Committee of Supply – Head W (Ministry of Transport)

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A Sustainable Public Transport System

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head W of the Estimates be reduced by $100".

It did not seem so long ago that peak hour congestion on our public transport was a common grouse among commuters and it has actually increased now, the peak hour congestion.

Over the course of a year, COVID-19 pandemic has dealt us a vastly different set challenges as a result reduced ridership and changing travel patterns. Earlier this month, the LTA revealed that the average daily ridership for buses and trains have hit an 11-year low, falling by 34.5%. Whether demand for public transport services will rebound remains to be seen. In Singapore, public transport remains the cleanest way to move large masses of people around. It builds the foundation of our car-lite vision.

According to a recent report by the Institute of Policy Studies, our citizens are increasingly taking an interest in environmental issues and prioritising them among their key concerns, even above economy and jobs. We must capitalise on this opportunity and include greener transport in our 2040 Vision.

We also need a transport system that is affordable all and sustainable to run. Barring environmental benefits, the changing patterns of travel poses a conundrum. As of July 2020, all bus services were already operating in the red. Even before the pandemic struck, just 3% or bus services here were able to generate enough fare revenue to cover operating costs.

The trains are not doing better. In May last year, then transport Minister, Mr Khaw Boon Wan shared that rail operators were already making losses before the pandemic struck. This has given rise to concerns about the economic viability of our public transport industry. I think it is timely for all stakeholders, Singaporeans and MOT, to discuss and address this issue over time, especially so now in this new normal environment.

Over the years, our public transport network has grown increasingly sophisticated and integrated. The fares follow an integrated distance-based structure. Commuters are making more transfers during trips but the trips are shorter. Travel time has also reduced drastically. Now there are many integrated routes to get to your destination. The average fares are lower, especially for bus trips. In previous fare review exercises, the actual fare increase was found to be less than that determined by the current fare adjustment formula. This has had an adverse impact on the financials of the industry, as the additional fare revenue could never fully compensate for cost increases in operations.

Despite the dip in ridership, service capacity and headways must be preserved to ensure safe distancing measures can be practised. The introduction of additional disinfection procedures, protection equipment and safe distancing personnel only lead to increased costs. Of course, we must also factor in maintenance costs as our rail and bus system ages. But as we embrace these changes, are they financially sustainable on the current operational model?

What is worrying is that in most discussions on sustainability now, the emphasis has been on environmental sustainability. The neglect of financial sustainability has been an important omission. Improving the financial sustainability of public transport would help to realise potential environmental and social benefits of public transport since it would make expanded public transport service more affordable, both for the governments who provide it and for the passengers who use it.

Germany and the US offer interesting contrast in the financial sustainability of our public transport. Over the past decades, Germany has improved its public transport services, increase productivity, reduce costs, cut subsidy requirements and attracted more passengers. American public transport systems have improved and expanded services but at a far higher cost, requiring much larger government subsidies and attracting fewer additional riders. In Singapore's case, are we at risk of skewing towards the American trajectory?

Can the Minister explain the viability of our current fare model, subject to our Government Budget constraints going forward?

We need to strike a balance between ensuring financial sustainability for operators while keeping fares affordable in this difficult climate and maintaining the quality of service and ease of access to areas which are far from transport nodes.

Can we also explore ways to maximise even more non-fare revenues from ads and retail business, property rentals and other value capture mechanism such as click and collect at transit stations? Can we also explore other financing options such as private investments?

But we need also to focus on encouraging higher usage of public transport. I have a few suggestions.

First, can we encourage transport operators to explore a new integrated mobility ticket or enhance our existing offerings by providing free access to all transit services, including reduced rates for taxis, car-sharing services and rental cars as well as discounts for other services, such as bicycle maintenance and travel information services?

Second, can we also explore linking e-tickets for large events such as professional soccer games and music concerts, generally also serving as transit tickets to access and leave the venue at no extra charge?

Third, we should ensure existing feeder bus routes are efficiently linked to different MRT rail nodes, especially the new ones.

Fourth, to ensure fares are affordable for financially needy commuters, I would like to suggest we ensure fare concessions extended to also assist adult learner students who may have stopped work or are increasingly going back to night or part-time school to upgrade their skills.

No matter the funding sources employed to cover public transportation costs, it is crucial that the transport authorities find the right balance between efficient and affordable prices and the financial sustainability of the system.

Question proposed.

Affordability of Public Transport

Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast): Chairman, I would like to declare my interest for being part of the ComfortDelGro management team for the rest of my MOT cuts.

Singapore’s public transport system has been ranked the best in the world in 2020 by consulting firm, Oliver Wyman and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2018, McKinsey ranked the Singapore public transport system the second best in the world after Hong Kong. But our transport fare is the most affordable in the world, according to McKinsey.

Many thanks to the public transport workers, MOT and LTA for making this possible. What is the cost of achieving the most affordable public transport in Singapore?

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Two billion dollars in operation subsidies a year, not including capital cost expenditure. The Government is spending $60 billion this decade to expand and upgrade the MRT system in Singapore and this is over and above the $2 billion operational subsidies. Is this sustainable?

In evaluating public transport affordability, McKinsey considered the monthly cost of public transport relative to residents' income, that is, the methodology is not looking at the absolute cost of the public transport fare alone but in relation to the income level of each city. Using this objective model, McKinsey concluded that the public transport in Singapore is the most affordable in the world.

However, public transport fare is a sensitive topic. Very few people in Singapore would openly agree that the public transport fare in Singapore is affordable. Most people would want public transport fare to be free. However, there is no free lunch.

For bus operations, the capital cost is relatively low as compared to the train system. Earlier in the Budget debate, I spoke on the need to revamp the bus routes to be sustainable. For train operations, the most profitable train operator in the world is Hong Kong MTR which uses the rail plus property model. Hong Kong government is the majority shareholder of MTR and it gives land and development rights to MTR at the greenfield price, that is, the price of the land before the railway is built. MTR subsequently builds malls, offices and private residential houses around the MRT stations and collects lucrBative rent to subsidise the train operation. In Singapore, revenue from land sales are channelled into the Government's reserve.

No other major train operator in the world is making money. SMRT and Downtown Line Pte Ltd have been losing money for the past few years. But why was SMRT so profitable in the earlier years? There were many reasons. In 2015, the mean kilometres between failures or MKBF for the Singapore rail network was 133,000 train-km. In June 2020, five years later, the MKBF was an amazing 1,638,000 train-km – a 12-time improvement. The dramatic improvements were due to the hard work of public transport workers, MOT and LTA. However, such improvements would not be easy to achieve if not because of the new rail financing framework or NRFF that came into effect since 2016.

Without going into technical details, the NRFF allows the train operators to shift the revenue risk to LTA. This was especially crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic when the ridership plunged, and so did the fare collection. The question is whether LTA is prepared to take on the full revenue risk just like the Bus Contracting Model? This is so that the train operators can concentrate in operational excellence at the lowest possible cost without worrying about fare revenue collection and fluctuation.

If so, will the Government have to subsidise the train operations even more? Or charge a higher fare? If not, could we maintain our excellent MKBF records? I know it is a fine balance, but as a responsible Government, we have to make tough choices and not kick the can down the road for the next generation.

Public Transport Sustainability

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Mr Chairman, during the Budget debate, I spoke about the implications of the work-from-anywhere and work-from-home phenomena. COVID-19 has transformed our travel patterns, due to the changes in the way we live and the way we work.

Has peak-travel public transport commuter load returned to pre-COVID levels, or are we in a new normal situation due to staggered working hours, split-team and telecommuting arrangements? Should we review our public transport provisions, which were developed in the pre-COVID days, to account for these changes?

Sir, we spend about $1 billion annually to subsidise our public bus operations. Before the pandemic, only 11 out of 356 bus services were profitable. However, the drop in ridership due to the safe management measures taken to combat the pandemic has worsened the situation. According to MOT, as of July 2020, all our public bus services were in the red, meaning their fare revenue could not cover their operating expenses.

Rail operations too, are heavily subsidised. Sir, it is important that we find a sustainable financing model as we continue to expand our public transport network in the coming years. We need to also ensure fair renumeration for the more than 20,000 workers who work tirelessly, day and night, to keep our public transport system operating smoothly and safely.

Perhaps, it is time that we review our Bus Contracting Model, which was introduced in 2016. With our expanding MRT network, is the traditional hub-and-spoke model of our public bus operations still relevant? Will we consider affordable on-demand bus services to replace trunk and cross-island bus services that incur high costs, but have low commuter load?

Sustainability of Public Transport

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): To minimise our carbon emissions from land transport, we need to have more people using the public transport system as their preferred or default mode of travel. MRT and buses are the greenest, cleanest and most efficient people-mover. Does the Ministry have the latest updates on the usage of our MRT and buses? What are our targets for public transport utilisation, as compared to other travel modes, in five and 10 years' time respectively? What measures and incentives will MOT implement to enable Singapore to reach these targets?

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of flexi-work and work from home. Working arrangements and commuting trends has been affected significantly. How does MOT assess the impact of this new circumstance on our public transport usage in the near future and what are the plans to adapt the operations of our MRT and buses to the new norm?

The Government had announced the expansion plans for our MRT network. In view of the pandemic and change in commuting patterns, will our public transport infrastructure investments still be viable and financially sustainable? What are the projections for other financial outlays, such as maintenance and replacement works, which need to be paid by the Government to keep our public transport system going?

As MOT introduced new MRT lines and bus services, fares had been kept affordable. However, this also meant that fare revenues could not keep pace with cost increases. The Government has been subsidising bus and rail fares and operations heavily. What are the subsidy projections for the next few years?

Government funds are finite and the subsidies cannot keep increasing. We need a system that is both affordable for all to use and is sustainable for us to run. All of us – commuters, operators, Government – have to play our parts for our public transport system to work, and work well. Can we rely on technology to achieve this?

Presently, transport demand is unevenly spread between peak and non-peak periods. We have apps for people to check bus schedules and arrivals. Perhaps some form of pre-booking may be helpful for operators to optimise trips, improve efficiency and cut down wastage. Commuters can be incentivised to pre-inform with discounts on fares, for example. The greater the adoption of such apps' utilisation, the better the match between operators and commuters – a win-win situation and a much more sustainable way to move around.

Finally, I would like to request that we should always have a core network of bus routes, even though there will be some duplication with certain MRT routes to serve as a buffer in the event of any MRT breakdowns. This provision is to deal with the "just-in-case" situations which can potentially leave thousands of commuters without transport. The advantages of buses is that they are flexible and their routes can be easily adapted for contingencies and emergencies.

