SINGAPORE: A plan to reduce congestion at crowded choke-points on the rail network during peak periods by offering incentives to choose different transport options could succeed if people see genuine benefits in being flexible, analysts have said.
He added that for such a scheme to work, commuters would have to be “flexible in their travel demand”. The latter allows commuters to get up to 50 cents off their fare when they tap in at any train station islandwide before 7.45am on weekdays, excluding public holidays.“From the monetary incentive point of view, it is not that great. Singaporeans spend around S$170 a month just on trains. If I take a train from Tanah Merah to Clementi, I will have to spend more than S$2. I cannot even buy a drink from the hawker centre with the 50 cent discount,” he added.
“For example, with the building of the Circle Line, passengers have a choice of going through the city centre or through the Circle Line if they are traveling, say, from the North to the West. So the choice they make could reduce congestion, if part of the line is overcrowded.