Adult bus & train card fares in S'pore to go up by 12-13 cents, highest value increase ever

Public transport card fares for adult commuters in Singapore will increase by 12 to 13 cents per journey from Dec. 26, 2026, the Public Transport Council (PTC) said on Sep. 29, 2026.

This is the highest absolute value increase in fares to date.

Changes to fares

The fare adjustments, which will take effect from Dec. 26, 2026 are:

• Adult card fares: 12 cents more per journey for distances of up to 3.2km, and 13 cents more for distances of more than 3.2km.
• Student, senior, and person with disabilities card fares: 5 cents more per journey.
• Adult cash fares: 20 cents more per journey.
• Student, senior and person with disabilities cash fares: 10 cents more per journey.

There will be no fare adjustment for card fares under the Workfare Transport Concession Scheme (WTCS).

The prices of all monthly passes will also remain unchanged, to help heavy users of public transport cope with the cost increases, said PTC.

About 190,000 WTCS cardholders and 126,000 monthly pass users will benefit from these.

PTC added that with card fares increasing while monthly pass prices remain unchanged, about 110,000 additional commuters who currently pay by card could potentially benefit by switching to a hybrid monthly pass.

Driven by "significant increases in energy prices"

The maximum allowable fare adjustment is determined in part using a formula that takes into account various costs affecting public transport operations, as well as wage growth and cost-of-living indicators.

PTC said the fare formula quantum for 2026, 5.3 per cent, is higher than that in 2025.

The council largely attributed this to significant increases in energy prices between July 2025 and June 2026 as a result of the Middle East conflict.

That formula quantum together with a deferred quantum of 9.4 per cent from previous fare review exercises, produced a maximum allowable fare adjustment of 14.7 per cent.

Both SBS Transit and SMRT applied for a fare adjustment of 14.7 per cent, citing cost pressures arising from elevated energy prices amid geopolitical developments, as well as a competitive labour market for attracting and retaining workers.

However, the council decided to grant only an adjustment of 7 per cent this year.

The remaining 7.7 per cent will be deferred to the next fare adjustment exercise.

"Ultimately, our decision reflects the delicate balance that we have to strike each year: keeping public transport affordable for commuters today, providing more help to those who need it, while ensuring that our public transport system remains financially sustainable for the longer term," said PTC chairperson Janet Ang.

Public transport fares remain affordable

PTC noted that economic growth is forecast to remain comparable to 2025, while inflation is expected to be higher.

Singapore’s labour market also continued to expand in the second quarter of 2026 despite ongoing global uncertainty, it said.

PTC also noted that public transport fares in Singapore remain affordable, with the proportion of monthly household income spent on public transport remaining low and stable.

Government to provide almost S$200 million in subsidies

Separately, the government will provide close to S$200 million in taxpayer-funded subsidies to support commuters and public transport operators, covering the cost of deferring the full allowable fare adjustment.

This is in addition to more than S$2 billion in annual operating subsidies for public transport.

The government will also invest around S$5 billion each year over the next five years to build new public transport infrastructure and renew existing infrastructure and assets.

This includes major service improvement initiatives such as the S$1 billion committed to strengthening rail reliability, as well as the S$1 billion Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, which is already benefiting about 300,000 commuters daily.

Value of public transport vouchers to be increased

The government will also provide further assistance to lower-income resident households through Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs).

For this year’s fare adjustment exercise, each eligible household will receive S$80 in vouchers, up from S$60.

The eligibility threshold will also be raised so that more households can benefit.

Resident households with a monthly household income per person of not more than S$2,100 will qualify, compared with S$1,800 previously.

About four in 10 resident households are expected to qualify, an increase of around 60,000 households.