Challenges Facing our Aviation Industry

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Mr Chairman, Singapore's Aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit industry in this pandemic, given the sector's complete dependence on international travel. With the resurgence of COVID-19 in many regions of the world, as well as the emergence of new and more contagious COVID-19 strains, the outlook for the aviation sector remains bleak with air travel likely to be stymied well into this year and next.

I recognise the efforts made to support this industry in terms of re-establishing air travel and supporting airport-related companies and employees through the various support packages previously announced, and the newly announced plans in Budget 2021. However, I wish to clarify with Minister on a few matters.

The aviation sector has seen the biggest influx of targeted support of $870 million in this Budget. However, is the Ministry also looking to extend targeted support to other aviation related businesses that are similarly affected by the effective halt of air travel? Specifically, the aerospace sector needs help. It currently employs some 22,000 people of which 80% Singapore residents and contributed some $13 billion in total output to our national economy in 2019. Companies in this sector include those involving maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), avionics and aircraft component production and repair.

These businesses are essential segments of our aviation supply chain in Singapore, and face major and sustained downstream impact resulting from airlines deferring aircraft orders and reducing their after-market expenses. Already, we have seen significant retrenchment exercises among a number of key players in the sector. For example, the aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce retrench about 24% of its workforce in Singapore in July last year. NTUC itself had to intervene in the retrenchment exercise conducted by Eagle Services Asia to protect Singaporean jobs.

With no signs of an immediate recovery for aviation, more of such retrenchments may be expected as companies seek to cut down on their expenses. Even when the air travel does begin to normalise, given that the aviation supply chain is driven by airline demand, aerospace companies could likely be some of the slowest to recover in this hard-hit sector. While they still do have continuing GSS support the sector could use more targeted support if we are to maintain our position as an aviation and aerospace hub. Could the Ministry considered tailored support schemes that could be explored specifically for this group?

Would the Ministry also be able to provide further details of its previously announced plans to develop programmes for aviation workers; at risk of losing their jobs or being unemployed, first mentioned in December last year? What is the coverage and scale these programmes, and when will they come into effect?

This is a especially pertinent as aviation workers are likely to continue to experience a dent in their incomes, not to mention face increased job risk, well into this year and next, even as other parts of our economy slowly start to pick up.

I would also like to ask in terms of retrenchment in the sector, what percentage of the aviation and aerospace sectors has been made redundant and what percentage of this retrench group has benefited from the COVID-19 recovery grants? Can there be consideration of extending the eligible period of support beyond the current three months, given that the aviation sector is likely to remain impacted by the pandemic for a prolonged period of time. And employees in this niche industry may need more time to secure jobs outside this view, given the need for retraining and reskilling.

Lastly, I think there is a need for us to evaluate the upcoming pipeline of talent from our Institutes of Higher Learning into both the aviation and aerospace industries. Fresh graduates from these programmes may find little opportunities there if the global recovery is gradual. I hope the Minister can assuage these concerns.

Strategies to Reboot Changi Air Hub

Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang): Chairman Sir, I declare my interest as an employee of the aviation sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has literally sent our once vibrant and booming aviation sector into a cliff drop. Since the imposition of border closure in March 2020, passenger traffic has plunged from pre-COVID-19 peak of almost 69 million passengers per year to less than 3% of that. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging in many parts of the world, non-essential overseas travel will likely still be curtailed for at least another year, until vaccination operations for the majority of our local population are completed.

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Changi Airport was the sixth busiest international airport and the Singapore Airlines used to carry more than 36 million passengers per annum pre-COVID-19. Unlike other airports and airlines that are still able to continue to operate domestic flights during this pandemic, Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines group are 100% dependent on international travel.

To the credit of many stakeholders in the aviation sector, tremendous efforts have been made to keep the planes flying, serve passengers and carry cargo, during this extremely difficult period. SIA has reconfigured some passenger aircraft for cargo flights and kept key city links connected even with very low passenger loads.

Chairman, Sir, I have a few queries relating to our strategies to reboot air travel and to revive the Changi airhub.

One, how much longer can SIA and Changi Air hub sustain if travel border remains closed beyond this year?

Two, beyond the extended JSS and support for the aviation sector as announced in Budget 2021, does the Government intend to continue to support the recovery of the aviation sector and, if so, what are some of these additional support measures for companies and workers?

Three, can the Government provide an update on the developments in the aviation sector since the Ministerial Statement in October 2020? What has the progress of our measures been so far?

Four, we have seen an increase in the number of imported cases over the past few weeks. Is this due to our border re-openings? How can we continue to re-open our borders safely?

Five, there have also been a few cases where air crew and other aviation frontline workers who caught COVID-19 earlier this year. What has the Government done to safeguard our borders and frontline aviation workers?

Six, in a post-vaccination world, what are our plans to open up our borders and revive air travel? Will vaccinated individuals be allowed to travel with fewer restrictions?

Seven, how can we rebuild the connectivity at Changi Airport and protect our status as an aviation hub?

Lastly, how can we strengthen our competitive advantage to capture air travel demand as it recovers?

I hope Minister for Transport can inspire hope, confidence and provide guidance through this harsh winter for the aviation industry.

Tuas Mega Port

Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast): Chairman, I would like to declare my interest as Advisor to the Singapore Port Workers Union.

We understand that the Maritime sector is the least affected transport segment in the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the construction sector was badly affected by the circuit breaker last year, which dramatically slowed down the construction schedule of many infrastructural projects.

Was the construction of the Tuas Mega Port affected by COVID-19 pandemic, and by how much? If so, given the rise of international trade due to the popularity of cross-border online purchases and recovery of the world’s economy from the pandemic over the next few years, are there plans to accelerate the construction of the Tuas Mega Port?

I am also concerned about the accessibility of the Tuas Mega Port for its workers, because unlike the former sites at Tanjong Pagar and Keppel, the Tuas Mega Port is right at the extreme western end of Singapore. For the benefit of those who have to travel to the Tuas Mega Port, which will definitely become an activity hub, could the MRT line be extended to the Tuas Mega Port? If so, when? Are there plans to provide priority housing in Jurong West for port workers who opt to work in Tuas?

Job Creation in Maritime Sector

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Mr Chairman, the Maritime sector remains a crucial pillar of support for our economy. In spite of the pandemic, it has remained resilient, thanks to good pandemic safety management along with its global reputation for excellent connectivity and efficiency. As other countries are looking to diversify their supply chains to the Southeast Asia region, we can leverage on the sector to strengthen our position.

During the Committee of Supply debates last year, the Ministry announced that the sustainability remains a key priority. Indeed, while shipping is one of the world's cleanest and energy-efficient modes of cargo transportation, it leaves a significant environmental footprint.

Since 2011, under the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative (MSGI), $100 million was set aside to promote sustainable shipping. This initiative was further extended to December 2024 and enhanced to focus on the carbonisation of shipping.

The Green Energy and Technology Programme, in particular, aims to encourage Singapore-based maritime companies to develop and conduct pilot trials for green technologies. What is our progress? Can we leverage on this to create more jobs for Singaporeans?

Can the Minister share the plans to promote more sustainable practices in the maritime sector? How will this lead to new and exciting career pathways for locals? We should not waste this crisis and ensure that we create new jobs.

Support for Point-to-point Drivers

Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, the Labour Movement thanks our tripartite partners – the LTA, our taxi, PHV platforms for working hard with us on providing the much-needed short and medium term reliefs for our driving brothers and sisters. The expedited tax disbursements are certainly well received. Our point-to-point drivers have also raised longer term livelihood concerns due to the prolonged crisis, as well as the evolution of technology in the transport sector.

With long queues at taxi stands, not of passengers, but of taxis themselves, our drivers know that the recovery of the domestic consumer economy will not be the end of their problems. Instead, our drivers anticipate the re-opening of borders and our night life to give their livelihoods a much-needed boost.

These are strange times, as our taxi and PHV drivers trawl our empty streets, night after night, hour after hour, looking for possible passenger. We need to practise empathy and, indeed, sympathy towards the plight of our fellow Singaporeans. Our brothers and sisters are hit with the double whammy of low street hails, having to drive aimlessly around, wasting fuel and time, on having to deal with the petrol tax hikes. Would the Ministry consider allowing for more flexibility for our P2P drivers, to allow them to stop and wait in taxi stand bays outside the designated waiting lots, and even around taxi drop-off points, during the night when there is no longer any traffic or road safety worries about parked taxis along the road. This will greatly ease the burden and stress of our drivers.

As our drivers focus on getting passengers safely and efficiently to their destinations, we must allay their concerns of obsolescence.

Be it electric or driverless vehicles that hallmark our future, transitions will always require adjustments. Having undergone technological change with ride-hailing apps, diversifying into transport services like deliveries, or even just facing the economic realities of COVID-19 crisis, our P2P drivers are a resilient bunch. However, the Government must anticipate, ease and enable our drivers to prepare for these changes. We must not let the P2P transport sector become a byword for creative destruction, just as rickshaws and trishaws are looked upon today, but beckon and support them along the evolution journey of our P2P transport sector.

Take the petrol tax hikes, for example. As far as it may go in pushing the rest of Singapore into a car-lite society, our driver inescapably live in a car-heavy livelihood. If they are given the support and opportunity to go electric to avoid petrol costs, many would gladly do so. However, their hands are tied, and so the environmental boons become their economic bane. While we must prepare our P2P drivers for the future, could we do more to gird their livelihoods in the present as well? Could the Ministry share more and how taxi companies will be supported in shifting to more energy-efficient cars without the burden of this cost being put on our drivers?

Point-to-point Transport

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Chairman, I have earlier declared my interest for being part of ComfortDelGro management team.

Would it be possible for LTA to give some insights into the demographics of those who are driving taxis and private-hire cars or PHCs? Taxis and private-hire cars are collectively called Point-to-Point or P2P vehicles. Specifically, how many young tertiary-educated Singaporeans below the age of 40 are driving P2P vehicles?

My sense is that driving a P2P vehicle has become very popular amongst the youth, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is good that they are finding ways to make a living but I do not think it is wise for so many young Singaporeans to be contented with the P2P career as a driver.

Would MOT consider capping the number of PHCs like what MOT has done to limit the number of taxis? In fact, our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, did not want so many Singaporeans driving taxis. Thus, the growth of taxis was restricted and only Singaporeans above 30 years old could drive the taxis. The rationale is not to hog too many young people in the driving profession. Is this rationale still valid today?

