Committee of Supply – Head W (Ministry of Transport)

The Chairman: Head W, Ministry of Transport. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.

Developments in Public Train Transport

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir): Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum allocated for Head W of the Estimates be reduced by S$100".

Mr Chairman, in my kick-off speech for the Committee of Supply Debate for MOT, I would like to address two key developments in our transportation industry in Singapore. The first, a recent unanticipated development – the first, a recent unanticipated development, the COVID-19 outbreak and its effect on the industry; and the second, MOT's strategic long-term plan for our rail network.

I start with the recent virus outbreak. As we know, Singapore has been under the cloud of the COVID-19 outbreak since the end of last year.

We have been working extremely hard collectively to battle against the spread of the virus in Singapore. Our healthcare team rightfully deserves our admiration and gratitude for their efforts on the frontline, looking after patients who have fallen ill because of the virus.

However, Sir, there is also another team that has been on the frontline, bravely continuing to provide essential services to Singaporeans amid the ongoing virus outbreak. I am referring to our public transport team.

I joined Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and NTWU Executive Secretary Brother Melvin Yong last month to visit the Bedok Integrated Transport Hub and Tanah Merah MRT Station and we observed our public transport team doing their part to step up cleaning routines which are over and above their usual duties. They work very hard every day, putting themselves on the line in the fight against the virus outbreak so as to ensure that precautionary measures are taken to protect Singaporeans on our public transport network.

I wish to take this opportunity to salute them for their efforts!

We also know that the virus outbreak has adversely affected the entire transportation industry. Travel numbers are down, whether in the air, on water or land. Transport operators and workers are concerned not only about bottom lines but also their own health as they go about their daily work.

I am therefore extremely glad to see the various measures that the Government has put in place to support the transportation industry.

To better protect our taxi and private hire car drivers from COVID-19, 300,000 surgical masks have been provided for them to offer to passengers who are unwell. Both taxi and private hire car operators have also set up temperature screening protocols for their drivers.

The Point-to-Point Support Package totaling S$77 million dollars was announced to support our drivers whose livelihoods have been adversely affected by the virus outbreak. There are three components: the Special Relief Fund (SRF), the Government and NTUC Driver Care Fund for drivers and the Waiver of the Operator Licence Fee for Point-to-Point Transport Operators.

Various other measures to support our aviation and marine transportation sectors were also announced at the Budget Statement earlier by Deputy Prime Minister Heng.

These measures will go some way in alleviating the hardships and difficulties that the transportation industry is facing as a result of the virus outbreak.

However, while we all hope that the virus outbreak can be contained quickly, in the past few weeks, we see worrying signs of further outbreaks in Japan, South Korea, Iran and Italy. If this continues, or worse if more countries get affected, it will inevitably have a further adverse effect on Singapore’s globally inter-connected economy. We must therefore confront the possibility that the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 virus could continue for some time to come and further affect our transportation industry.

In the premises, I would like to invite the Minister to share with us further plans or measures that MOT could implement to support the transportation industry, in the event that the situation is drawn out over a prolonged period of time.

Sir, I move on now to our rail network. On this front, we have much better news to share.

As we are all aware, the Government has made and are still making significant investments to our rail network. Minister Khaw Boon Wan had recently announced that the multi-year programme to renew the North-South and East-West lines, which are Singapore’s oldest and most heavily used lines, will cost more than S$2.5 billion dollars.

The rapid expansion of our rail network continues over the next two decades. Announced projects include the Thomson-East Coast Line, Jurong Region Line, Circle Line extension and the Cross Island Line. Once the Cross Island Line is completed – currently scheduled for 2031 –Singapore will have doubled its rail network to 360 km.

Our extensive efforts to renew, expand and improve our rail network has clearly paid off! I remember Minister Khaw, in 2017, setting a target of 1 million Mean Km Between Failure (MBKF) by 2020. This means that our trains, on average will travel about 1 million km before a delay of more than five minutes is recorded. We achieved this ambitious target by August 2019! Ahead of time.

It was no mean feat. We will recollect that as recently as 2015, our rail reliability was at 133,000 MBKF, at about one-tenth of current reliability levels. In 2017, this number had increased to about 400,000 MBKF and finally, to current levels of above 1 million MBKF.

The renewal of our rail network has led to higher reliability and shorter waiting times. The expansion of the rail network will lead to better accessibility, more convenience and comfort for commuters in the future. These are all positives and MOT should be lauded for achieving and indeed, surpassing, the herculean targets and tasks set.

Sir, as an accountant, however, I also worry about the bottom line. Investments made in the renewal and expansion of our rail network need to be funded. The operating costs of maintaining rail reliability at current levels need to be sustainable. The large losses recorded by both SMRT Trains and SBS Transit reported in 2019 provides us with an insight of the costs involved.

Sir, I think that at the end of the day, for our public rail network, it is a fine balance between financial sustainability of the rail network, affordability for consumers and the reliability and efficiency of the trains.

I therefore invite the Minister to share with us the Ministry’s long term strategic plans on sustaining and securing Singapore’s future public rail transportation needs as the Government continues to invest in expanding and renewing our rail network, while concurrently maintaining current reliability and service levels.

Question proposed.

Support for Airline Workers

Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, the aviation sector has been adversely affected by COVID-19. Many airlines and their crews are feeling the brunt because many flights have been cancelled and the passenger numbers for other flights have been reduced. I have been to the airport several times over the last two or three weeks. The situation is very tough – very few passengers. Consequently, even taxi drivers share with me that they wait for about three hours for passengers. That has never happened before in the past.

The Government announced a slew of packages involving training and support assistance. I would like to ask how has our airlines and staff, including the ground crew and cabin crew, responded to the help? Has it cushioned the impact and whether measures such as sending workers for upskilling have been implemented and well-subscribed?

I know we are asking for some things to be sped up in the midst of these recent announcements, but indeed, the income and the flight hours have been shortened tremendously; and the help needs to be very imminent and fast.

Both local and foreign crew also operate as effective teams. We do not just need the Singapore crew. A lot of times, we need our foreign workers and our partners who fly and service the planes, and do all the necessary work at the airport. It is indeed critical that we retain and ready the core team for the upturn, following COVID-19. Are there concerns among workers in the sector that remain unresolved and what more can we do to cushion and mitigate the impact?

COVID-19 and Point-to-point (P2P) Drivers

Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong): Chairman, I would like to declare my interest as the CEO of ComfortDelGro Taxi Business.

COVID-19 hit Singapore suddenly and spread quite rapidly. We appreciate MOT's swift actions to announce plan to help our P2P drivers even before Budget day. Such move was greatly appreciated by the P2P drivers, because it is such a big improvement as compared to the time of SARS, when the help was given later.

However, the Special Relief Fund (SRF) of $10 per day is really not enough. Taxi operators have provided a top-up, by providing rental rebate of up to $26.50 per day, over and above the SRF of $10 per day. By doing so, taxi operators are in the red but taxi drivers and P2P drivers are still suffering. Many P2P drivers met me at the coffeeshops, in the course of my work, to appeal to the Government to increase the quantum of SRF. Alternatively, LTA can help to provide tax rebates to P2P operators so that the operators can pass the savings to the P2P drivers.

The Minister has openly said, many times, that the Government is willing to provide more help, as and when it is needed. Minister, the “when” is now.

Transport Response to COVID-19

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs and National Development (Ms Sun Xueling): Mr Chairman, with tourist arrivals plummeting and an increasingly number of companies allowing their staff to work from home to reduce the risk of infection, cabbies have reported a drop in earnings of over 25%, while private hire drivers have seen a drop of over 30%.

To address this, LTA announced a $77 million point-to-point package to help taxis and private hire businesses. The relief package gives about 40,000 eligible drivers $20 per day per vehicle for three months to ride through this difficult time.

Some taxi drivers have shared with me that the assistance is not sufficient as the drop in their earnings have been substantial.

I would like to understand the Ministry's thinking behind the relief package. Changes in ridership patterns could also be longer term in nature. What are the training packages available to help drivers move on into other sectors?

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Elderly Vocational Licence Holders

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): I have been approached by a number of elderly residents who hold Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL), highlighting the following two matters and requested that this be brought to Ministry's attention.

First, the issue on the mandatory medical examination or health check-ups. It is a requirement for Qualified Driving Licence (QDL) holders aged 65 and above to go for health check once every three years for them to be allowed to continue driving. I also understand that for TDVL holders of the same age group, they are required to have their health checked on yearly basis.

Based on these two requirements, an individual age 65 years old and above has to attend medical examination once every three years.

Sir, it is understandable for TDVL holders in this age group to find it inconvenient to go through two separate medical examination within a year. First, they have to fork out additional amount of money for their health check, and second, it affects their income since they have to sacrifice their driving hours to attend this medical examination.

I do hope the Ministry will consider to allow elderly TDVL holders to undergo a single comprehensive medical examination, instead of two separate sessions, as mentioned earlier.

Second is the issue on the statutory age limit for vocational licence. Currently, the statutory age limit for vocational licence is 75 years old. I would like to convey a request to have the statutory age limit increased for another few more years, as long as the medical examination result permits. This extension will allow elderly TDVL holders who still need to sustain themselves to continue driving for few more years. And for those who just want to earn some income or remain active, they can do a part-time or relief driving. Hope Ministry will look into the matters raised.

The Chairman: Mr Png Eng Huat, you can take both your cuts together.

Making Pedestrian Crossings Safer for All

Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang): Thank you, Sir. The first cut. Sir, I have spoken about making signalised pedestrian crossings safer for all in 2013, 2015 and 2018. In particular, I have called for the discretionary right turn junction to be phased out.

If one were to Google the term "discretionary right turn", a list of accidents will pop up on the screen. There is even a petition asking LTA to ban such junctions all together.

LTA was reported to have taken steps to address the safety concern of pedestrians over the years. I have noticed that more traffic light junctions are being re-programmed. I spoke on the same subject time and again, because I strongly believe those horrible accidents that happened at such junction could be avoidable.

Fast forward to 2020, 6 January, to be precise, a student, with the right-of-way and hidden by a vehicle waiting at the discretionary right injunction was sent flying through the air by another vehicle who did not see the young man crossing the road. That was the last straw for me. The discretionary turning on green rule is the recipe for accidents to happen because there are two green lights in operation at the same time: one for the vehicle to turn right and the other for the pedestrians to cross. How is that not dangerous to begin with? Imagine pedestrians and drivers hesitating at the discretionary right turn junction, second-guessing whether it is safe to proceed even though the lights are both in their favour.

If a pedestrian could be assigned 15% blame in an accident, even though the lights were in his favour in the court of law, what is the proportion of blame for the Ministry for giving pedestrians a false sense of security a discretionary right turn, when the Green Man signal does not necessarily mean it is safe to cross any more?

Sir, we all know that policies, rules and regulations cannot cover every situation. I am not asking the Ministry to design a perfect traffic junction. I am asking the Ministry to take the guess work out of crossing a simple junction. Anything else, the pedestrians and motorists will have to take responsibility for. And if we are talking about cultivating patience on the road, would a split traffic junction not been ideal training ground for that? You wait for your turn to proceed.

Sir, I strongly urge the Ministry to do something about those discretionary right turn junctions wherever possible because the safety of pedestrian must be at the forefront of everything in a car-lite pedestrian-centric city.

