JURONG ISLAND

Mr Seng Han Thong asked the Minister for Communications and Information Technology (a) whether Jurong Island will be gazetted as a public area and all roads on the island are public roads; (b) when can public bus services be provided to the island; and (c) whether the approved bus fare structure will increase the cost of transport of workers on the island.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Jurong Island is a public area. This means that the public has access. The roads on Jurong Island will be declared as public streets when the Jurong Town Corporation completes all the road works and hands over management of the roads to the Land Transport Authority.

Before the causeway was constructed in April 1999, workers had to travel to Jurong Pier, board a ferry to the island, and then take a shuttle bus within the island. Ferries and shuttle buses were provided by employers. Since the completion of the causeway, JTC has been providing a bus service between Jurong East Interchange and the island. This is a public bus service for Jurong Island workers as well as members of the public.

The bus service is heavily subsidised by JTC. This is because Jurong Island is a huge sprawling industrial estate with very low ridership density. To compare, the island is about two times the size of Ang Mo Kio town, but the daily bus ridership is only about 1.5% of the ridership in Ang Mo Kio. The island serves mainly workers which means that transport demand is very peakish. It is difficult for any bus operator to run a viable bus service on the island unless the correct level of fares is charged.

The Public Transport Council has called for a tender to operate a public bus service on the island after the contract with the current bus operator ends. This will ensure that the operator that wins the tender offers the most competitive fares and gives the best value for money. Tender proposals are being evaluated and will be awarded by early May 2000. The new operator will start operations from 1st June 2000.

JTC has been in contact with employers on Jurong Island to brief them on developments. I understand that many companies are prepared to provide transport allowance to their staff to make it more attractive for them to work on Jurong Island. This is a common practice for workers in remote locations, and I encourage employers and workers to work together for a mutually beneficial solution.