This is also in the context of an explosion of P2P vehicles in Singapore in the last decade. When Uber officially launched its service eight years ago in Singapore, there were 27,000 taxis and very few PHCs. Today, there are 16,000 taxis but there are 50,000 PHCs. In totality, there are 2.5 times P2P vehicles today as compared to eight years ago. Do we really need so many P2P vehicles and drivers in Singapore?

Jobs in Transport Sector

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Sir, the COVID-19 pandemic has badly battered our aviation and point-to-point land transport sectors, and I am glad that the Government has provided continued support to the workers in these sectors with the extensions to the Jobs Support Scheme and the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund.

However, with many governments globally struggling to procure vaccines for their population, the downturn in global air travel is likely to continue. Many of our aviation brothers and sisters, from SIA and SATS, for example, were re-deployed to other sectors for the past year. What will happen to them? Are there still job prospects left in our aviation sector?

Despite the prolonged downturn, certain segments of jobs within our transport industry have remained resilient.

First, the electrification of our land transport system is expected to give rise to new jobs. An electric motor has only about 20 moving parts, compared to nearly 2,000 in an internal combustion engine. How does MOT intend to retrain our existing technicians and create new jobs in tandem with the push for electrical vehicles?

Second, our MRT network is expected to double to 360 km by 2030. How many new jobs will our expanding rail network create for Singaporeans?

Third, the e-commerce boom during the pandemic has shown us that logistics is a vital sector, and more than just the delivery of goods and food. What is MOT’s plan to leverage the fast-evolving urban logistics industry to create new jobs?

Lastly, can the Ministry provide an update on the Tuas Mega Port and whether its first phase opening scheduled for this year is still on track? How many new jobs will the Tuas Mega Port offer?

Opportunities for Land Transport SMEs

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Mr Chairman, land transport SMEs are valuable partners who complement our public transport system. During the pandemic, many were affected as they saw demand for their services fall drastically. Tour bus operators experience a two-fold setback with the tourism sector being badly hit. Even before the pandemic, land transport SMEs have been identified for upskilling opportunities.

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Some of these collaborations involving the Singapore Institute of Technology, SMRT and SkillsFuture Singapore, were aimed at improving rail reliability and driving innovation and productivity enhancements across the sector. The curricular could impart skill sets in important areas like data analysis and project management.

With change comes opportunity and new technology that we do not envision before and now as we look to tackle the challenges faced by the transport industry, our SMEs can put their new training into good use.

The transport sector should welcome companies with innovative solutions in a variety of areas. This would include understanding consumer patterns, facilitating enterprise, reducing compliance costs, ensuring the safety of construction projects, for example.

There are also many areas we can explore as we work on adapting the infrastructure for a post-COVID-19 society such as green technology, big data and automation. All of these would contribute to job re-design and create new and exciting careers for Singapore in the transport industry.

Can the Ministry share what are the opportunities for land transport SMEs? Is the LTA already conducting consultations with industry, and if not, will it do so?

MOT's Pro-enterprise Efforts

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Chairman, again, I would have to declare my interest for being part of ComfortDelGro management team.

The robust transport eco-system in Singapore comprises not just public transport, but also many private transport providers which "fill in the gaps". It is critical that these providers are able to flourish and thrive in a business landscape, while ensuring that Singaporeans are able to travel safely and efficiently. But the rules which define this landscape have not been consistent.

A few years back, in the name of facilitating innovation, LTA allowed new rental bicycle companies to flourish. But, this created much social problems and many of these companies fell by the wayside. Similarly, LTA once, was lax in regulating PMDs on pavement, on hindsight, leading to many injuries.

At the other extreme, LTA is occasionally strict in regulating existing businesses and increasing compliance costs, even when times have changed.

It is not healthy for LTA to swing to both extremes. Thus, I would like to ask if LTA has plans to do a comprehensive review of its regulations to ensure that the regulations are up-to-date, without unnecessary red tape, and that it remains consistent in its approach.

Before I end, we heard yesterday that LTA would be taking over the regulations of Electric Vehicles, or EV charging facilities from the Energy Market Authority. I have previously mentioned in this House, industry players have a lot of pains in getting regulatory approval to install EV charging stations. With the change, we know the LTA is willing to set up regulatory sandboxes to facilitate the introduction of new charging solutions. This is a good move in the right direction. We hope to see more of such initiatives.

A Caring and Inclusive Transport Culture

Ms Poh Li San: Chairman, the Caring SG Commuters Committee was set up in 2017, to transform Singapore's public transport system and commuter culture into one that is more caring, welcoming and inclusive. At times, having to wait a long time for buses, squeeze into crowded trains and brave the elements of inclement weather can be frustrating. I would like to know the progress on how commuting on public land transport can be a more enjoyable experience.

What are the plans to build a more inclusive transport system through hardware improvements, such as more considerate design features and barrier-free accessibility facilities?

The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the number of commuters and some may even avoid taking public transport for the fear of increased exposure to potential COVID-19 infection. Will the Caring SG Commuters Committee focus on shaping commuters' behaviour with the aim of ensuring public health in times of pandemics or even during the less lethal influenza seasons? Should we work on having all commuters to wear mask even after the COVID-19 pandemic?

On a more challenging front, how do we create the heartware to promote a more caring and inclusive commuter culture for everyone?

Commuter-centric Public Transport

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Efficient and convenient public transport is vital to achieving many of our national priorities. It allows HDB to build more flats away from the city. It enables workers to travel to further out workplaces and it helps us to reach our climate change goals.

I sold my car five years ago and now make most of my trips by bus and MRT. I have not regretted this decision and I highly recommend it to others who can afford not to drive.

Improving the commuter experience can convince more people to take public transport, reducing both traffic congestion and carbon emissions. How can we nudge much more people towards going car light? I have a few suggestions.

First, reduce the amount of walking needed during the journey. Singapore's tropical weather is not conducive for walking outdoors for long distances while dressed up for work. Transport planners should keep this in mind when planning the location of bus stops and routes for feeder bus services. For example, some of my HDB and condominium residents living along Bedok Reservoir Road do not have a direct feeder bus to the nearby Bedok North MRT and have a rather long walk to and from the station.

Second, construct more cupboard linkways from from housing estates including private condominiums to transport nodes. Covered linkways can influence the commuters decision whether to brave the elements or to take private transport.

Third, reduce crowding on trains and buses so that commuters can have a more comfortable ride with better safe distancing. I hope MRT operators will also stop removing seats from their train cars because we commuters like sitting during our rides.

Forth, continue to make our roads and public transport more accessible for people with disabilities. I earlier suggested that how we should use tactile signals to enable visually impaired commuters to cross roads late at night. I look forward to that being implemented.

Sheltered Pedestrian Crossings

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Sir, I have observed there are schools in the HDB estate where they are covered pathway that extended from the school gate to the nearby bus-stop. In locations where the nearest bus-stop is located opposite the school, which requires road crossing, the shelter is extended across the pedestrian crossing.

However, there are schools which are not provided with such facilities. The Primary school located in my Kaki Bukit constituency is one of them. I have previously written to LTA requesting to construct shelter for existing pathway and pedestrian crossing but to no avail.

I would like to seek clarification from the Ministry on what are the considerations in determining whether to or not to construct shelter for walkways and pedestrian crossing in school zones.

Apart from this clarification, I would like to touch on one of the LTA initiatives, Silver Zone. My constituency Kaki Bukit is one of the earliest beneficiaries of Silver Zone. Under this initiative, LTA has introduced numerous features to enhance road safety for pedestrians, especially our senior citizens as well as for road users.

Among these features are rest points and roundabouts. The former is to allow road crossing in two stages and the latter is to smoothen traffic flow and traffic conflict points. I would like to ask LTA to consider adding construction of shelter for pathways and pedestrian crossing to the existing list of the Silver Zone features. These feature should be constructed at locations where LTA deem necessary and feasible.

Sir, covered pathways and pedestrian crossing will provide better protection to our seniors against bad weather. This will further enhance safety as well as comfort of our elderly Singaporeans.

Road Repurposing

Mr Cheng Hsing Yao (Nominated Member): Chairman, the key component of a liveable city is its walkability. I would like to ask about the walkability of the areas of historical significance.

These areas such as the Civic District comprise many interesting buildings streets and public spaces of historical significance. Through a combination of public and private efforts, there has been a lot of capital and resources pumped into these areas to transform the users as well as the older buildings.

What has the Government done to enhance walkability in Singapore in areas of historical significance? What are the Government's upcoming plans for these areas?

Active Mobility and Safety of Riders

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: Sir, I am heartened by our resolve to encourage greener means of commute. Popularised in the 1960s, cycling as a mode of transport is not new to Singapore. It gives life to our city, it is more affordable, healthier and possibly, more convenient. However, active mobility is a buzzword, but what does it take for us to make it a reality?

As things stands, I wonder if those seeking to participate in the active mobility movement feel safe to do so. The speed of motor traffic on the roads leave most of our cyclists contesting for space on the narrow 1.5-metre footpath. This is inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst for our footpath users, calling to attention the safeguards that need to be in place to encourage more to embrace walking and cycling.

Could we have an update from the Ministry on its plans for improving our infrastructure to enhance the safety and travel efficiency for all road and footpath users?

Sir, with this, I turn our attention to the growing community of delivery riders who are arguably the heaviest users of these cycling networks. Needless to say, COVID-19 has reviewed the importance of our delivery riders. They brought our favourite foods to our doorsteps when we could not dine out and allowed us to eat in the safety of our own homes.

Our riders' journeys can often be precarious, especially on rainy days. It is unfortunate that we are still seeing accidents on the footpaths and riders colliding with drivers on the road. Riders we spoke with, feel like they neither belong with the motorists on the road, nor with the pedestrians on the runways. Perhaps, it is time for us to examine, how more deeply we can protect the lives of our delivery riders.

Yong Wei is a leader with us at the National Delivery Champions Association. A delivery rider, he met with an accident recently. We thank good fortunes that he walked away only with a broken wrist because I cannot imagine how it would be otherwise. Yong Wei, however, ended up not being able to work for the next four months and this time we thank prolong medical leave insurance that helped him tide through to these four months of lost income.

We have heard from many other riders on their own near-misses. I believe to address the issue of safety for our riders, besides infrastructure improvement, education and awareness must play a bigger part, so that all road and footpath users build better awareness to coexist. Perhaps is timely for compulsory road safety certification and more community awareness campaigns on active mobility.