Rethinking Pedestrian Overhead Bridges

Sir, it was reported in the news that there are 553 pedestrian overhead bridges or POBs here in 2017. Last November, LTA announced that by 2022, 103 of them will be retrofitted with lifts. That is about 19% of all POBs that will have lift access by next year.

Many Singaporeans welcome the idea of having lifts retrofitted to POBs, especially the elderly people with mobility issues, couples with baby on pram and anyone who finds climbing overhead bridges a challenge.

I have written on behalf of many residents request for lifts for the overhead bridge in Hougang, in particular, the one at Holy Innocence High along Upper Serangoon Road. LTA has patiently replied to those residents, sharing about the high cost of retrofitting lifts to POBs and the priority being given to overhead bridges within 400 metres from polyclinics and hospitals.

Retrofitting lifts to POBs is a challenging process in itself. Plots of land on both sides of the road would have to be acquired to make way for the lift shafts. The construction along the narrow stretch of the foot path is challenging and the whole process may take quite a while to complete. The lifts at the overhead bridge along Hougang Avenue 2 have been under construction for almost two years and they are still not ready.

But having lift access for all which may not be an ideal solution for an ageing society like ours. If the lifts were to break down or to undergo servicing, everything would be reverted to leg power again. Sir, as we are transiting to a car-lite city, I hope the Ministry will shift the focus of our road and transport planning to be more pedestrian-centric. The rationale of having POBs to serve a car-lite and ageing society may need a rethink.

I hope the Ministry can study into the possibility of converting those heavily used POBs in HDB heartlands to signalise pedestrian crossings. This will allow pedestrians with mobility issues or special needs to cross the road, come what may, even if the traffic lights are out of order.

Maybe the Ministry can share what is the cost of implementing and maintaining a signalised pedestrian crossing versus retrofitting an existing overhead bridge with lifts. The issue of having too many signalised pedestrian crossings along a stretch of the road, can be easily overcome with synchronised traffic light control. And if we are talking about a pedestrian-centric and car-lite city, getting drivers to exercise a little patience would fit the overall objective quite nicely.

Optimising Public Transport Fairly

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira (Nominated Member): Sir, in order for our public bus system to break even, fares would have to double or costs would have to be cut in half. Our MRT system is also facing an operating cost deficit which will grow with new rail lines that may well redistribute existing passengers rather than grow new ridership.

While the fare formula has added the network capacity factor to address rising operating cost deficits, cost management is also important. Could the Ministry update us on efforts to optimise public transport services to manage costs?

Some commuters will also be affected when service frequency and availability is optimised. This makes it hard for the public and hon Members to support cost management. Could we consider "win-win" solutions where we issue targeted, transitional public transport vouchers to commuters who have to bear the brunt of any service changes?

Air and Sea Hub

Mr Yee Chia Hsing (Chua Chu Kang): Chairman, Singapore acts as a regional air and sea transport hub. We have managed to use Singapore's geographical location to our advantage, and over the years we have become a major regional and international hub through bold vision and thorough planning.

The opening of Jewel at Changi Airport has definitely upped the attractiveness of Changi as regional air hub. We are also relocating our container terminal to Tuas. But our status as a regional air and sea hub cannot be taken for granted and there are many regional countries also eyeing the pie. As such, I would like MOT to give an update of the measures that we are taking to stay ahead of the pack and how we are also preparing our workforce in the air and maritime transport industry to keep up with the changes ahead.

The Chairman: Mr Dennis Tan, you may take your three cuts.

Piracy in the Strait of Singapore

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member): Thank you, Mr Chairman. I declare my interest as a member of the shipping community in Singapore. Last month, I filed a Parliamentary Question (PQ) asking (a) whether any investigation is being carried out in respect to the piracy incidents in the Singapore Strait in and after December 2019; (b) has the Government identified the persons or groups responsible for the reported incidents and where they originated from; (c) what action has been taken by any of our Government agencies to date; and (d) what are the Government's plans to prevent similar acts of piracy?

Minister Khaw Boon Wan replied that there were 12 incidents involving piracy and robbery in December 2019 and January 2020, and as none of those incidents happened in our territorial waters, no investigations were required of our agencies. He said that as the Singapore Strait does not only include Singapore territorial waters, the fight against piracy requires collaboration among all partners. According to him, the Republic of Singapore Navy conducts joint coordinated patrols with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand through the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) in the Strait of Singapore as well as in the Strait of Malacca; that the MSP hold regular meetings to enhance coordination, review conduct of operations and share intelligence and information.

On a same sitting in February two hon Members in this House also filed questions relating to the piracy incidents to the Minister for Defence. Minister Ng Eng Hen in his reply to one Member talked about RSN's cooperation with neighbouring counterparts under the MSP.

I had filed the PQ to the Minister for Transport instead of the Minister for Defence, as MOT is the domain Ministry for maritime transport, and in my view, this goes beyond the issue of security or security arrangements with our neighbouring countries. Minister Khaw's answer confirmed that no investigation was carried out by Singapore on the incidents reported and we are none the wiser about the cause of these piracy incidents – why there was a sudden spike in the number or who were the culprits behind the incidents?

Minister Ng's answer also shed no light on the same. The port of Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world. Many ships pass through the Strait of Singapore every day for which a large number comes through to the port of Singapore and is anchorages and even its Outside Port Limits (OPL) waters for a variety of commercial shipping, bunkering and ancillary activities. It does not matter to shipowners or uses that the Straits of Singapore is not entirely subsumed under our territorial waters.

Many shipowners and users associate the Strait of Singapore with the access and passage between the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea and with access to the Port of Singapore and its OPL.

It is therefore in the interest of MOT, MPA and indeed all stakeholders in the Port of Singapore and our maritime hub, that the Strait of Singapore and its adjacent waters are kept safe and free of piracy activities. In fact, in my view, it is in the greater interest of Singapore, as compared to our neighbours, that piracy activities are minimised or curbed.

We have seen from the piracy problems off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, not so long ago, and more recently off West Africa, how piracy result in increase in insurance and other operating costs for shipowners and operators, and shipping costs for shippers. Many ships also avoided these waters. Well, the piracy situation in the Strait of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca is thankfully far better than what we have seen in the waters off Somalia or West Africa. This is something we should not take for granted.

In July last year, the Chinese government raised the security level on Chinese flagged ships transiting the Strait of Malacca.

I hope MOT and other Singapore Government agencies involved will work actively with our counterparts in neighbouring countries to (a) understand the causes of all piracy incidents regardless of the locality of each incident; and (b) help bring all culprits to justice or encourage neighbouring authorities to work towards that end.

By doing the above, I hope all parties and all countries can work to minimise or curb piracy activities in the region.

PMDs, PABs, Bicycles and Cycling Paths

MOT announced in November 2019 that e-scooters will be banned from footpaths but will be allowed on cycling paths; and MOT will extend the network of cycling path from 440 km to 1,300 km by 2030.

Last month, at the Second Reading of the Active Mobility (Amendment) Bill, I had some questions on the proposed extension of the cycling path network. But Senior Minister of State said that MOT will only be touching on the extended cycling power network during the COS debate today.

I would like to ask again, whether as part of the extended cycling path network, cycling paths will be directly linked to every HDB block, condominium, private landed house, shop house, office building and industrial building, so that there is a direct access for e-scooters, other PMDs, e-bikes and bicycles from each of these type of building, without the rider having to alight and push these devices on footpaths at all.

Direct access to the extended cycling lane network cannot be a half-hearted attempt, for example, having cycling paths circling a number of HDB blocks, but with no direct link from each block; or having cycling paths circling around clusters of private residential estates, expecting e-scooter or other users to alight and push en route to cycling paths. Similarly, people going to work in office buildings or industrial estates, must have direct access without having to travel on surfaces on which their mode of devices are barred.

In fact, going one step further towards utopia, if our cycling path network were to become sufficiently extensive such that PMD riders do not need to alight and push. It may in turn do away with the need for cyclists to share the use of foot path, which is still currently allowed. And this prospect will be welcomed by many footpath users who may not think that sharing footpaths with cyclists is a safe idea at all. It is not a safe idea because we still have a riding culture problem.

10.30 am

On the other hand, if the extensive linkage between cycling paths in our homes and offices seem too expensive, impractical or ambitious, then MOT may have to reconsider e-scooters, other PMDs and even e-bikes as a serious option for first and final mile connectivity.

10.30 am

If there is no direct link between the extended cycling network and the homes or workplaces of Singaporeans, e-scooter users would technically have to alight and push their e-scooters when on roads or footpaths and e-bike users must push their e-bikes when passing through footpaths. How confident are we that all riders will comply accordingly?

The new cycling lanes with a more extensive network alone will not solve all the problems we have seen with e-scooters before the footpath ban. Most of these problems, I submit, had to do with a poor riding culture, inadequate public education and inadequate enforcement.

With the new mandatory competency test certification for all users, I hope the public education situation with riders will improve considerably. However, for the non-riding public, I hope the Government will take steps and review how it can improve its public education. The Government must think of how to push such information to people who do not seek it, and such efforts should be carried out in all our four official languages.

On the issue of enforcement, people may take their chances and continue to use their devices illegally or in unlawful ways if they think that the chances of meeting enforcement officers are slim. Even now, I still see e-scooters being ridden on the road or on footpaths, albeit in a limited way. I still see illegal specs e-bikes being used and e-bikes on footpaths.

May I ask the Minister, while we await the building of the extended cycling paths, what efforts will be taken to enhance enforcement as well as public education beyond the current efforts?

I have also in the past suggested that the Government should consider mandatory safe riding certification courses with disqualification rights. The competency test certification process adopted last month is a big step forward. I believe that with disqualification rights, people will take greater care to use their e-scooters safely and considerately. So, I would again urge MOT to incorporate disqualification rights in our law.

Delivery Riders on PMDs and PABs

My third cut. Last month, in response to my Parliamentary Question, MOT affirmed that under the Active Mobility (Amendment) and the Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Acts, food delivery companies should be responsible for ensuring that their riders ride safely.

The new Acts do not provide details on this. Will the Minister confirm that these regulations will be included in the subsidiary legislation?

Meanwhile, I would also like to suggest that such regulations must include imposition of penalties on the food delivery companies in the event of any failure on the part of their riders to comply with the law, for example, pertaining to the use of devices with correct specifications, use of devices on paths allowed for the relevant devices, riding safely, and so on.

It is important to ensure all food delivery companies will take ownership of the issue of their riders using lawful devices or riding lawfully and safely during their deliveries.

On the very day the Government banned e-scooters from footpaths, Deliveroo announced that they would stop working with e-scooter delivery riders on footpaths. However, I continue to see GrabFood delivery riders using e-scooters on footpaths or roads even in the last two weeks. I am shocked that GrabFood still allow their delivery riders to carry out delivery in an unlawful manner and I hope that MOT will take action.

Separately, in respect of the delivery companies’ obligations to ensure that their active mobility riders have third-party insurance, will MOT take steps to ensure that all third party liability insurers will not be able to exclude or repudiate policy liability for accidents which take place while the riders are in breach of the law? For example, PMDs being used on the road, rider using an illegal specs e-scooter or PAB rider using footpaths. I am concerned that if allowed, claims by injured parties may be frustrated when accidents take place in such scenarios, which may defeat the very purpose of requiring such insurance coverage, particularly when the rider is self-employed and own his own device.

Expansion of Cycling Paths

Mr Yee Chia Hsing (Chua Chu Kang): Chairman, early this year, Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min mentioned that the Government will spend more than $1 billion to accelerate the completion of the island-wide cycling network.

