FERRY SERVICE ALONG EAST COAST

The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong -

Mr Chiam See Tong: To ask the Minister for Communications whether he will consider the running of a ferry service along the east coast, now that there will be sufficient passenger load, considering the congestion of traffic along the East Coast Parkway, and the necessity to impose a road pricing scheme there.

Dr Lee Tsao Yuan: Question No. 13, Sir.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Mr Speaker, Sir, a ferry service between Clifford Pier and the east coast is conceptually possible. The question is: is there a sufficient demand and is the service financially viable? Currently, there are no landing points available along the east coast for passengers to board and alight domestic ferries. However, if private operators are keen to provide such a service, and there is sustainable demand for a viable service, the Port of Singapore Authority will consider providing a landing point for the ferry service.

We should not confuse the Road Pricing Scheme (RPS) on the ECP with the viability of a ferry service along the east coast. As I had explained to the House earlier, we implemented the Road Pricing Scheme on the ECP for two reasons. First, RPS is a new road pricing concept and we need to give motorists time to familiarise themselves with it. That is why we implemented RPS on only one congested expressway, and we kept the licence fee low and the operation hours short. Second, we chose the ECP because there are many alternatives available to motorists using the ECP. If they choose to continue to drive, they can use other routes, or they can change their time of travel. Better still, they may wish to switch to a wide range of good public transport services in this area.