Delivery riding is a physically tough occupation. Some riders work more than 10 hours a day and delivering upwards of 30 deliveries a day. We need to better promote the welfare of our riders. Rest areas, accessible parking, charging points at malls and food outlets, more efficient pickups and drop-offs will come a long way to alleviate the mental stresses of our riders.

The union calls for better safety nets for our riders and for the Government to push for greater awareness for road harmony and to build better supporting infrastructures for our riders.

Active Mobility and Safety on Footpaths

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Sir, in 2019, LTA imposed a ban on users of personal mobility devices from all footpaths. This came amid an increasing number of accidents involving such PMDs. One cyclist died after an accident with the PMD. This ban brought some relief to the other users of the foot path. However, due to the push for healthier lifestyle, more and more cyclists are also using the same footpaths.

I support the concept of shared foot paths whereby both cyclists and pedestrians can share the use of footpaths. Unfortunately, I regularly receive feedback about the behaviour of irresponsible cyclists who think that footpaths and park connectors are a race track for them to race at alarming speeds.

Sir, I walk along Gardens by the Bay East because that is within my constituency. Many a time as I walk, I worry when I when I feel the buzz of the bicycles racing by me at a fast speed.

Sir, we need to do more to ensure the safety of pedestrians using the footpaths and park connectors. Sometimes, I see seniors taking a leisurely stroll along the footpaths. Sometimes, there are couples with young toddlers and children who meander all over the paths. If a cyclist comes along riding at high speed and crash into the senior or the young child, that would be disastrous.

In a recent court case, a cyclist was sentenced to one week jail after he crashed into a 53-year-old pedestrian, who subsequently died. So, a crash of a bicycle at high speed can have fatal consequences.

I submit that LTA can do more to educate cyclists who use the footpaths to commute to ride at a reasonable speed. Let me stress that I have got nothing against cyclist riding at the reasonable speed but education must also come with enforcement because we need to deter the small minority of reckless riders from being a danger to other users of the footpath or park connector.

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Hence, I urge LTA to step up enforcement along the footpaths and to install more cameras to deter inconsiderate riders. Wherever possible, LTA should consider widening the footpaths or park connectors and demarcate one side for cyclists and one side for pedestrians.

The Chairman: Minister Ong Ye Kung.

The Minister for Transport (Mr Ong Ye Kung): Mr Chairman, MOT looks after three connections of Singapore – sea, land and air. In Chinese, we call it "海陆空".

The seaport and airport, as I have described before, are like the lungs of the country. They draw in oxygen from the global eco-system, vitalising the rest of the Singapore economy. Land transport is like the arteries and vessels, providing mobility for each of us as we work, live and play across the island.

Today, my colleagues and I will update the House on key long-term challenges and developments of our three connections.

First, maritime. The fortunes of a port city rise and fall. Singapore suffered over three centuries of oblivion from the start of the 15th century. So, our status as a global transshipment hub today is not a right of birth but an earned and constant struggle for relevance.

Fortunately, our maritime sector has been resilient throughout COVID-19. In 2020, last year, container throughput was only 1% lower than 2019, the previous year. So, we are cautiously optimistic that we will have a good year in 2021. But we had to make difficult decisions to get here. One critical decision was crew change.

Every day, more than 250 ships call at Singapore to deliver and transship cargo, for bunkering and repairs. While they are here, many ships want to change their crew who have been out at sea for several months.

When the pandemic hit, crew change came to a halt because of border restrictions. Seafarers on the vessels cannot disembark and new crew cannot fly in to board the vessels. The shipping community faced a looming humanitarian crisis – hundreds of thousands of seafarers were stuck, stranded on board their work vessels, sometimes for more than a year. That was last year.

So, shipping lines urged Singapore, as a major transshipment port, to do something. But to allow crew change in Singapore will expose ourselves to the risk of COVID-19 infections. If we wanted to be absolutely safe, we would have said "no", as many countries had. But that would have turned our backs against the international maritime community. They would have lost faith in us and it would have damaged our standing as a maritime hub.

Therefore, together with the industry and unions, we devised rigorous protocols to do crew change safely – repeated testing, quarantine, bubble wrap travel between the vessel and the hotel and the airport, and vice versa. It worked. Today, more than 100,000 crew changes have taken place. Our practice has been held up as an example at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Shipping lines saluted Singapore.

It was not without cost. As at end February 2021, we had eight imported cases due to crew change for ocean-going ships – very sorry to the Minister for Health – but none led to community infections.

Was it worth it? I acknowledge that opinions differ. For some, they feel that it is more important to eliminate the virus from Singapore altogether. But I think we did the right thing.

For a city state like Singapore, the fight against COVID-19 is not about eliminating all risks by isolating ourselves. It is about how to keep our connectivity open, supplies flowing, protecting jobs and our economy while keeping Singapore safe. This is the real challenge of COVID-19 – not all-or-nothing, black-or-white, but the ability to navigate safely in a grey zone.

This will not be our last test. The Arctic route, the possibility of a Kra Canal and competition from neighbouring ports will continue to challenge our maritime relevance. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will speak more about this.

Let me move to land transport, where our long-term challenge is sustainability.

There are two aspects of sustainability. The first is environmental. We spoke a lot about it yesterday. I spoke about Electric Vehicles (EVs) but EVs are, at most, a second-best solution. The cleanest and most sustainable way to move is still by mass public transport – buses and trains. In response to Mr Gan Thiam Poh, we want to raise mass public transport modal share during peak hours, from 64% now to 75% by 2030.

Over the last 10 years, it has increased almost by 10%. Mr Gerald Giam switched transport modes. So, he helped – a little bit. But every commuter counts.

Members have asked about the plans for our public transport system. COVID-19 has delayed our plans. But notwithstanding this, over this decade, we will spend more than $60 billion to expand and renew our rail network and we will open new stations or lines almost every year. Let me do a rundown.

Between now and 2025, we will progressively open the rest of the Thomson-East Coast Line. By 2026, we will "close the loop" for the Circle Line between Harbourfront and Marina Bay. By 2029, the Jurong Region Line will be completed. In the 2030s, the Cross-Island Line will open progressively.

With all these projects, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network will grow from about 230 km today to 360 km in the early 2030s. In that process, in response to Mr Melvin Yong, many jobs will be created. By then, our network density will be comparable to London and New York City.

As suggested by Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Gan Thiam Poh, we will use technology wherever we can – big data to optimise routing and scheduling, sensors to carry out preventive maintenance effectively, kaizen projects to improve productivity and apps to help commuters plan for their trips.

As for the men and women on the street, we will bring buses and trains as close as possible to their final destinations and also their origins, with pedestrian pathways and covered linkways wherever it makes sense.

For short trips, you will notice commuters are increasingly either walking or cycling. That is why we are expanding the cycling network and repurposing roads wherever possible. LTA has identified 60 projects to convert suitable roads into footpaths, cycling paths or bus lanes. Each project, we reckon, will have their pluses and minuses. So, for every project, we will work closely with the community and proceed only when we assess that, on balance, it benefits commuters and benefits the community. I do not expect all 60 projects to proceed but we will learn from each experiment. Senior Minister of State Amy Khor and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng will elaborate.

The other aspect of sustainability is financial. Several Members have shared their concerns on this and I appreciate Mr Saktiandi for especially highlighting this aspect of sustainability.

Train lines are expensive to build. Take for example, the Thomson-East Coast Line – that costs more than $25 billion to build.

That said, capital expenditure is one-time. What worries us more is whether we can afford the operating costs year after year on a long-term basis. This includes manpower, energy, maintenance and renewal of operating assets like trains and signalling systems.

Train fares so far are not enough to cover these operating costs. So, the Government has been spending about $1 billion a year to subsidise rail operations. The situation is the same for buses – Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat gave an update to the House recently. So, operating subsidy amounts to another $1 billion of taxpayers' funds every year.

The Government needs to continue to subsidise the operations of MRT and buses. I think we cannot run away from that. But the bill to taxpayers cannot keep ballooning. If it does, we would leave our future generations a growing financial burden. So, how do we square the circle?

Financing and subsidy policies – they matter. For buses, we have settled on a bus contracting model that leverages competition to enhance the efficiency of operations. For MRT, we fully transited to the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF) – mentioned by Mr Ang Wei Neng – a few years ago.

Under the first version of NRFF, the Government takes over from the transport operator the ownership and replacement of operating assets – trains and signalling systems. The Government then charges the transport operator a fee for using these assets. So, it is like renting, on the part of the operator. Under NRFF Version One, which was implemented for the Downtown Line (DTL), the operator pays a fixed fee, like a rental.

The public transport operator of the DTL still bears significant commercial risk. If ridership is healthy and fare revenue far exceeds operating cost, they get to enjoy a good part of the profit. But if the reverse is true, they suffer losses. This was not ideal because, as a public utility, public transport should be a more stable business.

So, we adjusted the NRFF to reduce commercial volatility. If the operator enjoys high profits, the Government will cream off. If the operator suffers big losses, the Government cushions it. So, this is NRFF Version Two, implemented in 2016 to the North-South, East-West, Circle and North East Lines.

For the most recent Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), we took on another approach. That is NRFF Version Three. For the initial period when ridership is still not stable, the Government collects all the fare revenue, bears all revenue risks and grants the operator a fee to run the line. So, it is a bit like a contracting model. After ridership stabilises, we revert to NRFF Version Two.

Recognising that the NRFF has evolved over the years, we will review the arrangement for the Downtown Line, given that it is still on NRFF Version One. This will be done with a view to ensure that the operator will run the line reliably, with high productivity and that the line is sustainable.

There are other things we need to do to keep our public transport system sustainable for the long run.

First, operators must train their workers well and find new ways to be cost-efficient. This includes keeping train services reliable and not trying to penny-pinch on maintenance cost, thinking that this will translate to savings and productivity. It does not. We learnt this lesson the hard way.

Second, like before, we will need to adjust fares from time to time. This is needed as costs do go up, including the wages of public transport workers who look forward to earning more.

The Public Transport Council (PTC) makes a careful decision on fares every year. Whenever there needs to be a fare adjustment, we will help lower income households through Public Transport Vouchers. We also have fare concessions to large groups, such seniors and also young students. To the suggestion that maybe we should also extend this to adults taking courses, I would prefer to be very careful about it because, after all, all of us are going to be lifelong learners.

Third, we need to try to reduce excess capacity. The majority of our bus services are trunk services. Majority. And they provide connection for commuters between towns. So, it has never been a pure hub-and-spoke system, as mentioned by Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Gan Thiam Poh. And this will not change. There will always be a core set of trunk services for buses.