While we have always mentioned that cycling is a good mode of transport for first and last mile connectivity and the focus has been to increase intra-town cycling network, can I also suggest that the MOT look at the possibility of cycling being a viable mode of transport for the entire journey?

Singapore is a small island and cycling is a good form of exercise. For someone working within 10 km of their workplace, cycling could be a good alternative if there are good inter-town cycling paths.

My hope is that it would be possible for my residents to cycle from Jurong West to Raffles Place on designated cycling paths in the future.

The Chairman: Mr Ang Wei Neng, you can take both your cuts.

Cycling Paths

Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong): Chairman, I am glad that MOT is accelerating the construction of Singapore’s network of cycling paths by a few years. It was previously announced that the network would be expanded from the 440 km currently, to 750 km by 2025, and up to 1,300 km by 2030. Does it mean that we are really trying to accelerate? We hope that MOT will give a firmer update on the timeline? Does it mean that we are aiming to build 1,300 km of cycling paths five years earlier, that means by 2025?

In determining exactly how the cycling paths should be laid out, to what extent does MOT consult with the local community? For instance, as cycling paths are typically carved out of existing footpaths for the more mature estates, who decides if the cycling paths are to be located on the left or right of the footpaths? Who decides the footpath were to be sandwiched between the cycling path and the road or the cycling path be sandwiched between the footpath and the road?

Also, from past experiences, we encounter problems with mature trees blocking the potential new cycling path or shared path. How is MOT coordinating with the various Ministries to expedite the construction of these cycling paths?

Operating Train Services Overseas

Chairman, my next cut is on Operating Train Services Overseas. This morning, there is a breakdown in the train service from Bishan to Yio Chu Kang, so that prompted me to change my speech. Let me declare my interest as part of the management team of ComfortDelGro before I continue my speech.

Singapore's train system has surpassed 1 million train-km between delays of more than five minutes. It is not a small feat. I do not know whether this morning's breakdown, how will it affect the 1 million mark.

However, nothing is perfect, just like when Police say Singapore has low crime, it does not mean there is no crime. When Singapore Airport is ranked the best airport in the world for a few years, it does not mean there is no lost luggage in Changi Airport.

Likewise, it is unreasonable to expect the train system be perfect and no breakdown at all. It is more important to build resilience within the train system; and the Circle Line and Downtown line have added resilience and some redundancy with the train system.

Similarly, the upcoming Thomson Eastern Line as well as Cross Island Line will build more resilience within the system. So, train passengers then can have alternatives when one line is down – like the London train system. To this end, I would like to ask the Minister when is a good time for LTA and Singapore train operators to join forces to bid for management of train services overseas?

By operating train services overseas, it will enable us to learn the best practices first hand and also bring the best to Singapore. This will benefit our Singapore commuters.

Train operators like Hong Kong's MTR has been operating overseas for quite some time. They have been operating 1,000 km of track in London, Stockholm and Australia. Similarly, French state-owned public transport company RATP operates in 14 countries and they have deep knowledge in how to operate the train system.

At some point of time, I would like to ask the Minister when will the Singapore fraternity, the train fraternity, consider operating the train system overseas, share our expertise overseas and bring the best to Singapore?

Renewal Plans for LRTs

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Mr Chairman, the Bukit Panjang LRT system, dogged by reliability issues, is now undergoing a $344 million overhaul that is due to be completed in 2024. Yet, we should not forget that parts of the Sengkang-Punggol LRT system (SPLRT) are also reaching a critical point in their lifespan where concerns on reliability may begin to surface.

Indeed, both LRT lines were upgraded to two-car operations in 2016 and load on the systems would surely have increased. SPLRT did see some preventive maintenance and asset renewal works between 2017 and 2018. However, if past experience with the MRT system is any indication, should we expect that more works ought to be done to maintain and improve on the reliability numbers of the LRT system? I would like to ask the Minister when can the residents in both Sengkang and Punggol expect such renewal and overhaul works to happen?

Rail Infrastructure Renewal

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar): Mr Chairman, I am heartened to see that the efforts of our extensive multi-year, multi-billion dollars rail renewal projects are now bearing fruit. Reliability of Singapore’s overall rail network has continued to improve steadily, reaching an impressive 1.08 million MKBF in the first nine months of 2019.

But as we applaud the good work done thus far, we must not become complacent, or else, we risk undoing all that we have managed to achieve thus far. I would like to ask the Ministry to provide an update on the respective on-going rail renewal projects.

I would also like to ask if the Ministry has any plans to renew and refurbish our older MRT stations, in particular, along the North-South and East-West Lines, some of which were built more than 33 years ago.

Rail maintenance workers are our unsung heroes in Singapore’s journey towards better rail reliability. They have been working hard day and night, including on weekends and public holidays, to carry out both maintenance and renewal works. Some have raised issues regarding the lack of sufficient lighting and ventilation when carrying out their work in the MRT tunnels. With an increasing network of tracks underground, it is important that we take care of the welfare of our workers.

I have been into the tunnels on several occasions to observe track renewal as well as tunnel cleaning work. Rail maintenance is back-breaking work, and I hope that the Ministry can look at improving the work conditions for our rail workers.

Public Transport Access for Tuas South

Mr Arasu Duraisamy (Nominated Member): Chairman, I would like to declare my interest as the General Secretary of Singapore Port Workers Union.

The development of Tuas South is picking up pace. Sembcorp Marine shifted its HQ to Tuas in 2019, bringing along a large number of its workforce from other parts of Singapore office as they consolidated operations in Tuas.

PSA Tuas Mega Port will start operations next year. While the initial workforce numbers remain small, it will grow over time as more container berths become operational over the coming years.

In my engagement with workers and union leaders, one of the main concerns was the distance between home and work. Based on SMRT's website, a commuter will take around 90 minutes to commute between Pasir Ris and Tuas Link, and approximately 72 minutes he stays up-north from Yishun to Tuas Link. The complete journey does not factor in another half hour of travelling time to his actual workplace along Tuas Boulevard. This worker will be spending a minimum of 15 to 16 hours per day just for work and travel, assuming he is on a 12-hour shift roster.

Together with the sectoral tripartite partners, interim transport solutions have been put in place to cater to the workers' travelling needs. It is just a temporary solution and not a permanent solution.

At last year's Committee of Supply debate, I proposed to MOT to consider an MRT line down-south to reduce travelling time and the idea was dismissed due to projected low ridership. Can MOT reconsider the proposal for an automated people mover system in light of workforce growth in Tuas South?

Can the Minister also share what would the projected ridership numbers be for Tuas South in five and 10 years' time? What are the long-term transport plans for Tuas South and how does MOT intend to address workers' concern on reducing their commuting time, especially for those staying in the eastern part of Singapore?

Public Transport

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Sir, the 2019 poll on public transport showed that satisfaction with rail reliability has improved substantially as compared to a few years ago. Most commuters who take the MRT will notice that there have been marked improvements in train capacity, train reliability and comfort.

As a regular MRT commuter, let me thank the Transport Minister and the team at MOT and all the people who have helped make improvements to the rail network system.

10.45 pm

As we continue to push for a car-lite society, may I urge MOT to consider having more public bus services to shuttle private estate residents to and from their homes to MRT stations during peak hours. Currently, whenever I request for a bus service, the usual response from LTA is that there are adequate options. But if adequate options means to walk a distance in the hot sun or rainy weather to the bus stop, then most residents will stick to driving their cars to their office.

Hence, I urge MOT to make an extra effort to make public transport more convenient for residents. Offer them a shuttle bus service to bring them to the nearest MRT station. If that extra effort is not made, it is unlikely that we will be able to persuade the residents to give up the comfort and convenience of their cars to walk a longer distance in the hot sun or rainy weather, just to take public transport. Make it so convenient that it is a no-brainer to take public transport as compared to their private cars.

Next, may I ask Minister for an update as to the completion date for the eastern sector of the Thomson East Coast Line (TEL). I have four stations in my constituency and many of my residents are very excited about having a new train line near their homes. Is it possible that completion of the TEL may take place earlier than 2023?

Reducing Cross Island Line (CRL) Impact on Wildlife

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, there is no doubt that the Cross Island Line is needed and I also have no doubt that we can reduce its impact on our biodiversity. People are concerned that the clearance and construction work at worksite A1W1 will have a major impact in breaking up wildlife habitats.

It would mean that tree-dwelling animals like the Raffles' Banded Langurs might not be able to get from one forest patch to another and this will threaten their survival. There are only 61 Raffles' Banded Langurs left in Singapore. The stakes are extremely high. These highly threatened monkeys are only found in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. This is one of their last strongholds. If the forest is cleared for the worksite, the Langurs who rely on tree canopies will be forced to come down to the ground to use the roads to cross and they will likely get injured or killed.

We know through the work of Dr Andie Ang that a bachelor group of four male Langurs – Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael – need the forest at the worksite A1W1. While mitigation measures have been proposed, Dr Andie feels that these measures will not work. She personally told me that she fears for the survival of this species.

Will MOT consider moving worksite A1W1 further into Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) where the forest that the Langurs need will not be impacted?

Engineers

Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Sir, I am heartened to note that the rail reliability has improved in 2019. The overall MRT Mean Km Between Failure (MKBF) was over 1 million km from October 2018 to September 2019. MOT has successfully achieved bold target of 1 million km between failure, as set by Minister Khaw in 2017. Our trains are now as reliable as the Taipei Metro and Hong Kong MTR. I applaud the team for their resilience, determination and hard work in achieving the target.

Beyond ensuring timely renewal and maintenance of assets, we also need to build a pool of ever ready and competent rail engineering and maintenance crew to cope with a rapidly expanding rail network.

Can the Minister share details of the training and upskilling programmes available for rail engineers? How have these programmes led to the recent improvement in rail reliability and whether these programmes would be further enhanced?

The Chairman: Mr Melvin Yong, you can take your three cuts together.

Rail Manpower Development Package

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar): Chairman, our rail network will grow significantly over this new decade. The addition of three new lines – the Thomson-East Coast Line, Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line – will increase the length of our rail network by about 130 km, bringing the total network length to about 360 km in 2030.

As our rail industry grow, we need to upskill existing workers and recruit more rail professionals to run the expanded and more complex train network. The $100 million Rail Manpower Development Package, announced by Minister in November 2019, will help accelerate this transformation of our rail workforce.

Can the Ministry provide an update on the initiatives under the Rail Manpower Development Package? Additionally, how many workers are expected to benefit from these initiatives?

Electric and Autonomous Vehicles

Chairman, my next cut will focus on the future of our land transport system, which will be electric, connected and autonomous.

First, I applaud the Government for its ambition to phase out Internal Combustion Engine vehicles by 2040 and to embrace Electric Vehicles (EVs). Can the Ministry provide an update on the growth of EVs in Singapore over the past five years?

Fleet vehicles, such as our public buses, will be key in driving critical mass for islandwide EV-adoption. Does the Ministry have plans to replace all public buses with electric buses and what will be the timeline? Will our island's charging infrastructure be sufficient for the mass adoption of EVs?

Sir, the future land transport system will also be autonomous. Could the Ministry provide an update on the various Autonomous Vehicle trials and whether the plan to pilot autonomous buses in Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District in the early 2020s is still on track?

