The Family-Friendly Transport Advisory Panel presented its recommendations for a more accessible, family-friendly and inclusive transport system to Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Lam Pin Min today.
2. The Panel was commissioned by the Government in June 2017 to consult relevant stakeholders on how Singapore’s land transport system can be made more family-friendly.
3. Co-chaired by Mr Richard Magnus, Chairman of the Public Transport Council, and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, the Panel is represented by members from key stakeholder groups, such as parents with young children, experts on seniors and disability issues, and academia.
4. Guided by 3 key principles (balanced, practical and cost-efficient), the Panel has drawn up 22 recommendations (please refer to the Annex for details) in the report, based on 4 key themes:
a. Greater ease of access for families;
b. More family-friendly spaces;
c. Promoting caring commuting culture; and
d. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS).
5. To gather insights for the recommendations, the Panel reached out to over 3,000 users of the transport system and conducted an extensive public consultation exercise through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, REACH listening points and an online survey.
6. A variety of social groups were consulted, including families with young children, families who drive secondary school children to school, families with members who are wheelchair users, families who cycle and use personal mobility devices, families with special needs members and seniors who travel independently.
7. The recommendations include providing more way-finding signage to guide parents to nursing rooms and diaper changing facilities, ensuring all new taxi stands are barrier-free, where feasible, to facilitate movement of those on wheelchairs and limiting the height of steps in public buses to make them more accessible to the elderly.
8. “Achieving a seamless, delightful, family-friendly transport system is a journey that the commuting public will take together with the Government and transport operators, as partners in transit,” said Mr Richard Magnus.
9. “Singapore has come a long way in making our transport system accessible. It is time to re-imagine our land transport system, shifting the focus from individual modes and nodes, to focus on mobility, co-creation, and cultivation of a caring commuting culture for families,” said Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.
10. The Panel gives their full support to the recommendations, and hope they contribute to a more inclusive land transport system that enhances the travel experiences of families in Singapore. The Government will study the recommendations and announce the outcome of the review in due course.
Annex: Recommendations by the Family Friendly Transport Advisory Panel
