The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will cease the Park & Ride Scheme with effect from 1 December 2016.
2. The Park & Ride scheme was first introduced in 1975 to reduce congestion in the Central Business District (CBD), by encouraging motorists to switch to bus services before entering the CBD. In 1993, the scheme was expanded to include MRT services. Under the scheme, regular users purchase a Park & Ride set which includes an EZ-Link Card to be used for public transport rides in the month of purchase and a season parking ticket at discounted rates to park at selected car parks for that month.[1]
3. Over the past few years, monthly take-up rates for the Park & Ride scheme have been consistently low, averaging around 40% (or fewer than 2,000 regular users out of more than 2 million public transport commuters daily). Of these users, only about half of them take public transport after parking their cars; in some carparks, this figure is lower than one in five. This suggests the possibility of some motorists using the Park & Ride scheme as a cheaper form of parking, which defeats the purpose of the scheme.
4. With the expansion of our public transport network, commuters now have many more choices to travel into the CBD directly, rendering the scheme less relevant than before. In addition to our rail lines to the CBD, City Direct bus services introduced as part of the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) have enhanced commuters’ connectivity to the city.
5. In view of these factors, LTA will cease the Park & Ride scheme with effect from 1 December 2016. The last day for the sale of Park & Ride sets (which include Park & Ride EZ-Link cards) at the Transitlink Ticket Offices for use in November will be on 7 November 2016. Online sale of the Park & Ride sets will cease on 4 November 2016. Holders of the Park & Ride EZ-Link cards who do not intend to participate in the Park & Ride scheme from now till November can obtain a refund of the remaining card deposit from their Park & Ride EZ-Link cards at the Transitlink Ticket Offices starting from today. Motorists can also continue to use the car parks at normal parking rates.
6. For more queries on the Park & Ride Scheme, please refer to TransitLink’s website (http://www.transitlink.com.sg) or contact TransitLink’s Hotline at 1800-CALL ONE (1800-2255 663).
[1] Park & Ride operating hours are between 7.00 am to 9.00 pm on weekdays and between 7.00 am to 3.00 pm on Saturdays