Bus Contracting Model

Chairman, my final cut will be on the Bus Contracting Model (BCM). The introduction of BCM in 2016 has indeed transformed our public bus industry to become more competitive. Today, we have four public bus operators operating 14 bus packages. Commuters are enjoying better service reliability and reduced wait times, resulting in bus ridership hitting an all-time high of over four million daily rides in 2018.

I would like to ask the Ministry for an update on how the BCM has benefited the public bus industry, in terms of bus captain wages, quality of service and commuter satisfaction.

But as I highlighted in last year's Committee of Supply debate, BCM is not without its drawbacks. Bus captains have informed me that their jobs today, are now more stressful than ever, as they have to meet new stringent KPIs imposed. Could the Ministry share how it intends to mitigate this additional stress faced by our frontline bus captains?

Additionally, I would like to ask if the Ministry has learnt any lessons from the tendering of the first four BCM packages and if there will be any changes to the future tenders.

Lastly, I would like for the Ministry to update on their plans to enhance our public bus infrastructure to keep up with the increase in our public bus fleets and to cater for the introduction of electric buses.

Green Vehicles

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Chairman, the push by the Government to phase out the internal combustion engine vehicles in Singapore by 2040 is a very ambitious plan. This means that more than 600,000 diesel and petrol vehicles today will be replaced by full electric vehicles or other green vehicles in 20 years' time unless the Government is thinking of shrinking the vehicle population very drastically.

Before I proceed, I will like to declare my interest as the CEO of ComfortDelGro Taxi business. I have explicitly supported the plan to roll out more clean and green vehicles last week in the Parliament. However, I will like to make a few clarifications today.

Firstly, how is the Government going to realise the plan of increasing the charging points from the current 1,600 points to 28,000 points in 2030? What kind of incentives will Government provide for real estate owners, car park owners or operators or new players to install more new charging points?

Today, we have about 1,125 electric vehicles (EVs) supported by 1,600 charging points. Come 2030, how many EVs can be supported by 28,000 charging points? If most of the EVs are charging at about the same time, say in the evening, do we need to upgrade our Power Grid?

The current Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES) allows fleet owner to enjoy up to $30,000 of rebate off the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) but the EV Early Adoption Incentive (EEAI) is only capped at $20,000 rebate off the ARF. In short, EEAI alone is not as attractive as VES. Does MOT have plan to continue with VES next year so as to supplement and compliment the EEAI?

We will like to seek clarity so that fleet owners can better support Government's green initiative.

Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs and National Development (Ms Sun Xueling): Mr Chairman, one of the biggest challenges to EV ownership currently is the network of public EV Chargers. SP Group has committed to operate a public charging network with 1,000 charging points by 2020. Other providers include Greenlots and some car dealers.

Private property owners can install a wall box which are charging units, especially installed by the dealer at the electric vehicle owners' place of choice. However, the vast majority of consumers live in high-rise buildings. Greenlots, for instance, is installing charging stations at a small number of Condominiums and requires MCST approvals to do so.

I would like to inquire, what is the Ministry's roll-out plan to get from 1,600 electric charging points now to 28,000 by 2030. What potentially are some of the bottlenecks and what is the plan contingent on? How does the Ministry envision building charging points in public places and for private property owners?

Connectivity to Malaysia

Miss Cheng Li Hui: Sir, the bilateral agreements on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail the Singapore-Johor Bahru RTS projects were signed in 2016 and 2018 respectively. When ready, the RTS link will allow 60,000 additional commuters to cross the Causeway during peak hour. The project benefits both countries by easing causeway congestion, reducing travelling time and facilitating business and tourism.

On 4 November 2019, it was announced that a suspension of the RTS project will be extended until 30 April 2020.

With a new government in Malaysia and the April deadline approaching, can the Minister provide an update on our bilateral transport projects. What is the status of RTS? Will progress commenced after April? If there is no progress, what other options are there to improve connectivity between the two countries and improving the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities at our border.

The Chairman: Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

The Minister for Transport (Mr Khaw Boon Wan): Thank you, Chairman. Sir, my Ministry has prepared a simple folder, may I ask permission for the Clerks to distribute some of them.

The Chairman: Yes, please. [Handouts were distributed to hon Members.]

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Mr Chairman, COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc around the world. In Singapore, Changi Airport took the first hit. Airlines have cancelled over 20% of their scheduled flights. Passenger volume at Changi has plunged by 25% and is likely to fall further. Both the cruise and ferry sectors are devastated. As China locks down, global supply chains are also disrupted. As fear grips, people telecommute more and go out less. Along with reduced tourist arrivals, our bus, rail, taxi and private hire car riderships have fallen by about 20%. This has taken a toll on the livelihoods of our taxi and private hire car drivers.

We are also tracking the impact on our transport infrastructure projects. For now, the delay to project timelines is still manageable. But if the outbreak drags on, it could disrupt the supply of construction equipment and materials. This could impact the timeline for Terminal 5, Tuas Port, new MRT stations and the next-generation ERP system. For example, our new trains are being built in China.

With support from our tripartite partners, the Government reacted swiftly with a robust Unity Budget 2020.

For the transport sector, MOT worked closely with NTUC and our transport operators to put in place relief measures to support our workers, while providing assurance to our commuters. Let me join Mr Sitoh Yih Pin to thank all frontline transport workers for keeping Singapore moving amidst this outbreak.

The COVID-19 outbreak will burn out. Sooner or later, our economy and our industries will recover. While we attend to the immediate needs, we should also focus on the eventual recovery and make full use of this lull period.

First, position our companies and workers to ride the eventual upturn. Use this opportunity to transform and grow. We have the road maps, the air, land and sea transport Industry Transformation Maps, to show us the way forward. Let us carry them out.

Second, press on with our infrastructure plans. Over the next five years, we have an extensive line-up of construction projects in the transport sector.

On the aviation front, we are expanding Changi Airport. The third runway will be operational by the middle of 2020s. The development of Terminal 5 is well underway.

11.00 am

On the maritime front, Tuas Port Phase 1 will be fully operational by 2027. When fully completed in the 2040s, Tuas Port will be the world’s single largest fully-automated container terminal. Together, these investments will grow our external connectivity to seize growth in the global transport of goods and people.

Another international link is the proposed RTS Link with Malaysia. Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about the progress. The project remains suspended until the end of April this year. Recent political developments in Malaysia will further impact the project. While we remain committed to working with Malaysia to find a way forward, the project cannot be suspended indefinitely. We, therefore, look forward to hearing from Malaysia soon. Are there other options to address the Causeway jam? Expanding the immigration facilities will help as the current capacity is inadequate to handle the peak traffic. Better distribution of traffic between the Causeway and the Second Link will also help. Likewise, a better distribution of traffic between peak and off-peak periods. We have been trying to pursue all these options, but to move the needle meaningfully, the RTS Link is the answer.

On the domestic land transport side, we stand ready to speed up over $100 million worth of cycling path and road construction projects by up to three years.

But beyond the immediate, our vision is a clean and green transport system for Singapore. This will raise the quality of life for generations of Singaporeans to come. We will make three strategic moves.

First, phase out vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2040. In other words, no more ICE vehicles by 2040! We have 20 years to phase them out. Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary will explain how we can achieve this and replace them with cleaner vehicles.

Second, speed up the construction of our cycling infrastructure. Senior Minister of State Dr Lam Pin Min will explain how we can get more Singaporeans to Walk-Cycle-Ride for first-mile and last-mile connectivity.

Third, keep our public transport among the best in the world. As noted by Mr Ang Wei Neng, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, Miss Cheng Li Hui, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Lim Biow Chuan, we have turned the corner on rail reliability. So, let me join these Members to thank our transport workers – LTA, SMRT, SBST and the National Transport Workers’ Union – for their hard work and dedication. But remember, maintenance is a continuous effort. Never lift your eyes off the ball. And, certainly, never be complacent. Let me also thank our commuters for their patience and understanding. But remember, a highly reliable MRT line may still experience some occasional hiccups. We do our best to reduce such inconveniences to the absolute minimum.

I note Mr Ang Wei Neng’s suggestion that our rail operators should seek to venture abroad, as our bus operators have done. This is something for the operators to decide. But if they do, my advice is that their foreign ventures should not distract them from their domestic operations in Singapore. Their priority must always be to ensure safe, smooth and reliable journeys for our commuters in Singapore.

In any case, our two rail operators will be fully engaged with our domestic network. There is plenty of work to be done. Over the next decade, we will be spending over $60 billion to expand and renew our rail network – $60,000 million of works to be done. Let me elaborate in response to Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Dennis Tan.

First, we will be completing the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). Stage 1 has already opened. Stage 2 will follow within the next few months – single digit months. Mr Lim Biow Chuan and his residents in Mountbatten will benefit from Stage 4 of TEL by 2023. Can we expedite further? "Jing kang kor" – I think very difficult. First, it is a very complex project. Every time I meet the team, my message to them is "safety first". Do not be hasty. Deadlines are there to meet. Certainly, you want it done as soon as possible. But never compromise on safety.

Second, we will be completing the extensions to the North East Line and Downtown Line by 2023 and 2024 respectively – within the next term of Government. We will see four new stations added to our rail network. This includes the opening of Hume Station by 2025, which Mayor Low Yen Ling has actively lobbied for in previous COS. This year, I did not find her "cut".

Third, we will be completing the Circle Line when we complete the circle. This final stretch at Keppel is the most challenging to build and also the most costly. But when completed in 2025, it will significantly raise the resilience of our MRT network and the travelling experience of our commuters.

Fourth, we will be completing the Jurong Region Line by 2028. Like Mr Arasu Duraisamy, we want our Tuas port workers to have good public transport to Tuas. JRL will benefit them. This is in addition to the Tuas West Extension and bus services 247 and 248 in the Tuas South area which we had put in over the past few years.

Fifth, we will be completing Phase 1 of the Cross Island Line by 2029. This will contribute towards the subsequent growth of our rail network to 360 km from the current 230 km. In fact, a Singaporean student studying in Geneva, Faiz Basha, was so excited by the plan for our rail network that he produced a revised MRT map for 2030 and beyond. Mr Cedric Foo referred me to this map. He was intrigued by it and he described it as a beautiful map and, indeed, it is. Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary told me of another Singaporean, architect Cliff Tan, based in the UK who has offered LTA many similar design suggestions. Both are overseas but their hearts are firmly anchored in Singapore!

Indeed, by 2030, around 80% of Singaporeans will live within walking distance of a train station. We would have achieved or exceeded the level of train connectivity enjoyed by the residents in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York today. As Mr Cedric Foo remarked to me about our plan: “This is our commitment to build a liveable city in Singapore and this is MOT’s contribution to reducing traffic jams as well as carbon emissions!”

Apart from expanding our rail network, we will finally complete the renewal of the North-South Line and East-West Lines (NSEWL) by around 2023. Actually, 2023 is not too far off. This year is 2020; so, in only two to three years' time, Mr Lim! By then, we would also be able to see the benefits from the renewal of our oldest LRT line, the Bukit Panjang LRT. Ageing train stations, too, will be suitably refurbished and upgraded, especially the toilets and escalators. In time, we will also need to renew the next oldest lines – North East Line and Sengkang Punggol LRT – in good time.

The hard lesson learnt from the problems earlier faced by SMRT is that we must invest in good operations and maintenance. As noted by Miss Cheng Li Hui, this means engineering capabilities, as well as the timely renewal of old MRT and LRT lines. There is no free lunch.

