Assessing Late-night Transport Needs and Coordinating Transport Planning for Extended Entertainment Hours at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Minister for Transport following the formalisation of liquor trading hours until 4 am at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay (a) whether LTA has assessed late-night transport needs of patrons and workers in these precincts; (b) whether extended MRT or night bus services will be considered; and (c) how is transport planning coordinated with extended entertainment operating hours.

Mr Jeffrey Siow: Currently, our public buses and trains run for about 18 hours daily, leaving only a few hours for maintenance work. Extending operating hours will reduce this essential maintenance time, further strain limited resources, and potentially affect the reliability of service during the day.

Public bus services are also heavily subsidised. When night bus services were provided prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership was low, at around 13% of capacity at its busiest. Apart from taxis and ride hail services, the Land Transport Authority is open to proposals from private bus operators to offer late night bus services.