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But we should also try our best to reduce excess capacity in the system. This is especially when new train lines come up, and ridership for bus services that run in parallel plunge, and then chalk up tens of millions of operating subsidies per service per year. So, we need to progressively adjust these bus services to better keep subsidies in check.

I used to be a union leader for the transport workers' union, and bus drivers on these services would always lament that 很心痛，载空气, they say in Chinese. In English, it means when there are no passengers, it is a bit of a heartache, because they are just ferrying air.

Fourth, COVID-19 has also opened up an opportunity for us to make the system more efficient, by making the morning and evening peaks less pronounced. Mr Gan Thiam Poh mentioned that. And to achieve this, we will need the co-operation of employers, to stagger working hours, allow working from home even after COVID-19 passes.

Finally, let me talk about aviation. When COVID-19 struck, passenger volume at Changi fell to 0.5% of pre-COVID-19 levels. Almost a year later, the good news is Changi is now carrying five times that. The bad news is, that works out to only 2.5% of pre-COVID 19 volume. So, we are still in crisis mode.

Flight movements look better, it is one quarter of pre-COVID-19 levels. But this is, to a large extent, due to a larger number of cargo flights.

Changi Airport is now connected to 66 cities around the world, compared to 160 cities pre-COVID-19. We expect connections to expand further in the coming months to about 80 cities.

In response to Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Dennis Tan, in a crisis like this, job prospects in the sector are naturally muted and subdued. Based on the Labour Market Survey, up to 3Q 2020, the sector had lost 6,000 jobs. About 500 are retrenchments, and the rest non-renewal of contracts or early retirement. Non-residents shouldered the great majority of the reduction.

Hiring of graduates, asked by Mr Dennis Tan, have slowed, though there is still good demand for technicians coming out of our ITE, coming out of our Polytechnics. I then checked with our Universities, who told me that most aerospace graduates still found jobs this year, but likely in non-aviation sectors. So, fortunately, engineers are a very versatile bunch.

Mr Dennis Tan asked about help for the aerospace sector. There are three areas of help, and this was covered in the Budget Statement. One is the Jobs Support Scheme. The aerospace sector is now in the top tier, 30% for the next three months, and then 10% for the following three months. They also enjoy the Enhanced Training Support Package which provides stronger support when they send their workers for training. Thousands have gone and it has been very helpful for the aerospace sector. And also, EDB put in a lot of effort to temporarily redeploy talents to other sectors while the sector waits for recovery.

Mr Dennis Tan asked what proportion of workers benefited from the COVID-19 related grants? I will say everyone who kept their jobs. That is the impact of the Jobs Support Scheme and the Enhanced Training Support Package. It helped all these companies stay above water, and retain core capabilities so that there is still a future for the sector. And that strategic outcome is either there or not there, either you believe it will work or you do not believe it will work, and you decide to do not do. You cannot quite measure or audit it.

Ms Poh Li San asked how MOT plans to revive the aviation hub. Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question with certainty. We may have a plan, but this virus has no plan and it does not observe any rules. It is driven by an instinct to dominate the world. To do so, it is transmitting without symptoms, and it is mutating.

So, in terms of prospects, I can only say this: first, this year I do not think it is realistic to expect a V-shape recovery for the aviation sector. Second, it is also possible that the virus becomes endemic, meaning it is something we have to live with, to cope with and to adapt to in the long term, just like the influenza virus. And third, notwithstanding this, with vaccines, and the realisation of governments around the world that they cannot perpetually close up their borders, I believe there will be some re-opening of borders this year, and some recovery this year.

So, our mission this year is not so much to force a sharp recovery of the aviation sector, but to adapt to a new normal, to re-open safely, to build up confidence, to test workable concepts and to strengthen the belief that Changi Airport will still be an international air hub post-COVID-19.

And we are seeing signs of that happening. When WHO scientists from around the world were planning their study visit to Wuhan, they decided to gather in Singapore before they made their way, and they flew through Changi.

The World Economic Forum has decided to hold its meeting in Singapore, in August.

A few months ago, a group of Vietnamese trainees going to Japan to complete their apprenticeship, decided to come to Singapore first and then up to Japan. It is a longer route, but I think they like to fly SIA.

So, the key question is: what are the steps we can take to re-open safely?

As I explained to the House before, what kills travel is quarantine and Stay-Home Notices (SHN). Very few people will want to travel abroad if they know they have to go through a lengthy isolation. So, to revive aviation, we need to replace quarantine and SHN with other methods that can also substantially mitigate the risk of transmission. Now, I think there are four ways after all these months of experience.

The first is testing, which is key to re-opening borders. Nationally, we can now perform more than 60,000 tests a day. And with tests, we can detect infections early and prevent transmissions.

The second is to "bubble wrap" travellers. Ensure that they are kept to a tight itinerary, restricted premises, away from community, do not see anybody in the community. This is how we managed to do maritime crew change and this is how the new Connect@Changi facility works.

The third is to recognise that travellers from certain places are safe, because they have successfully controlled the virus. That is why we unilaterally opened our borders to places such as Australia, New Zealand, Brunei and China. And so far, the scheme has not led to any increase in our local transmission. It works.

If other places reciprocate what we do, we have an Air Travel Bubble (ATB). We have yet to launch an ATB successfully. We were close, but we could not. But we now have an agreed text with Hong Kong and the ATB can be launched when conditions are right. We have not given up the idea. In fact, I think ATBs are going to be important, which I will explain.

And that leads to the fourth way, which is a new critical development – and that is vaccinations. As more scientific data become available, we will be able to ascertain the extent to which vaccination reduces the likelihood of someone carrying the virus and passing it to somebody else. And this will enable us to allow vaccinated individuals to travel with fewer restrictions, perhaps even without SHN. It will require a system of certification, like the yellow booklet, which some of us have, that records our vaccinations against Malaria or Yellow Fever. And these discussions are happening bilaterally and also at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). And Singapore, we have been active in all these discussions.

Aviation is like the lung of Singapore. So, this lung needs inflating, but our head is under water. But each of these four methods I mentioned earlier are like snorkels, sticking out of the surface of the water. They allow us to take in some oxygen, to keep Changi and to keep SIA going. And each snorkel cannot work in isolation. They must work together.

For example, an ATB is a combination of identifying safe places and imposing test requirements. I see ATBs playing a key role in safe opening this year. Because as vaccinations bring down infections across the world, more countries will be prepared to forge ATBs.

We can also identify places from low to moderate infection rates, and combine vaccination with tests, even "bubble wrap" travel, and to open up travel corridors. We will do our best to make all these arrangements bilateral so Singaporeans can travel outwards too.

Mr Chairman, COVID-19 has claimed many casualties: lives, careers, years of hard work wiped out in months.

Amongst them are notable brands – like Dan Ryans, like Robinsons. I think we can get over the loss of these names. Painful, but we can get over. But if we lose SIA or we lose Changi Airport, life in Singapore will never be quite the same. We will be bereft.

The transport community knows this and what is at stake.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, I joined the Prime Minister to send off three SIA flights. A cabin crew member I met told me she was issued quarantine orders three times, each time because she served somebody who later tested positive. Fortunately, the last one was rescinded, so she served two. Even then, it is almost four weeks. But each time she emerged from quarantine, she was just as passionate about flying. That day, she was going to Manila.

When we rolled out vaccination for maritime and aviation frontliners, the workers turned out in force. Today, our frontline workers at the seaport and airport, are substantially vaccinated – 92% have gotten their first dose, 85% with both doses. In the coming days, I think we will cross 90% for both doses as well.

I recently met a resident in my constituency. He greeted me warmly and gave me a fist bump. He told me he is a maritime worker, he said, "I have gotten vaccinated. I can now protect my family."

Crowne Plaza is our airport hotel, housing foreign air crew laying over in Singapore for one, two days. Unfortunately, there were transmissions in the hotel, three workers, local workers, got infected. The whole kitchen staff got quarantined. The General Manager and executives rolled up their sleeves, went to the kitchen, took over the kitchen operations. I hope the food tasted okay that day. They closed the hotel after that for a month, tightened the procedures. Today, it is open again.

Week in week out, I see for myself the fight in our workers at our borders.

Mr Chairman, I have told the tale of our three connections. On the seas, we learn to adapt, find the courage and humanity within us to take reasonable risks and to be of service to the world.

On the roads, we will need to be greener, more sustainable – in both the way we travel, and the way we fund our infrastructure.

In aviation, it is the battle of our lifetime, and a story about our spirit of resilience – to press on with duties despite rounds of quarantine; of fortitude – to answer the call to be vaccinated to protect family and nation; of never-say-die – rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work when duty calls.

So, on the revival of aviation, I do not have a water-tight and detailed plan to present to the House, one that meets the much-vaunted high standards of our Civil Service. Instead, we can only be guided by an unfailing drive to keep pushing forward, knowing that for every two steps we move forward, we may have to take a step back, sometimes, two steps back, and knowing that if we are too reckless and ambitious and take too big a leap, we may have to be set back by a mile.

With each setback, we and I will be questioned, "Why do you even bother with such an idea? Why never plan properly? Why so naive?" Fair questions. But try, we must, Mr Chairman. The worst thing to do now is not even try, because that is giving up the fight. With vaccines, the fight is in our favour.

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We have strong lungs and open arteries. Most importantly, we have an unwavering heart. This is what we need most, perhaps as importantly as vaccines, to not just walk, run, ride, cycle, sail – but to fly and to soar into the skies again. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat.

The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mr Chee Hong Tat): Mr Chairman, I will speak about growing our maritime sector and LTA's pro-enterprise efforts.

Maritime Singapore did well last year. Our port handled 36.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Our International Maritime Centre grew in scale and diversity. We attracted 11 new shipping groups to Singapore and worked with eight maritime companies to expand their operations here.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about growing the maritime sector and creating jobs. This is important. We must not be too satisfied with our success to become complacent.

We will build on the momentum and seize new opportunities to create an integrated, innovative and inclusive Maritime Singapore eco-system – what we call the three "I"s.

Let me start with the first "I", integrated.

Our port is consistently ranked first or second in the world on efficiency, reliability and connectivity.

But future growth is never guaranteed. If we do not stay ahead of the competition, others will steal our lunch. We must continue to differentiate ourselves and bring value to our customers.

We are consolidating all of PSA's operations from Pasir Panjang, Keppel and Brani into one integrated Tuas Port, what the Prime Minister called "our next bold move".

Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Ang Wei Neng asked for an update on Tuas Port. We are on track to complete the first phase of land reclamation works by end of this year, creating 400 hectares to support 21 berths and handle 20 million TEUs a year. When Tuas Port is fully operational, it will be as large as two Ang Mo Kios and handle up to 65 million TEUs a year, 50% more than our current capacity.

This additional capacity will allow PSA to serve more ships and further enhance our network connectivity, which is a critical factor for a transshipment hub port.

Tuas Port will offer best-in-class efficiency, productivity, reliability and sustainability. It will be fully automated – from cranes to driverless vehicles. These will more than double our labour productivity at Tuas, compared to our City Terminals, and create many skilled jobs for Singaporeans in the port sector. It will also be a greener port, with a 50% reduction in carbon emissions intensity.

The concept of integration extends beyond the port. To key sectors like advanced manufacturing, cold chain and logistics, which form the Tuas Port eco-system, we can move containers directly from the ships to the factories without additional delays or handling costs. We are also enhancing digital integration to facilitate data exchange, helping companies to enjoy greater convenience, reduce costs and save time.

Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about accessibility and housing for workers. We plan to develop Tuas South region for industrial use over the next two decades. We will continue to explore viable transport options for workers and work with MND to increase public housing options in the West.

We will further grow our International Maritime Centre and encourage maritime companies to expand their operations here, including maritime law and arbitration, ship management and marine insurance. We aim to bring in $20 billion in total business spending commitments from maritime companies from 2020 to 2024, and create more jobs and more opportunities for our people.

Let me move to the second "I", an innovative Maritime Singapore.

We will partner and support maritime technology SMEs: to push research and technology boundaries; scale up and team up; and turn challenges into new opportunities for growth.

We will increase the cap of co-funding support for maritime technology SMEs from 50% currently to 70%, and encourage industry players to share expertise and resources to co-develop scalable solutions. Eligible projects by industry consortiums will also receive up to 70% co-funding support.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will top up $15 million to the Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund. In total, we will have $100 million to fund maritime R&D and product development.

We aim to more than triple the number of maritime tech start-ups supported under the PIER71 funding programme from 30 to 100 by 2025. The start-up eco-system is gaining momentum with wider industry support. Recently, SEEDS Capital partnered venture development firms to co-invest up to $50 million into maritime technology start-ups.

Our goal is to be the top maritime start-up hub in the world, the Silicon Valley for maritime technology.

Mr Saktiandi asked about the Green Energy and Technology Programme. A key project is the electrification of harbour craft. Our call for proposals has received interest from 16 industry consortiums. MPA is also drawing up a Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint 2050 together with the industry to promote sustainable practices and identify new job opportunities.

I have spoken about the first two "I"s, "integrated" and "innovative". The third "I" is inclusive, which reflects our vision of creating a diverse range of jobs for Singaporeans with different backgrounds and skillsets.

We want to attract and train more Singaporeans to take on seafaring and shore-based jobs. As the maritime sector grows and transforms, there will be new opportunities and new pathways in areas such as environmental sustainability, systems engineering, cybersecurity and data analytics.

MPA is partnering the industry and Institutions of Higher Learning to facilitate training, attachment and traineeship opportunities as part of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package. The training allowances will increase from 1 April. We are also encouraging maritime companies to tap on the Jobs Growth Incentive to increase local hiring as well as Professional Conversion Programmes for mid-career entrants.

MPA will partner the industry to groom a pipeline of future leaders for Maritime Singapore. We are starting a new Maritime Leadership Programme to train up to 30 local maritime managers for the first two runs to hone their leadership skills, build global perspectives on key maritime issues and strengthen their business networks locally and abroad.

Let me now turn to LTA's pro-enterprise efforts. Mr Saktiandi and Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about this.

LTA's work impacts businesses beyond the land transport sector. The built environment sector is one example as development plans involving transport infrastructure or traffic flows require LTA's approval.

Companies often request LTA to expedite their approvals to reduce processing time and business costs. Companies also introduce new business models and technologies, including green solutions.

So, LTA's rules and regulations need to stay ahead of the curve to support new innovations. At the same time, LTA is responsible for public safety and a pleasant commuting experience for all. A balance must be struck.

In line with the SG Together movement, LTA will partner the industry to make its approval process more pro-business. It will form a Transport Infrastructure Collaboration Panel with representatives from the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Architects and Institution of Engineers Singapore. The panel will find ways to reduce business costs and improve efficiency.

For example, it will simplify and shorten the approval process for development plans, by expanding the lodgement scheme to allow more categories of submissions to receive in-principle approval upon submission. This win-win outcome can only be achieved if the industry is clear about what is required in the submissions, to avoid multiple back-and-forths. LTA will work with the professional bodies to conduct sessions and raise awareness on what is required for the submissions.

LTA is also working with URA and other agencies to better integrate transport and land use planning-related information. This will be uploaded online for public access when ready. It will reduce information gaps and facilitate more public-private collaborations.

Next, the panel will review existing rules and set up regulatory sandboxes to support innovative ideas and new business models.

As regulator, LTA is a gatekeeper. It needs to assess proposals objectively. Some they will support, others, they will have to say no. It is not a free-for-all, but also not nothing at all.

To try new ideas, we must also be prepared to take calculated risks and accept some failure along the way. If we have zero tolerance for failure or if we are too afraid of making mistakes, we will have zero capacity for innovation. This is why I support setting up regulatory sandboxes where necessary to pilot new technologies and business models. If the experiment fails, we limit the downsides, we learn from the experience and we try again. If it succeeds, we can scale up the idea and extend it to other areas across Singapore. This is what former Head of Civil Service, Mr Peter Ho, calls, "aiming for safe fail, rather than fail safe".

Mr Chairman, in the Summer Palace in Beijing, there was a stone boat built by Emperor Qianlong. He hoped the Qing Dynasty would be like the stone boat – unshakeable and unsinkable. Unfortunately, it is also un-sailable. And we know what eventually happened to the Qing Dynasty. When we build ships, it is not to anchor them in the harbour or in some lake in the Summer Palace. It is to sail out to the oceans, to the open seas and reach new lands, including going into uncharted waters.

To be an innovative nation, we must have the same pioneering spirit and sense of adventure like our forefathers: willing to leave our comfort zones and take calculated risks, never giving up when we encounter challenges and always looking to pursue new rainbows on the horizon. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor.

The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan): My speech will touch on how the land transport sector is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. I will share how we are future-proofing our land transport workers. Then, I will explain how we will partner the community to repurpose stretches of roads for footpaths and cycling paths to enhance connectivity.

Let me first touch on COVID-19's impact on the land transport sector. As the COVID-19 situation evolved, we had to implement additional safe management measures while ensuring that our transport operations continued to run smoothly. Our land transport workers made this possible. On behalf of MOT, I applaud them for their courage, dedication and resilience.

We are also grateful for the strong support by the unions, associations and transport operators. A good example is that of the taxi and private hire car (PHC) sector. Right at the start of the pandemic, the Government worked closely with the National Taxi Association (NTA), the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the taxi and PHC operators to introduce the Special Relief Fund (SRF), which provided much needed support to our taxi and PHC drivers amidst a significant decline in ridership.

As of February 2021, the Government has disbursed more than $155 million in relief payouts to over 50,000 drivers through the SRF and the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund (CDRF). Additionally, the Government has disbursed more than $500 million to over 57,000 drivers under the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS).

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I would like to assure Mr Ang Wei Neng and Ms Yeo Wan Ling that we will continue to support our taxi and PHC drivers. In fact, we have committed $116 million towards CDRF payouts between March and June 2021. In view of the fluid circumstances, we will continue to monitor the situation closely to assess if further support is necessary.

Mr Ang shared his concerns about young drivers in the taxi and PHC sector and asked if the Government will consider capping the number of PHCs. Firstly, Mr Ang may recall that we raised the minimum age for new Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL) applicants to at least 30 years old last year, to align with the Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence (TDVL).

Secondly, Singaporeans below the age of 40 with tertiary education make up less than 10% of all TDVL and PDVL holders. From this group, those below 30 years old make up about 3% of all TDVL and PDVL holders, and they have been grandfathered.

Finally, we have no plans to cap the number of PHCs, as the sector is already sensitive to market conditions. For example, we observed a 12% drop in the number of registered PHCs since the start of the pandemic. For drivers who exit the taxi and PHC sectors amidst the pandemic, we appreciate the Labour Movement’s assistance in helping them to upskill and look for alternative jobs.

Last but not least, we have also partnered NTA, NPHVA and the taxi and PHC operators to commence vaccinations for taxi and PHC drivers last week. This forms part of our efforts to offer vaccinations to our frontline land transport workers and strengthen the resilience of our essential services. Since last week, MOH has issued SMS notifications to all of the more than 50,000 active taxi and PHC drivers. More than 50% of those invited have booked their vaccination appointments. We will work with the associations and operators to encourage more drivers to get vaccinated.

The strong tripartite partnerships that have helped us weather the COVID-19 pandemic will also be critical to support the transformation of our workforce to meet longer term needs. Before COVID-19, we were already looking into trends such as digitalisation and new vehicular technologies. These present many challenges but also create exciting opportunities.

As Mr Melvin Yong pointed out, the electrification of the land transport system will create many jobs and opportunities for upskilling. New competencies are required to maintain EVs and charging infrastructure. In December 2020, the Government supported the establishment of the Singapore Motor Workshop Association’s training facility to impart EV-related competencies. We will continue to work closely with companies, training providers and unions, to identify ways to support young graduates and existing workers to acquire such competencies.

Ms Yeo also asked how we are helping taxi and PHC drivers cope with longer term technology developments, such as digitalisation.

LTA is engaging the industry on an updated training curriculum for the Taxi Driver’s and the PHC Driver’s Vocational Licences, which will place greater emphasis on key competencies to help drivers cope with digitalisation, such as mapping and navigational tools. The new curriculum will also allow drivers to be kept up-to-date with new vehicular technology, such as electric and autonomous vehicles.

LTA will also support greater use of technology to train taxi and PHC drivers, by facilitating training centres to offer online TDVL refresher courses so that the drivers can attend the courses at their convenience. A new conversion course will also be introduced to allow drivers to convert their PDVLs to TDVLs to expand the driving options for vocational drivers. LTA will announce more details at a later date.

Beyond workforce transformation, we can also emerge stronger by building a more sustainable and inclusive transport system under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

We will encourage more people to switch from private vehicles to Walk, Cycle and Ride (WCR) modes. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Singaporeans have embraced cycling and walking. I would like to assure Ms Yeo that we are harnessing this momentum to enhance the safety and ease of using WCR modes.