As we pursue these projects, let me assure Mr Melvin Yong that we will continue to work with operators and unions to ensure optimal working conditions for our transport workers. Mr Yong knows that these are my top concerns. Every time I visit a depot, I would check in, talk to them, take a good look at their lounge, the furniture, the toilets. Those are signs whether the operators are paying attention.

They form the backbone of our transport system. We must support them well so that they can perform to their maximum potential.

Mr Chairman, transport is both capital-intensive and skills-intensive. That is why MOT’s budget is among the biggest in the Government. I think we are at number four this year although, in terms of the number of "cuts", we are at the bottom four, I think. I think it says something.

To ensure sustainability, we need taxpayers and commuters to co-fund it. The question is how to share the burden fairly. As posed by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin just now, it is how to strike a balance between financial sustainability, affordability, reliability and efficiency. It requires hard-headed calculations and a heavy dose of empathy. It requires political honesty and also sound judgement. That is why, among other things, we have a process comprising an objective fare formula and an independent Public Transport Council.

I agree with Assoc Prof Walter Theseira that fare adjustments must be accompanied by serious cost containment. We will continue to look for cost-cutting measures and productivity improvement solutions. We will also regularly benchmark our operators’ costs with their counterparts elsewhere. A recent NTU study gave us some reassurance that our operators’ costs are well within normal range. But we must also have the discipline to deploy public transport services prudently. That is why we have to sometimes turn down Members’ requests for new bus services – shuttle service, maybe we can negotiate – or shorter headways.

In the coming years, the expansion of rail and cycling lane infrastructure will add greater connectivity to the system and benefit more commuters. A highly interconnected transport network, supported by real-time information, will provide commuters with more route and mode options. Good mobile apps will empower commuters to choose the option that best meets their needs. As travel patterns change, we must be nimble to optimise the provision of public transport services. Assoc Prof Walter Theseira raised the idea of a transitional voucher for commuters affected by such optimisation. I am not so sure if it is easy to design such a scheme. But in a way, our cheaper off-peak rates are one such idea. In any case, we always ensure that commuters affected will have reasonable travel alternatives so that they will not be left in the lurch, and our Members do understand the need for cost management.

One such considerate Member is Mr Lim Biow Chuan. I have heard his request for additional public bus service for his private estate residents. LTA will evaluate his request seriously, carefully and fairly. We do have shuttle rides. I live in a private estate where there is a shuttle bus going around. In fact, it was the first private estate shuttle that runs on electricity – electric bus.

Mr Chairman, over the years, we have progressively transformed our land transport sector to better serve Singaporeans. It has not been a smooth journey but we never let difficulties discourage us. Mr Ang Wei Neng referred to McKinsey’s 2018 report ranking Singapore’s public transport as amongst the best in the world. More recently, there was a Business Insider France (11 February 2020) report on urban mobility, in which consulting firm Oliver Wyman joined forces with the Berkeley University of California to rank the top 10 advanced cities in the world based on the quality of their public transport systems. Singapore came out top. Credit must go to successive generations of MOT and LTA officials who put their heart and soul into this venture. But we know we are far from perfect. We still have a lot of things to do, including to complete the $60 billion strategic long-term plan for our rail network which I have outlined earlier and I look forward to Members’ continuing support.

My other MOT colleagues will now elaborate on our other plans moving forward.

11.15 am

The Chairman: Dr Lam Pin Min.

The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Dr Lam Pin Min): Mr Chairman, Minister Khaw spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on our transport network and our strategies for eventual recovery. He also laid down the vision of a clean and green transport system in Singapore. I will now elaborate on our efforts in the aviation and maritime sectors, and share how we can develop our cycling infrastructure to complement our vision for a clean and green transport network.

COVID-19 has hurt the aviation and maritime sectors. Passenger traffic at Changi Airport and cruise and ferry passenger numbers have declined significantly. Our priority for the coming months is clear: first, help industry tide over this difficult time; and second, position for recovery so that we emerge from this even stronger.

First, we will help the aviation and maritime sectors tide over this difficult time. On top of economy-wide measures, we have rolled out a $112 million assistance package to help the aviation sector defray cost and ease cashflow pressures. For the maritime sector, we have provided a 50% port dues concession to passenger vessels, on top of all existing concessions. We will also provide targeted assistance to affected ferry operators and other enterprises located at Marina South Pier and West Coast Pier.

We are also helping companies reduce their costs so that they can help Singaporeans keep their jobs and use this time to go for training. Take, for example, airline crew, which Mr Ang Hin Kee asked about. Due to the adverse impact of COVID-19, the SIA Group has temporarily suspended more than 9,000 flights, or nearly 15% of all its scheduled flights from February to end of May. Notwithstanding this, SIA is committed to helping its crew keep their jobs.

The Government is supporting this, through rebates on landing and parking charges, waivers of regulatory fees and the Jobs Support Scheme. These measures will help ease the financial pressure and support the retention of local employees. Early this week, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Workforce Singapore (WSG), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and NTUC announced an enhanced training funding and support package for air transport companies; we will work with airlines to facilitate their staff, including cabin crew, to attend training courses and will monitor the take-up rate.

We are watching the situation very closely and stand ready to do more if the situation worsens. Our commitment to our aviation and maritime sectors is this: we will get through this together. Working together as SGUnited, we can overcome COVID-19.

Second, we will work with industry to position for recovery so that we emerge from this even stronger. Mr Yee Chia Hsing asked how we can keep our air and sea hubs competitive. To stay competitive, we will invest in the three Cs – Capacity, Capability and Connectivity – and at the same time, develop sustainability as our new priority.

Current challenges notwithstanding, air passenger numbers are expected to double from four billion to eight billion globally in the next 20 years; one in two of this growth, or 50% of this growth will be in Asia. For the maritime sector, the growth outlook is likewise positive. These translate to huge demand for capacity, capability and connectivity and offer tremendous opportunities for Singapore. But how do we respond to this?

First, on capacity, we will press on with the development of Changi Terminal 5 and Tuas Port so that we are in time with new infrastructural capacity to meet future demand. We are not done building our air and sea hubs. Our efforts will not be hampered by COVID-19.

Second, on capability. We cannot meet the new demand just by growing manpower; we need to leverage technology and raise productivity. We will help companies transform and capture new opportunities.

Take, for example, CAAS will extend the $280 million Aviation Development Fund for another five years, from 2020 to 2025. Since 2015, the Fund has already helped nearly 80 organisations raise productivity through over 200 initiatives. Real value-add per worker has increased by over 7% between 2015 and 2018. One such initiative is SATS' smart glasses. It uses augmented reality technology to track the real-time location of baggage and cargo units and helps workers cut loading time.

The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and IMDA have also launched the Digital Acceleration Index to help maritime companies self-evaluate their digital maturity. MPA and the Singapore Shipping Association will take this a step further to launch the Maritime Innovation Playbook to help companies develop their digitalisation plans. Companies can also tap on MPA's Maritime Cluster Fund and the Sea Transport Industry Digitalisation Plan to support their digitalisation efforts.

We will also equip workers with new skills to take on new and better jobs. We will train up a younger generation of Singaporeans so that they can benefit and grow with the air and sea industries. Come April, together with ITE, we will launch two new Work-Study Diploma courses in Airport Operations and Maritime Business Management respectively.

Third, on connectivity. While demand may be down now, we will continue to maintain connectivity so that we can bounce back quickly when recovery returns. We will continue to push for air services liberalisation, to strengthen existing connections to cities and to build new ones. We will also go beyond physical connectivity to build digital connectivity. MPA's digitalPORT@SG™ will streamline digital port clearance processes for ships calling at Singapore and improve the efficiency of vessel calls. Likewise, digitalOCEANS™ will link us up to other maritime-related digital platforms globally to improve efficiency in the global supply chain.

The safety and security of our sea-lanes is fundamental to maritime connectivity. Mr Dennis Tan asked what more we can do to address piracy and armed robbery incidents in the Strait of Singapore.

I would like to reassure the House that our maritime security agencies, the RSN and PCG, will deal with any suspicious vessel entering Singapore waters robustly and take actions against perpetrators of crimes conducted.

However, as the Strait of Singapore does not only include Singapore territorial waters, the fight against piracy and armed robbery requires strong collaboration among all regional partners and Singapore cannot tackle it alone.

This is why there is the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) involving our military and the militaries of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The MSP includes air and sea patrols in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. And as the Minister for Defence had shared with the House during MINDEF's COS debates on Monday, MINDEF has reached out to its counterparts in Malaysia and Indonesia to propose that MSP be extended to other areas in our surrounding waters. Discussions are on-going. The RSN's Maritime Security Task Force will also be enhancing their capabilities to deal with maritime threats.

Other actions are also taken to combat piracy and armed-robbery. MPA advises commercial vessels to stay vigilant, keep a lookout for pirates and take anti-piracy measures, such as holding training drills. Singapore is also part of a region-wide initiative called ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy & Armed Robbery against ships in Asia), which facilitates timely and accurate information sharing so that the respective littoral States and the shipping community can take prompt remedial actions.

While we position ourselves to seize the growth opportunities in aviation and maritime, we will do so sustainably. Singapore will not just be a competitive international transport hub but also a sustainable one. Let me lay out some of our strategies.

On the aviation front, we will play our part to contribute towards the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO)'s aspirational goals of 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement and carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards.

First, Singapore is ready to participate in the voluntary phase of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) that starts next year. Under the scheme, our airlines will freeze their carbon footprint at current levels by reducing emissions and purchasing carbon credits.

Second, Singapore's aviation community will work together towards greener aviation. Singapore Airlines has invested in the latest aircraft models that are more fuel efficient and has an average fleet age that is nearly half that of the industry. CAAS, our Air Navigation Service Provider, will continue to invest in new technologies and air traffic management processes to improve flow and cut delays. In 2019, these processes reduced about 130,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Changi Airport Group will continue to invest in environmental sustainability initiatives, such as energy-efficient cooling systems, infrastructure for charging electric vehicles and renewable energy options.

Third, we will study the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) in Singapore. SAFs can reduce emissions by up to 80% over their life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel, but they are two to five times more expensive today. Singapore houses key global aerospace companies and fuel producers, such as Rolls Royce, Shell and Neste. The Government and the industry players are studying different business and technological models to enable economically viable and sustainable SAF supply chains in Singapore.

On the maritime front, Singapore is committed to environmentally sustainable international shipping under the leadership of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

On 1 January 2020, Singapore, together with the rest of the world, implemented the IMO 2020 regulation that reduces the permitted sulphur content in the fuels used by vessels from 3.5% to 0.5% outside designated Emission Control Areas. Beyond this, the IMO has set a longer term target to reduce the total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by international shipping by at least 50% by 2050, from 2008 levels.

Singapore will play our part under IMO2050. While IMO2050 is still 30 years away, we will start making plans now so that our companies and workers are equipped to seize new opportunities that arise from the shift. I am happy to announce today three new initiatives to position Singapore for the long-term maritime sustainability.

First, MPA will launch the Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint 2050 next year. The blueprint will chart out strategies to achieve a sustainable maritime Singapore and establish Singapore as a responsible hub port and international maritime centre.

Second, the Singapore Maritime Foundation will set up an International Advisory Panel to garner inputs from local and international leaders from the industry and academia for this effort. The panel will convene for the first time in April this year.

And third, MPA and its partners will set aside $40 million under the Maritime GreenFuture Fund to be used for the research, test-bedding and adoption of low-carbon technologies.

