Adult bus & train fares in S'pore to go up by 9-10 cents from Dec. 27, 2025

Train and bus fares for adult passengers in Singapore will increase by 9 to 10 cents per journey from Dec. 27, 2025.

The 5 per cent fare adjustment was decided by the Public Transport Council (PTC) as part of their yearly fare adjustment exercise.

The 2025 fare increase is lower than the previous adjustment in 2024, PTC said, where adult fares went up by 10 cents.

As the 5 per cent fare increase is lower than what transport operators had asked for, the government is providing S$200 million in subsidies to cover costs.

Fare increases are required as Singapore's public transport system grows and operating costs rise, PTC said. This will help ensure that the public transport system remains financially sustainable and operators can continue paying workers fair wages.

Details

PTC said that concession card fares for journeys longer than 3.2 km will go up by 3 to 4 cents.

However, concession card fares for shorter journeys up to 3.2 km will be kept unchanged.

Cash fares per journey will go up by 5 cents for students, 10 cents for seniors and persons with disabilities, and 20 cents for adults and other commuters.

This is due to the higher operating costs of cash handling, PTC explained.

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There is some good news for heavy users of public transport, as the prices of monthly passes for adults and seniors will be reduced by S$6 and S$3 respectively.

The government will also be reducing its prices for monthly workfare transport concession passes by S$4, and monthly passes for persons with disabilities by S$3.

The prices of other monthly passes remain unchanged.

Express bus services to see sharper hike

Additionally, card fares for express bus services for adult passengers will go up by 49 to 50 cents per journey.

Meanwhile, card fares for seniors, persons with disabilities, and those on the workfare transport concession scheme will increase by 20 to 24 cents.

Cash fares for express bus services will go up by 60 cents per journey.

This is the first time in 15 years the price difference of fares between express and basic bus services has been adjusted, PTC said.

Come Dec. 27, the price difference will go up by 40 cents for adults and 20 cents for concession groups.

The fare difference between express bus services and basic bus services — 60 cents for adults, and 30 to 50 cents for commuter groups — was previously unchanged since 2010.

As express bus services "provide commuters with a differentiated service in the form of faster journeys" than basic bus services, this change in fare difference is to better reflect the higher costs of providing express bus services and improve their financial sustainability, said PTC.

Considerations for the fare adjustment

PTC said that the 2025 adjustment of 5 per cent has been pegged below the maximum allowable fare adjustment of 14.4 per cent.

The maximum allowable fare adjustment is calculated based on a formula which factors in various costs that affect public transport operations, as well as wage growth and cost of living indicators.

PTC granted a fare increase of 5 per cent as growth and inflation have moderated, and global uncertainty has impacted hiring and wages in Singapore.

If the maximum fare adjustment had been granted this year, this would have translated to a 21 cents flat fare increase across all commuter groups.

A fare quantum of 9.4 per cent will be deferred to the next fare adjustment exercise, which is less than the 12.9 per cent quantum brought over from 2024.

Additional subsidies

To cover the deferred fare adjustment quantum, the government will be providing an additional subsidy of more than S$200 million in 2026.

This is in addition to the annual government subsidies of S$2 billion for public transport, and close to S$1 billion in government funding spent over eight years on the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme.

In total, this equates to more than S$1 in subsidies for every journey taken on public transport, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a release.

Additionally, S$60 in public transport vouchers will also be provided to eligible households to help them cope with the fare adjustment.

Both operators asked for 14.4 per cent fare hike

Over the past three years, the fare increase has been moderated to reduce the impact on commuters, despite sustained increase in costs of public transport operators, PTC said.

In 2025, both SBS Transit and SMRT had applied for the maximum fare increase.

The operators cited reasons such as cost pressures from a competitive labour market, rising maintenance costs, slow recovery of public transport ridership due to hybrid work arrangements, and elevated energy costs.

Janet Ang, PTC chairman, said:

"The PTC recognises that any fare adjustment can be challenging for commuters, but it is a necessary step to ensure that our public transport system remains financially sustainable amid rising manpower, operations and maintenance costs."

MOT said it supports PTC's decision on the fare adjustment, noting that such fare increases will enable operators to continue paying their workers fair wages and uplift their capabilities.

"This will allow us to provide high-quality bus and train services for Singaporeans in years to come," MOT said.

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