First, on active mobility (AM) regulations. Over a year has passed since we banned the use of e-scooters on footpaths.

I am pleased to inform Ms Yeo that footpath safety has improved considerably, with accidents involving motorised PMDs on footpaths falling by 79% between 2019 and 2020 to 30 cases. To further enhance safety, we will be rolling out a new import controls regime for personal mobility devices and power-assisted bicycles in the first half of 2021. This is an important measure to prevent the import of non-compliant devices. Meanwhile, we will continue with regular inspections of AM devices to deter illegal modifications.

Second, on WCR infrastructure. Mr Lim Biow Chuan will be glad to know that we are pressing on with our plans to expand cycling paths from 460 km to 1,300 km by 2030.

This will allow more cycling journeys to be completed entirely on the cycling path network, although cyclists may still have to dismount and push at certain locations, such as overhead bridges, for safety reasons. By the end of this year, we will have added 28 km of cycling paths, in Bukit Panjang, Sembawang, Taman Jurong and Yishun, as well mature estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Tampines, Toa Payoh. We will also prioritise construction for towns that do not have cycling paths. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey will elaborate on how we will develop a culture of gracious usage on paths to complement these efforts.

We will also have transit priority corridors, to enhance the travel experience by public transport. The North-South Corridor (NSC) is one such example.

When completed, it will shave up to 20 minutes for bus commuters travelling from the North to the CBD with its dedicated and continuous bus lanes. The NSC will also serve as a green thoroughfare from the North into the city centre with its cycling trunk routes and pedestrian paths.

Chairman, going forward, as Ms Yeo and Mr Lim have suggested, we will work closely with the community to develop AM infrastructure.

We will repurpose suitable stretches of road into footpaths, cycling paths or bus lanes, and incorporate features that contribute to place making. LTA has identified some 60 possible projects to be implemented and have commenced engagement for five projects. We will seek views from residents, grassroots volunteers, Town Councils, and local businesses, to identify potential enhancements.

These views will shape key project details, such as the length of the stretch being repurposed, or when permanent infrastructure enhancement works will commence or even if the project should proceed at all.

We will start with projects to enhance walkability, starting with areas such as the Civic District as Mr Cheng Hsing Yao has highlighted to benefit the widest spectrum of users. Over the years, we have worked with arts and civic groups and premise owners to realise their aspirations for greater walkability within the Civic District. We have pedestrianised one side of Anderson Bridge and part of St Andrew’s Road, and restricted vehicle access to stretches of Parliament Place, Old Parliament Lane and Connaught Drive. With this, pedestrians can walk seamlessly from Old Parliament House to Esplanade Park.

More can be done. Many Singaporeans have expressed a desire for more extensive pedestrianisation of the Civic District. Mr Mok Wei Wei, the architect for the upgrading of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, suggested fully pedestrianising Anderson Bridge as a gateway to the District.

This would offer unblocked and panoramic views of the District’s architecture. We will consider his suggestion alongside others from visitors, arts and civic groups and premise owners, as we work towards our vision of a more pedestrian-friendly Civic District.

Looking beyond the Civic District, we will also work with the community to gradually reshape the streetscape in areas such as Sembawang, Bishan,Toa Payoh, Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar.

We will start with a stretch of Havelock Road. With your permission, Chairman, may I display some slides on the LCD screens.

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: This is a mature estate, and we have heard residents and grassroots volunteers share their desire to make the road more walkable. Local business proprietors have also said that they would welcome wider footpaths, so that customers can browse more comfortably in front of their shops.

We are studying widening the footpath by paving over some roadside parking lots, thereby creating a more pleasant walking experience for pedestrians. We will implement this with water-filled barriers temporarily for several months and then take in community feedback for further refinements, before permanently widening the footpath.

Aside from walkability, we will also start to convert stretches of roads into cycling paths, beginning in locations such as Ang Mo Kio Street 22, to expand our network of cycling paths.

Chairman, 2020 was a difficult year for the land transport sector. And pardon the pun, the road ahead remains challenging. But we will step up our efforts to transform our land transport system to become more inclusive and sustainable.

We will also partner the community to build a landscape of roads and paths that meets Singaporeans’ aspirations for a liveable and sustainable home. This will enable us to walk, cycle and ride safely and comfortably while we look to soar in the skies again!

The Chairman: Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mr Chairman, I will share our efforts in building a transport system that is safe and inclusive for all, on public paths and public transport. More people are taking up cycling and other active modes, with monthly shared bike use tripling in 2020. It is important that all path users, both pedestrians and riders, remain safe.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about improving path safety. Earlier this year, the Government accepted Active Mobility Advisory Panel's recommendation that all bicycles must have brakes when used on public paths and roads. This will come into effect in September.

We also mandated third-party liability insurance for active mobility riders who ride for work purposes, such as delivery riders. This will go some way towards one, ensuring the accident victims receive compensation and two, protecting commercial riders against excessive claims.

To further enhance path safety, we announced that e-scooter and power-assisted bicycle riders must take a theory test to ride in public. With this, all riders will know the rules and code of conduct. We will release the test handbook in April and begin testing in mid-2021.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked about our efforts to educate pedestrians and riders. From May we will launch a new "Move Happy" Graciousness campaign to raise awareness on safe and gracious path-sharing with three guidelines: one, keep left on paths; second, use the most appropriate path; and third, be alert of our surroundings.

We have also run the Safe Riding Programme (SRP) since 2018. Many participants found this voluntary session a fun and hands-on way to learn about safe riding. I am pleased to announce that we are refreshing the SRP around the second quarter this year to make it even more interactive.

Responsible behaviour is also important in keeping roads safe. Like other road users, cyclists must follow traffic rules. Motorists should look out for more vulnerable users. With the right mindset and a culture of graciousness, we can enjoy active mobility in a safe and harmonious way. Mr Chairman, allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] A culture of graciousness is critical in making our public transport system safe and inclusive.

Taking the trains and buses is a big part of our daily lives. To able-bodied Singaporeans, the public transport system is an easy way to get around quickly and conveniently. But the commute can be a bit challenging for elderly and commuters with special needs. They, too, should be able to use public transport seamlessly and safely. We can be more understanding towards this group of commuters, by putting their needs before ours, and stepping forward to help fellow commuters. These acts of care may be small, but they can really make a difference to those who need help.

Recently, Ang Mo Kio MRT station service ambassadors told me that students with autism from the nearby Pathlight School sometimes would look for them to have a chat. To these commuters with special needs, the familiar faces of the service ambassadors can be a source of comfort and encouragement.

I have written a short poem to encourage everyone:

"Pedestrians, cyclists and Personal Mobility Device riders,

A friendly reminder to not rush,

Please slow down when there is someone in front of you.

Never forget to put safety first.

Do look at the road ahead and not at your phone.

Whether on the MRT or the bus,

Do not neglect the culture of being a caring commuter.

Let us aim for a smooth travel without barriers,

Everyone appreciates a gracious commute experience."

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(In English): Chairman, last year, I announced the setting up of a Caring SG Commuters Committee. Ms Poh Li San asked about our plans. Over the past year, the Committee engaged many commuters. Through focus group discussions and surveys, the Committee found that Singaporeans want to help fellow commuters, but often do not know how. Only about one in four commuters know how to assist commuters with conditions such as hearing and developmental disabilities. I can understand why, because these conditions may not be immediately noticeable.

We will therefore try to help the public better understand other commuters’ needs. One key initiative is the recruitment of Caring Commuter Champions, who will be trained by SG Enable to support commuters with special needs. I hope more people will volunteer as Caring Commuter Champions, to make a change in your fellow commuters’ journeys.

The Public Transport Council also found that only around half of survey respondents were comfortable to ask for help even if they needed it. It is sometimes awkward to ask for help, especially when we do not want to inconvenience others.

We want to make it easier for commuters to ask for help. In October 2019, LTA launched a pilot where commuters who need a seat could alert others with a "May I have a seat please?” sticker. Go-Ahead Singapore also launched a “Helping Hand” trial, providing commuters with mobility needs a card with instructions for the bus captains. Both initiatives received positive feedback.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the “May I have a seat please?” initiative will be made permanent. From April, commuters with long-term, invisible medical conditions or disabilities can request for a specially designed card and lanyard at Passenger Service Centres and Offices.

The Government will continue to invest in safety and inclusivity-related initiatives. We are improving accessibility for persons with disabilities, as Mr Gerald Giam has suggested. Today, all train stations and bus interchanges are barrier-free. About 1,300 signalised pedestrian crossings have audio-tactile signals to help the visually impaired pedestrians. We will work with MSF to enhance these, such as extending their operating hours.

At stations along the newest Thomson-East Coast Line, we have also taken in feedback from focus group discussions to introduce bigger signages with better contrast, larger font sizes and clearer symbols. These are useful for commuters who may not see as well, or may not understand English. These will be rolled out to all new stations.

However, we need to prioritise our efforts given the high cost of infrastructural improvements. For example, we have already committed over $370 million over the last eight years on covered linkways and we will continue to enhance walkability. So, I seek Mr Gerald Giam’s and Mr Faisal Manap’s understanding that we must be financially prudent and focus on areas near transport nodes first.

Finally, commuters have asked for guidance on how to help fellow commuters. The Caring SG Commuters Committee is studying these ideas and I look forward to their recommendations due in the middle of 2021.

Mr Chairman, our daily commutes are not just about moving a person from one point to another. They are also about sharing and navigating a common space, on public paths and public transport. All of us can make a difference. We will continue to partner the community to achieve our vision of a safe and inclusive transport system for all.

The Chairman: Clarifications? Mr Ang Wei Neng.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Thank you, Chairman. I thank the Minister, the Senior Ministers of State and the Senior Parliament Secretary for painting a very exciting scene that we would have in the next few years for public transport, and especially for aviation. I have two clarifications: one for Senior Minister of State Amy Khor, and another clarification for Senior Minister of State Mr Chee Hong Tat.

First for the maritime sector, we are very glad to hear that the Tuas Port will just not be a port but a hub. Activities would include a lot of supplementary industries. And we know that it could be the best in class, but I hope that it will be best in class supported by a best in class MRT station as well. I did not hear Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat saying anything about having a train connection there, but he mentioned about having a new housing estate. So, we hope that he can clarify, because by 2030, as what Minister said, there will still be no train to the Tuas Port area.

The second clarification is for Senior Minister of State Amy Khor. Did I hear correctly that we will add 28 km of cycling path by the end of the year? If so, it does not seem very exciting. For example, in Nanyang estate, there are a lot of cyclists, but there are zero cycling paths, zero kilometers of cycling path. So, what does it take to double or triple the building of cycling paths this year and next, rather than wait for a longer time?