Mr Chairman, this is what we do to help our aviation and maritime sectors compete, always looking beyond the horizon, planning for the long term, working in close partnership with workers and companies, and this will distinguish Singapore from other competing cities.

Our land transport system also plays an important role in securing a sustainable future for Singaporeans.

11.30 am

We will continue to work towards our car-lite vision and promote public, shared and active modes of transport as they are the most environmentally sustainable. I will touch on our efforts to promote active mobility, which has a low environmental footprint and complements our public transport system in moving towards a car-lite Singapore.

In cultivating a sustainable active mobility landscape, we have enhanced our regulatory and enforcement regimes. With the recent ban on e-scooters on footpaths and enhanced regulatory regime on active mobility devices, path safety has improved.

As Mr Dennis Tan said, businesses have a role to play, which is why LTA has introduced regulations on companies and continues to work closely with companies to encourage responsible behaviour by their riders. One requirement is that companies must ensure that all riders they hire in the course of work have third party liability insurance. LTA will specify minimum requirements for these insurance policies.

Mr Dennis Tan also pointed out the importance of public education and enforcement. That is why we are introducing a mandatory theory test for all e-scooter and power-assisted bicycle (PAB) riders to educate and raise awareness. We have also enhanced the penalties to strengthen deterrence against offences like speeding and reckless riding. LTA will not hesitate to take errant riders to task. Regarding Mr Dennis Tan's suggestion to disqualify riders who commit serious offences from riding, we will work with the Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) to study if it is necessary to do so, depending on the safety situation going forward.

Several Members have asked about our infrastructure plans. They will be pleased to know that we are accelerating the development of cycling paths. We have previously announced that there would be 750 km of cycling paths by 2025. We will bring this milestone forward by two years, reaching 800 km of cycling paths by 2023, which is not that far away – about three years away. The Government plans to invest over $1 billion as part of the Islandwide Cycling Network (ICN) programme to bring the cycling path network closer to Singaporeans' doorsteps.

By 2023, all HDB towns will have cycling paths. All HDB residents will have direct access to a wider cycling path network that is almost double the existing network. Residents can look forward to the cycling path plans for their towns within the year. LTA is working closely with Government agencies and local communities to ensure that the cycling path network meets the needs of the residents.

Towns which currently lack cycling paths or have many active mobility device users will have cycling paths built first. For towns with cycling path networks, we will continue to enhance connectivity, so that residents can enjoy more seamless access to key transport nodes and amenities like the town centre, MRT stations, eateries and malls.

And as Mr Ang Wei Neng has highlighted, constructing cycling paths in mature towns require trade-offs, especially in densely built-up mature towns. In some cases, we may have no choice but to reclaim grass verges and affect trees. In others, we may need to re-purpose roads.

By 2026, Singapore's cycling path network will be expanded to 1,000 km. With this, eight in 10 HDB residents will be a few minutes away from the cycling path network. Most HDB residents will be within 250 m from the nearest cycling path. This cycling path density is comparable to cities such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen. HDB Residents can expect to reach their nearest town centre within 20 minutes using active mobility modes.

By 2030, we would have trebled the cycling path network to 1,320 km.

Singaporeans will benefit from a comprehensive cycling path network connecting all HDB towns. The expanded cycling path network will allow more inter-town journeys to be carried out entirely on cycling paths. Active mobility device users can look forward to a safer and more seamless riding experience, with fewer interruptions. In addition, residents in Queenstown, Geylang, Jurong West, Sembawang, Yishun and Ang Mo Kio can rely on the Queenstown-City and Geylang-City routes, the Round Island Route, and North-South Corridor for journeys from their homes to the city before 2030.

With these developments, more journeys can be carried out entirely on the cycling path network, as Mr Yee Chia Hsing has pointed out.

Lastly, we need to develop the right culture of graciousness. This is critical in densely populated Singapore, where users of different modes of transport are constantly in close proximity.

The Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) will continue to promote greater acceptance of active mobility in Singapore by focusing more on engagement and educational measures, and calling on all path users to be safe and considerate.

Going forward, how can we do better, together? I would like to suggest a simple way, which is to look out for each other.

On roads, motorists should practice good road safety habits and be vigilant and look out for other road users. On paths, device users should watch out for other path users and ride safely and considerately. Pedestrians should also be alert to their surroundings and keep to the left unless overtaking. They should walk on footpaths wherever they are, located adjacent to cycling paths.

We will also continue to monitor the environmental impact of our other land transport projects.

Take, for instance, the Cross Island Line. We have engaged stakeholders extensively since 2013 and will continue to do so even as the project enters the Advanced Engineering Studies phase. Concerning the proposed worksite near the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) that Mr Louis Ng mentioned, LTA is committed to exploring how the worksite's footprint can be optimised and is in discussions with SICC to make use of its non-playing areas.

Mr Chairman, we will stay resilient in this challenging period of COVID-19 and together, we will weather this storm. As Mr Yee Chia Hsing said, we did not become a major international aviation and maritime hub by chance, but through having a bold vision and thorough planning. We will continue to invest for the future, and sow the seeds for sustainable and competitive transport sectors. I will now hand over to Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, who will explain our strategies for a sustainable land transport system.

The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Dr Janil Puthucheary): Mr Chairman, several Members have asked questions or provided suggestions that I will address in my response.

Mr Ang Wei Neng, Ms Sun Xueling, Mr Melvin Yong and Miss Cheng Li Hui have brought up issues such as COVID-19, taxi and private hire car (PHC) drivers, the transition to the Bus Contracting Model, the push for electric vehicles and the necessary incentives and infrastructure. They have also asked about our plans for autonomous vehicles and the future professional development of our transport workforce. I hope to address their questions.

COVID-19 has affected the public transport and point-to-point sectors. Compared to about a month ago, ridership on our MRT, our public buses and point-to-point transport sector has fallen by around 20%. The taxi and PHC drivers' livelihoods have been badly affected. They need help so that they can continue to provide sustainable services for Singaporean commuters.

Together with the operators and the driver associations, we launched a $77 million Point-to-Point Support Package last month. This will help to partially defray business costs incurred by about 40,000 eligible drivers. Taxi operators such as ComfortDelGro, SMRT, TransCab and Premier have committed to further help and will lean forward to provide additional rental rebates to their drivers, on top of matching Government's contributions to the package. This brings the total support committed by Government and operators to over $90 million over three months.

Eligible drivers have started receiving rental rebates or cash grants of up to $36.50 per day. Drivers who do not meet the eligibility criteria can seek help via the Government-NTUC Driver Care Fund. We hope that this will help the drivers through this difficult period.

But COVID-19 could have a longer term impact, so we are working closely with the operators and the driver associations to monitor the situation. If necessary, we will consider further support.

Even as we deal with COVID-19's immediate impact, we must push on with our plans for a future-ready land transport system. The Land Transport Masterplan 2040 (LTMP 2040) sets out this long-term vision that we have for our land transport system. It was developed in consultation with over 7,000 Singaporeans. And many participants recognised that Singapore is running up against tighter land, manpower, fiscal and environmental constraints. Long-term sustainability has to be a key planning consideration for our transport system.

There are three critical strategies for us to achieve this long-term sustainability of our land transport system.

First, we have to make Walk-Cycle-Ride (WCR) the preferred modes of transport here in Singapore. Walking – connecting us to the transport nodes, to the MRT, to the buses, and also to the amenities. Cycling – for those who can, as a very efficient and healthy way of getting around town. And riding – whether it is the MRT, the bus or shared vehicles, in preference to private car ownership.

The second key strategy is to move comprehensively to cleaner and greener vehicles – dealing with the emissions, dealing with resource utilisation and the issues around carbon.

Thirdly, we have to optimise our land transport system for the future. Every little bit of marginal gain – whether it is safety, whether it is efficiency, whether it is cost, whether it is the experience of the commuters – is important; and the best way to do so is to appropriately and correctly use technology to optimise our land transport system.

First strategy on making Walk-Cycle-Ride the preferred modes of transport.

It is sustainable, and Minister Khaw spoke about our ambitions for a world-class public transport network, our investments over the next decade to renew and expand the rail network. Senior Minister of State Dr Lam Pin Min spoke about how cycling and active mobility can play an appropriate role in this landscape.

Buses will also play an important role. Today, they already connect millions of Singaporeans to their homes, their schools and their offices on a daily basis.

The Public Transport Council's annual Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey (PTCSS) shows that commuter satisfaction in our public bus services continues to be high. The Bus Contracting Model (BCM) played an important part in achieving this. We have injected additional capacity through the BCM for more than 100 bus services. We have also built, replaced or upgraded 16 bus interchanges island-wide to keep pace with this larger bus fleet. Peak-hour bus waiting times for trunk services have come down from 20 minutes or less in 2016 to 15 minutes or less today. These improvements would not have been possible without the hard work, the dedication and the commitment of our bus captains.

The BCM was a major change for our bus industry and tripartite partners worked closely together to ensure a smooth transition. In particular, the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) played a key role in the development of tripartite guidelines to protect the welfare of bus sector employees and our bus captains. Bus operators competing for contracts under the BCM have to abide by these guidelines, which ensure that bus employees will be treated fairly and will be no worse off when a new operator takes on a contract.

Through this close partnership with NTWU, we have seen improvements to the working conditions for bus captains, such as upgraded staff canteens and more rest areas. The starting monthly pay for new local bus captains has also increased by over 25% since 2014, higher than the national wage growth of 18% over the same period. All of these would not have been possible without the NTWU's leadership and active participation, and we very much appreciate their contribution to this effort.

Our second strategy – to encourage cleaner and greener vehicles. It appears self-evident and has been discussed at great length in other parts of this Committee of Supply (COS) and also in the debate on the Budget. It is important and it is vital as we continue to grow our land transport system.

As mentioned in Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat's Budget speech, all vehicles will run on cleaner energy by 2040. This means that after 2030, we should see no new purchases of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Today, we have close to 900,000 ICE vehicles, and this will require an extensive transformation of the fleet, significant changes in commuting and consumer behaviour, and development of the necessary supporting infrastructure to achieve this vision.

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Today, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are the most promising cleaner vehicle technology. Car manufacturers are developing new models that are energy efficient and increasingly cost effective. Other technologies such as the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, could be viable in the future, but today they are currently less suited for mainstream use. We in Singapore lack a supply of green hydrogen to power hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. So, if we choose that path there will be a higher cost associated with the technology, infrastructure and refuelling. Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor developments and we will move in a way towards this vision for 2040 that will allow us to adapt to other technologies in the future.

It is an ambitious undertaking and there are serious challenges that we will need to overcome. The Government will make four moves to achieve this vision.

First, we will ensure that there is enough charging infrastructure accessible to EV owners. It will not be easy, but this is very important. Because if you are considering purchasing an EV over an ICE vehicle, you have to be convinced that you have access to a charger which is as convenient as access to a petrol station.

As a first step, we will prioritise the charging provision at carparks, starting with public carparks.

We will also work with the private sector to improve charging provisions at private carparks. We encourage charging providers to partner private developers and building owners, as many of them are keen to increase the availability of EV charging on their premises.

Greater EV adoption will result in an increase in electricity demand and we will be able to manage this because we will build new power generation capacity and we will reinforce our grid network. We will also incorporate innovations such as smart charging and energy storage solutions that store energy from the grid during off-peak periods. We are conducting studies to better understand the different factors that affect the demand for charging and we will also study potential solutions. This will guide our planned roll-out of the infrastructure needed.

