from 18,542 in 2019.
Prof Theseira said it will remain “challenging to provide a viable street-hail service”, noting that booking a ride through a strong matching system is more efficient than hailing a cab on the streets.
Only taxis can be hailed on the streets, whereas private-hire car rides are booked through licensed ride-hailing operators, and these vehicles are not allowed to use taxi stands to pick up or drop off passengers.
Prof Ong said taxi operators need to look into the way they do business, specifically at how they can attract drivers and appeal to passengers.
“As the market share of private-hire cars is so dominant, consumers will ask if there is really a need for taxis,” he added.
Prof Ong said it appears that both drivers and passengers have come to accept private-hire cars as the preferred mode of transport ahead of cabs.
As part of a review of the P2P industry, the authorities are exploring how it can encourage drivers entering the sector to opt for taxis and not gravitate automatically to private-hire cars.
Already, LTA has streamlined the training curriculum and lowered the fees for drivers to obtain a vocational licence. - The Straits Times/ANN
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