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Chairman, in my speech earlier, I mentioned for the Tuas Port, that we will continue to explore viable transport options for workers. So, this is something which we will study and Mr Ang is right that if you look at the demand for transport connectivity to that part of Singapore, it will not only depend on the Tuas Port alone but also what are the other developments in the surrounding area using the port as a key hub supporting the growth of different industries. So, this is something which we will assess and we will discuss with the relevant stakeholders and other agencies.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Amy Khor.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: The Member is right. I did say that by the end of this year we would have added 28 km of cycling paths. Those are the completed cycling paths that we will be adding on. The target is to have about 1,300 km of cycling path by 2030, about 10 years away. We now have about 460 km. So, if you divide it, that is the pace.

But having said that, even now, we have identified 60 road repurposing projects. Many of these, you can look into not just pedestrianising, adding footpaths, but perhaps widening it for cycling paths. Whether if these can come aboard really depends on the support from the local community. When we do road repurposing projects, we have to work very closely with the local community to see if this is something they would support.

When you do this, there will be some trade-offs. For instance, the benefits may take time to come, but the immediate impact is on motorists. They will probably have to divert the roads if we pedestrianise or we widen the cycling paths. They may have to park somewhere else, for instance, if we include the cycling paths. So, we have to look at how to minimise the inconvenience and at the same time, look at how we can bring benefits to the community and look at how to mitigate some of the trade-offs.

The Chairman: Mr Ang Wei Neng.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Sir, I would really like to appeal for Senior Minister of State Amy Khor to accelerate the construction of cycling paths, especially for those towns that have zero kilometres of cycling track.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Actually, I did say in my speech that we will especially focus on those towns where there are no cycling paths. So, if the Member is keen on this, let us look at it.

The Chairman: I am also keen. Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Mr Chairman, fortunately I am not asking for cycling paths for Toa Payoh, as we already have those, and we are thankful to MOT for the cycling paths there.

I have two questions, Mr Chairman, one to Minister and second to Senior Minister of State Chee.

I would like to thank Minister for answering my question about the financial sustainability issues that I raised. My question is with regard to fare concessions. The last fare concession increase, if we look at MOT's website, the last inclusion into the fare concession coverage was in 2019, where PTC extended student concessionary fares to Polytechnics and other diploma students. And I think it benefited more than 80,000. My question is, are there any new concessions in play going forward, in future as fare adjustments come on stream. And the Minister highlighted that fare increases might come in going forward, and what are the plans in terms of concessions? The reason why I highlighted about the adult learners, is to capture some elements of adult learners who are studying in the Polytechnics. Some may not be captured in the move on 2019.

The second question is with regard to Mr Chee's response just now, the seafaring and shore-based jobs, and the green maritime sector jobs. How many jobs will be created in those sectors? And whether more can be done to entice more Singaporeans, young Singaporeans, to explore good jobs there? I think not many of our young or our Singaporeans are aware of some of these jobs there. I think those are good jobs that we need to let them know even more about going forward.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: I want to assure Mr Saktiandi, I really understand what you are saying. I really understand. In 2019, in fact, I was really happy that fare concession was extended to Polytechnic students, because the then Minister for Education lobbied very hard for it. And the then Minister for Transport was kind enough to also support it. So, I fully understand. But I think going beyond that, it becomes less obvious. But let us keep an open mind.

I think the principle is this. I am merely mentioning that over the years, from time to time, there have been fare increases and that same system will continue. And in the second half of the year, PTC will have to convene and have to consider. But whenever there is a fare increase, should there be one, we must always protect the vulnerable groups, like the low-income, the students, the seniors, and fare concession is one way to do so. And I think we keep to that principle and see how we can best ensure that those who find difficulty affording can be protected against fare increases.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Chee.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Chairman, I think Mr Saktiandi asked a very important question about jobs, because when we pursue growth, when we attract investments, what is the end in mind? One very important objective is to create good jobs for our people.

In the maritime sector, our aim is to be able to create an inclusive and diverse range of jobs. If you look at the port sector, this will be the traditional roles that we have, crane operators, drivers, but increasingly, we are also looking at new roles that we need different skills and different groups of individuals to come in to fill these roles. When we pursue environmental sustainability, green growth, de-carbonisation of shipping and port operations, I think this will open up new opportunities and new possibilities.

Similarly, I think for the maritime services which actually go hand-in-hand with the port, because when we grow our port and shipping lines call at Singapore, they register their ships here with our registry, they base their headquarters – their regional and global headquarters – here in Singapore, we can then offer them all the other maritime related services – financing, insurance, legal, brokering and so on and so forth.

All that will create a lot of opportunities for different groups of Singaporeans. Different age groups as well. Young graduates, but also mid-career entrants who want to join the sector. So, they may transit, for example, from engineering, from finance sector, from IT, and they want to now enter this growth sector. We welcome them.

2.00 pm

Lastly, I want to say this. It is not just the number of jobs – which is very important and we will try our best and we will try and create as many as we can – but in the end, it is also about whether we are able to raise the quality of jobs. This is something which is very crucial because it requires a strong tripartite partnership to work hand in hand with companies and the Labour Movement to be able to redesign the jobs and to be able to upskill the jobs. I think in the process of doing so, together with growth, we are then able to provide higher pay, better prospects, and I think this will allow us to attract more Singaporeans to enter the sector.

The Chairman: Mr Dennis Tan.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I have three clarifications.

First, I would like to thank the Minister and all the appointment holders for the answers that they have given in the Committee of Supply. I thank the Minister, especially for the answers given in respect to the concerns that I raised on the aerospace sector.

The first question I have is in respect of what Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey has shared with us regarding safe riding. I agree with Member Ms Yeo Wan Ling's concern regarding safe riding on footpaths. I would like to implore on LTA to continue to improve efforts at public education as well as at consistent enforcement. I think it is a message that I have shared virtually every year in the last couple of years.

Yesterday, I shared during the MND Committee of Supply in a cut on safety of the Park Connector Network (PCN). The reason why I shared during the MND Committee of Supply – but it is related to, I think, a lot on LTA's efforts on this – is that I believe that a busy PCN, especially during peak times, is always a good indicator of the state of our culture of path sharing by different users. I expressed concern that over two years because – I shared a previous cut on this two years ago in the same MND Committee of Supply – I felt that there is not many changes in terms of the culture. Therefore, I would like to implore LTA to continue to work on public education as well as consistent enforcement.

I appreciate Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey sharing about the efforts. Can I continue to implore LTA to consider public education from the point of view of not just giving information to interested users who will draw information from the Facebook but rather to think about how to disseminate public education on safe and considerate use of footpaths and the PCN, to people who do not consciously look for it. Because these are people who use our footpaths, the aunties and uncles who may get upset with people ringing the bell when cyclists are passing by, keeping left or keeping right, people walking their dogs on the PCN or footpaths, stopping to chat. These are all very everyday moments. That is one.

The second clarification – I am not sure which appointment holder will answer this – but I will like to take an opportunity to ask, when does the Government envisage our public bus fleet going fully electric?

My third clarification is not really a clarification but I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Minister for sharing about crew change. I do not have a clarification because I filed a Parliamentary Question on this recently and I would like to thank the Minister and the Senior Minister of State, perhaps, for a very comprehensive answer on my Parliamentary Question on NewOcean 6, relating to the measures on crew change arising from the infection of crew on visiting ships to the port of Singapore.

I just want to take the opportunity to applaud the hard work and the good efforts of MOT and MPA on coming up with the crew change policies and guidelines, as well as for safe boarding of visiting vessels at the port of Singapore by workmen or third parties. I think it is a lot of hard work and I agree with the Minister, and as a member of the maritime community, I agree that these efforts are very important to continue in this COVID-19 climate. It is very important for our port of Singapore, our businesses and our reputation. So, I would like to thank MPA and MOT officers for their hard work.

The Chairman: The guillotine time is 2.10 pm, so let us try to finish by then.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: In the interest of time, I will answer all three.

First, safe riding. I thank Mr Dennis Tan for his very useful suggestions. We will take them in but as he says, culture change is not easy, it takes time. Step by step, we will move in the right direction.

I do want to make a clarification in my speech just now. I mentioned some retrenchment figures and reduction in labour force figures. That applies to the aviation sector, but I know your cut was actually on the aerospace sector. I do not have the numbers for aerospace but talking to unions, there has been some retrenchment – not huge numbers, some. And again, very much borne by the foreign workforce. MOT, together with EDB, will try our best to continue to work with the aerospace sector.

On public bus fleet, the target is 2040 to be fully clean energy. But we just made a big push towards EVs, so maybe it can be advanced. We never know. Keep an open mind.

Finally, on crew change. Thank you for the strong confidence you have shown in our maritime community. I must place on record our thanks to MOH, who worked side by side with us to make this possible. There are many ministries of health in the world who just want total elimination of viruses. But I think we had a good relationship working with MOH. But the decision was not easy. You take a big deep breath and say, "Let's make this step"; put in the safety precautions, work with the industry and all the stakeholders, plus the healthcare professionals and experts. And we managed to make it work. Even so, we always continue to be on guard so that we can maintain Singapore as a safe, as well as an open maritime hub.

The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Mr Chairman, we have been discussing about the lifeblood and lungs of Singapore over the past two hours. The Minister even talked about snorkeling underwater to fill our lungs with much needed oxygen and even spoke about taking a deep breath just now!

But it has been an extremely challenging time for the transport sector, especially with the sharp drop in air travel, commuter volumes and connectivity for the past months. The stakes are high as the pandemic is still fraught with uncertainties. It is also challenging to determine the new travel patterns of the near future. But there are exciting times ahead, from the responses just now, for our land transport sector and efforts are being made to make sure our air and sea hubs will thrive again.

I would like to thank Members for all their cuts and many thanks to Minister Ong Ye Kung, Senior Minister of State Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng for their responses and to Permanent Secretary, MOT and his team, our MOT family of agencies – CAAS, MPA, LTA. And most importantly, our transport frontliners, for their hard work, conviction and passion to keep our air and sea hubs, and land transport systems running efficiently, smoothly and safely, day and night, since COVID-19 hit us, and also to be ready for the future. With that, Mr Chairman, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

The Chairman: With COVID-19 still around, do be careful how you take your deep breath. Make sure you are masked when you are doing it.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $4,051,283,300 for Head W ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $7,615,454,000 for Head W ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.