The second move that we will make is to incentivise demand for EVs. Today, the upfront cost of EVs is about 78% higher than equivalent ICE vehicles. It is a large cost gap for a prospective EV owner. EV sales accounted for less than 0.1% of all new private car sales over the last five years. Today, we have about 1,000 EV cars.

This is why Deputy Prime Minister announced the EV Early Adoption Incentive at Budget this year. With this, the upfront cost difference between an EV and an equivalent ICE vehicle will be narrowed by up to $20,000. With further adoption and new models, this cost gap will close further. We expect EVs to reach cost parity with ICE vehicles by the mid 2020s. In the meantime, we hope that this incentive will serve as an early signal to encourage more prospective car owners to consider EVs. We also hope that car dealers will be encouraged to bring in more EV models. This will provide more choice for consumers and cater to the increase in demand.

Taxi companies will benefit from this incentive. Mass market EV taxi models will only need to pay the minimum Additional Registration Fee of $5,000. As fleets like taxis stand to benefit more from the lower per mile cost of EVs, we hope this incentivises more taxi companies to expand their electric taxi fleet. I am happy to hear that SMRT Taxis has already indicated their intention to trial more electric taxis in the near term.

Although existing EV owners are not eligible for the EV Early Adoption Incentive, they will benefit from the technical revision to the variable component of their road tax from 1 January 2021 onwards. As a special transitional arrangement, we will exempt them from the additional flat component of the new EV road tax that was introduced at this year’s Budget. This component was introduced to partly account for the loss in fuel excise duties that EVs do not incur. It will be waived for a three-year period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023 for all EVs registered before this period.

So, in future, going forward there will be an incentive for new purchasers of EVs. And owners of existing EVs, prior to 1 January 2021, will all see a reduction in road tax during this period.

The third move is that the Government will take the lead to green our fleets. Last year, I shared that all public buses and taxis will run on cleaner energy by 2040. We will go a step further: all new public bus purchases from now on will be cleaner energy buses, including electric or hybrid buses.

Since last March, we have deployed 50 diesel hybrid buses on the roads. We have also bought 60 fully electric buses and will be deploying them progressively this year. New bus depots will be designed to support electric buses. As we gradually replace our existing diesel buses with cleaner energy ones, Singaporeans will enjoy quieter commutes and cleaner air.

The fourth move is that we will update our regulations to keep pace with technology. As one example, we will allow high-powered e-motorcycles into Singapore from 1 April 2020. This is in addition to the low-powered e-motorcycles which are already allowed today, and will add to the cleaner vehicle options available. Motorcyclists can now do their part for the environment by choosing an electric model.

We will also approve CHAdeMO; it is a fast charging method for EVs, an optional EV public charging standard. This means that public charging points in Singapore can include these CHAdeMO chargers from today onwards. Prospective car owners will then be able to choose from a wider range of EV models, including those that use these CHAdeMO chargers.

We will continue to review and refresh our regulations on EVs to ensure that these keep pace with industry developments.

To recap, four moves to drive the strategy of EV adoption in Singapore: build up charging infrastructure, incentivise the purchase of EV vehicles, Government will take the lead with our fleet and updating our regulations.

For our third strategy – harnessing technology to optimise land transport for the future. We have always relied on new technology to improve our transport system and deliver better transport outcomes. There are examples such as how today, you can plan your journey by looking up bus arrival times through the MyTransport app. Commuters can sign up for SimplyGo, allowing you to pay for public transport using your contactless bank card, so you no longer have to top-up your stored value cards.

A further use of technology is Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). These have the potential to improve connectivity by more efficiently offering dynamically-routed forms of shared transport.

Our AV trials have come a long way since one-north was designated as the first site for AV public road testing in 2015. Today, about 30 AVs are authorised for public road trials in a testbed that has expanded to include areas such as the National University of Singapore and Jurong Island. These trials have allowed developers to enhance their technology through real-world applications, and helped LTA learn how to safely introduce AVs to improve our transport network.

The trials have also created opportunities for the public to interact with AV technology. Around 6,000 visitors tried out the on-demand driverless shuttles in Sentosa last year. The feedback was positive, with most visitors indicating that they enjoyed the ride, mostly because for them it is really no different from a usual bus ride.

We aim to progress to the next stage of trials with pilot deployment in the early 2020s. We have launched a Call-For-Collaboration last year and there has been keen interest from more than 20 companies. We are currently assessing and looking through their proposals. Safety and public acceptance will continue to be top priorities as we progress to pilot the deployment in other areas.

These are exciting developments. But even as we continue to study and adopt new technologies, we have to ensure that this benefits our people through better jobs.

AVs will transform the transport sector and create new jobs. Today, some of our public transport operators have already taken steps to familiarise our bus captains with AV bus operations. So, these bus captains then become confident of working with AV technologies in the future.

To further prepare our bus captains for AV buses, LTA will work with stakeholders such as NTWU and Public Transport Operators (PTOs) to develop a skills and training roadmap to be launched by the end of this year. This will identify emerging skills and new job roles arising from AV deployment. On-the-job training and courses on AV safety protocol and operations will also be developed. We plan to train about 100 bus captains as a start.

These efforts are part of the Land Transport Industry Transformation Map 2.0. The Government will continue to work closely with the unions and industry to prepare our workers for new job opportunities in the sector.

Another initiative borne out of this close tripartite relationship is the Rail Manpower Development Package (RMDP). The RMDP aims to expand the rail workforce and accelerate workforce transformation over the next five years. A key component of this is a set of incentives for rail operators to expand and accelerate their training in key technologies and skillsets such as data analytics and condition-based maintenance. We expect the first batch of workers to start training in these areas from the second quarter of this year, with over 3,000 expected to benefit over five years. RMDP will also attract, retain and raise the profile of rail professionals through the launch of new SGRail Industry Scholarships and Sponsorships. These will be open to fresh graduates and in-service staff to pursue further studies at Institutes of Higher Learning. By investing in our rail workers, we are also investing in the future of rail reliability.

Beyond bus and rail workers, we will also continue to provide retraining and upskilling opportunities for taxi and PHC drivers, including allowing them to move laterally into adjacent sectors. The taxi and PHC operators have worked closely with the driver associations, with support from SkillsFuture Singapore, to develop training programmes for the drivers. For example, as of the end of 2019, about 4,600 ComfortDelGro taxi drivers have completed the SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace training programme, learning new skills to use e-payment technologies. Earlier this year, Grab and National Private Hire Vehicle Association (NPHVA) also launched the Grab Driver-Partner Training Kit that includes courses on safety and digital skills. Over the next three months, drivers can also benefit from the Self-employed Persons (SEPs) Training Support Scheme, which the Minister for Manpower had announced in this House earlier.

We will continue to work with operators and unions to equip our land transport workforce with the necessary skills and capabilities for the next phase of development.

So, Mr Chairman, we have three major strategies today to move towards the land transport system of the future. We emphasise "Walk-Cycle-Ride" to deliver on the vision that we have for a 45-minute city and 20-minute towns. We want the system to be clean and green, and for every part of the system to be optimised through the use of technology and across all of these strategies, throughout all of our efforts, we have to keep our focus on making sure that there are good jobs, that we look after the workers and we provide them the opportunities to retrain and re-skill themselves, to take advantage of these new opportunities.

There is a lot of work ahead of us to achieve all of this. We invite Singaporeans to partner us on this journey. Together, we can build a sustainable land transport system that brings Singapore together, one which future generations of Singaporeans will enjoy and feel proud of.

The Chairman: Mr Baey Yam Keng.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mr Chairman, the COVID-19 situation over the past weeks has reminded us of the importance of safety and inclusivity in Singapore’s transport system. During this difficult period, it is even more important that we ensure that no one is left behind, especially the elderly and vulnerable.

In fact, safety and inclusivity have been priorities for transport, way before COVID-19 outbreak. Over the last five years, we have invested about $200 million on various safety and inclusivity-related transport initiatives. Let me highlight a few.

In 2018, we announced plans to implement the Red-Amber-Green (RAG) arrows at all feasible traffic junctions to replace discretionary right turns and improve pedestrian safety. Mr Png Eng Huat will be pleased to know that we have implemented these RAG arrows at more than 300 junctions and target to have the arrows at a total of 1,200 junctions by 2023.

We continue to strive towards a "Vision Zero" environment with fewer land transport-related fatalities, through regulations at the vehicle, driver and operator levels. This includes stringent medical examinations for drivers. Not only will this give confidence to commuters, this is also for the drivers' own safety.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap asked about streamlining the medical examinations for elderly taxi drivers. As shared in the House last week, by the end of this year, elderly taxi drivers who have passed the medical examinations for their Taxi Driver Vocational License (TDVL) can use them to renew their Class 3 personal driving licences.

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On the statutory age limit, we need to bear in mind that taxi driving is physically and mentally demanding, and can have serious impact on commuters and other road users. This move will bring greater convenience to our elderly taxi drivers. It is important to ensure that vocation drivers are fit to drive as they perform a public service. However, we are aware that with improve healthcare, drivers may be able to drive longer. We are studying the possibility of raising the statutory age limits of our elderly vocation drivers together with the Singapore Medical Association.

Mr Png Eng Huat also asked about Pedestrian Overhead Bridges (POBs). Indeed, our preference is to build crossings at-grade, rather than POBs, as they are all barrier-free and can be more easily accessed by the elderly and people with mobility challenges. However, there are instances where such at-grade crossings are dangerous, for example across major roads with fast-moving traffic, or when they may cause serious traffic congestion. In such cases, we will provide POBs. Even then, we will do our best to meet the needs of our elderly and the less ambulant. We plan to install lifts at all new POBs near major transport hubs and other existing POBs, if possible. As these lifts are costly, priority is given to the POBs which will most benefit the less mobile.

Since March 2015, we have gradually introduced priority queues at transport nodes, so that individuals with special needs can board buses and trains more easily. Building on this effort, we will also start trialling the use of priority cabins on the North East Line trains towards the end of this year. Commuters in these cabins, which will be located near station lifts where possible, are encouraged to give way to the more vulnerable commuters, such as the elderly, wheelchair users and families with young children. The idea for this initiative came from the various public engagements done to better understand commuters' needs. So, thank you for the suggestion.

As Singaporeans' mobility needs change, our transport system also needs to keep pace. Where suitable, the Government will continue to make our transport system even safer and more inclusive.

To enhance road safety for senior pedestrians, we have introduced 17 Silver Zones since 2014 with 18 currently in progress. These zones have narrower roads, speed humps to reduce traffic speed and two-stage crossings for senior pedestrians to pause and rest, making road crossing safer for them.

Over the past six years, accidents involving the elderly have reduced by almost 80% within these Silver Zones. With these encouraging results, we will continue with our plans to build a total of 50 Silver Zones island-wide by 2023. We are also constantly looking to improve upon existing results, for example, we will be trying lower speed limits at specific Silver Zones in the coming months to enhance road safety for our senior pedestrians.

To help the visually impaired navigate through our transport system, we piloted the mobile application, Mobility Assistance for the Visually Impaired and Selected Users (MAVIS). The app was piloted on selected buses since January 2019. MAVIS alerts bus drivers when commuters with special needs are boarding and alighting and allows visually impaired commuters to activate an audio announcement at the boarding bus-stop to guide them to their arriving bus. This might not mean a lot to able-bodied commuters, but to the visually impaired, these functions help them get around more conveniently and safely. We have received heart-felt feedback from commuters on how MAVIS had made a difference in their lives, giving them more confidence to take the bus, especially when there is no one around to help.

I am happy to share that towards the end of this year, we will expand the MAVIS trial progressively to all the buses on services 139 and 141, which serve the Enabling Village and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. Members would have also read about LTA's upcoming hands-free ticketing trial, which supports our effort to make it even more convenient for commuters with special needs to travel on our buses and trains, without the need to tap their fare cards.

Mr Chairman, the Government's efforts alone are not enough to make our land transport system safe and inclusive. For example, even if we build more lifts at existing train stations, it will not help vulnerable commuters if others compete to use the lifts.

Commuters play a very important role too. We will continue to encourage individual commuters to be more understanding about those with different needs from ours, be more gracious in putting others' needs before ours, and even better, be more caring by going the extra mile for fellow commuters, especially the elderly and those with special needs.

Let me share this story on how some commuters have done so. Mr Lester Wong was on the train when an elderly woman fell with her groceries and could not get up. Lester went out of his way to accompany her home, to make sure that the elderly was alright. Upon reaching home and taking a rest, the elderly was still not feeling well, so Lester insisted on sending her to the hospital to make sure that she got the medical care and attention she needed. Lester was the winner of the first Caring Commuter award last year.

Over the past years, we have heard many stories like Lester's and there are probably many more that we do not know of. We can harness these individual acts of care into a national movement and build a culture where showing care for fellow commuters becomes a way of life.

Hence, to galvanise commuters and other key stakeholders into action, the Public Transport Council has set up a new Caring SG Commuters Committee to help grow this movement:

Firstly, the Committee will help to facilitate greater awareness of the challenges faced by commuters and show commuters how to care for others. It is not always easy to know what kind of help others need, or if and when we should even offer help. Sometimes, we feel quite "paiseh"! This is why one of the Committee's first goals is to help commuters better understand other commuters' needs. We will encourage commuters who need help to ask for help too, so that it is easier for their fellow commuters to step up and provide the necessary care.

Secondly, the Committee will engage commuters and other stakeholders to explore ways we can grow the caring commuting movement further, as part of the broader SG Together movement. Over the next six months, the Committee will organise two series of engagements. To begin, we will engage widely to gather ideas and views on how we, as commuters, can contribute to this cause. Then, we will engage commuters in targeted ways to pilot and co-create solutions that can help to grow the movement.

The Committee will submit a report to the Minister for Transport in a year's time on its findings and recommendations on how we can continue to work with commuters and other stakeholders to build and sustain a caring commuting culture in Singapore.

Mr Chairman, the industry will also need to lean forward to play their part in making our land transport system safer and more inclusive for all Singaporeans. There may be some initiatives that are difficult for the Government to mandate and implement alone. An example would be the provision of child seats in taxis. This was discussed extensively during our public consultations for the P2P regulatory review and had mixed views from drivers, operators and the public. Today, I am pleased to announce that SMRT will be leaning forward to pilot the provision of booster seats in all its taxis, at no additional charge to commuters. This will enhance safety for children in taxis and provide parents of young children with a safer transport option.

Over the past weeks, we have seen even more instances of the industry stepping up to partner the Government, coming together during these difficult times.

For example, Grab and Gojek have rallied their drivers to step up in this time of crisis to provide on-demand transport services for our healthcare professionals. This had helped to provide peace of mind for the frontliners of our battle against COVID-19, to know that they can have a much needed, more comfortable ride home after a stressful day at work caring for fellow Singaporeans.

While COVID-19 would eventually run its course, the partnerships forged during this difficult time cannot end. We will continue to strengthen these ties and forge new partnerships as we build a transport system that is safer and more inclusive for all Singaporeans.

Such partnerships are pivotal in the next phase of Singapore's development. The Government cannot and should not do this alone. We will need to tap on synergies across sectors and harness the strength of our entire community. As a whole, we are greater than the sum of our individual parts. Working closely together with commuters, the industry and the community, we will achieve our vision of a safe and inclusive transport system for all.

The Chairman: Clarifications. Mr Ang Hin Kee.

Mr Ang Hin Kee: Chairman, I have a clarification for the Senior Minister of State Lam.

Beyond monitoring the take-up rate of training for aviation crew. I know that the Senior Minister of State takes a personal interest in many transport workers. I would like to invite the Senior Minister of State, together with SSG, WSG and CAAS to have a dialogue and attend a training class. Hopefully, the class can start within the month so that we can get a sense of whether the $112 million support to the aviation sector is reaching the workers and what has the workers' response been.

I believe the training programmes are available. We have a Skills Framework and the Industry Transformation Map. So, delivering training to the workers should be something that the training bodies and the various partners can deliver. And I would like to invite the Senior Minister of State to do that visit soon.

Dr Lam Pin Min: I would like to thank Mr Ang for that supplementary question. And I understand that he is equally concerned about the welfare of the workers.

The announcement of this enhanced training and support package was just made less than a week ago, on Monday. As I am aware, it is already quite well-received on the ground. Definitely, we will be working with SSG, e2i, WSG, CAAS and NTUC to see how we can jump-start some of these training courses for the air transport industry, especially the cabin crew that Mr Ang Hin Kee asked about in his cut.

I would also like to update Mr Ang that the SIA Group, for example, will be taking up around 6,000 training places under this enhanced training and support package. And we understand that this package will benefit up to 8,000 air transport workers. And SIA Group also planned to schedule the crew for training, hopefully from April onwards, taking into consideration things like the network and rostering requirements. But rest assured, I will be happy to accept the invitation by Mr Ang Hin Kee to visit them once you are ready.

The Chairman: Mr Dennis Tan.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Chairman, I thank Minister Khaw, Senior Minister of State Lam and Senior Minister of State Janil for answering some of the questions I have raised. I have a clarification for Senior Minister of State Janil.

In my Budget debate speech, I raised the issue of the Government's handling of the foreign internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles issue in Singapore. I also had some suggestions. I would like to just ask Senior Minister of State Janil: at this moment, how does the Government intend to handle the issue of foreign ICE vehicles in Singapore?

I am saying this because I think we all know that there are plenty of Malaysian lorries, buses motorcycles and passenger vehicles that come in and out of Singapore almost on a daily basis. I am sure that the Government would have to factor the presence of this large number of foreign ICE vehicles in Singapore as we work towards the plan in 2040. So, I will be grateful for the clarification.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Chairman, I thank the Member Mr Dennis Tan for his question. Certainly, the presence of foreign ICE vehicles is going to be an important consideration going forward. We are just getting started on our journey. If you look at what we are doing with the incentives, the waiver of some of the tax structures and some of the changes that we have to make, our regulatory space has not quite settled.

But when it does and as it does, one of the things we will have to look at is the relationship between what we do for Singaporean vehicles and then how that impacts what happens to non-Singaporean vehicles that are ICE vehicles when they come in. So, it is a factor but a it is a little bit premature to be absolutely settled on how it should be treated at this point.

The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Sir, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng mentioned about the $200 million that was spent on safety, but he has not touched on safety of AVs. I know there are trials on AVs in NUS and NTU. But can he elaborate more because the public wants to be absolutely sure that AVs are safe on the road.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Sitoh for the question and I am going to answer the question even though he directed it to my colleague, Mr Baey Yam Keng.

12.15 pm

Absolutely, public safety is a key consideration in how we develop our AVs. It is part of our phased and gated approach in the AV development. But it is also part of how we hope to have opportunities for the public to experience Autonomous Vehicles in a safe and controlled manner; and for the developers and operators to then learn about what is the public experience on Autonomous Vehicles so that the experience can be improved.

The Chairman: Mr Melvin Yong.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: Thank you, Chairman. I follow-up on that question on autonomous vehicles, beyond safety, I am asking about job security. Autonomous Vehicles can potentially disrupt the livelihood of more than 50,000 workers who depend on driving to make a living. I am heartened to hear the efforts are already being made to familiarise our Bus Captains with AV technology. The union has been working very closely with LTA on that.

But there are others such as taxi drivers, private hire drivers, heavy vehicle drivers, school bus drivers, and recently, I even visited and found that even driving instructors will be impacted and eventually displaced by AV technology. We must not forget them in our push towards AVs.

May I asked the Ministry and the LTA to work with NTUC for similar AV familiarisation and transition programmes for the respective workers groups?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Chairman, absolutely, we would be very happy to work with NTUC and our tripartite partners. I will go a step further. I think it is essential that we do so and we would not be able to address the space adequately if it were not for the strong partnerships that we are able to develop.

I would assure Mr Melvin Yong and his union colleagues that there will be plenty of jobs. The one thing we cannot be assured of is that everything will stay the same. But there will be plenty of jobs and if we take the right approach in terms of thinking ahead, developing these roadmaps around retraining and re-skilling, and then having our workers and our unions actively engage in that process of retraining and re-skilling, then everybody will be well looked after.

The Chairman: Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Thank you, Sir. I have two clarifications on the Cross Island Line (CRL). I thank Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min for sharing that they are exploring the non-playing areas in SICC so that we can move the worksite A1W1. But can I check whether we are looking into moving just a partial worksite of A1W1, or moving the entire worksite into the non-playing areas in SICC?

The second question is with regard to the establishment of the Environmental Advisory Panel that we are setting up to provide independent assessment of the implementation of the environmental monitoring and management plan. Can I just check who is LTA going to select to be part of this Panel?

Dr Lam Pin Min: I would like to thank Mr Louis Ng for his supplementary questions and his interest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR). Before I dwell into the questions that he has asked, I would like to assure the House that LTA, as well as MOT, have been working very, very closely with the nature groups in this journey. We have been engaging the nature groups and various stakeholders very intensively over the past six to seven years. I myself have met the nature groups' leadership on many occasions; even my predecessor, Minister Josephine Teo had done the same.

And this trust that we have built between MOT, LTA and the nature groups (NGs), is a very strong one. Therefore, I would like to reassure Mr Louis Ng as well as the rest of the nature groups' leadership, that we continue to work with them, even after the announcement of the alignment of CRL.

In fact, post-announcement, LTA has already engaged has already engaged the advanced engineering study consultant to look into the design of the alignment of the stations for CRL Phase 2 and that includes the optimisation of the worksite at A1W1. We shall wait for the report of the study before we can ascertain exactly how much we can optimise A1W1. But rest assured that we are also in a discussion with SICC to see how we can use some of the non-play sites within the golf course, so that we can minimise the impact of the the engineering works to the environment.

At the same time, we have also engaged an environmental impact study sub-consultant who will work with the advanced engineering study consultant to study the environmental impact of Cross Island Line Phase 2 on key biodiversity areas along its alignment.

I understand that Mr Louis Ng is also quite concerned about the Raffles Banded Langurs. LTA has also enlisted the help of our local primate specialist, Dr Andie Ang – we all know her very well – to study these together with the EIS consultant. There has been actually quite a number of mitigating measures suggested by Dr Andie Ang and we are currently working very closely with her.

With respect to the Member's specific question on the worksite, like I have mentioned, we will await the study, but definitely we will see how we can optimise the site in order to minimise the impact on the primates that he has mentioned – Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. We will make sure that the impact will be kept to a minimal, as much as possible.

As to the Member's second question on the Advisory Panel, I think we shall wait for LTA to make the necessary announcement.

The Chairman: Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: Thank you, Sir. Just two questions for the MOT office-holders. The first question pertains to a point I raised in my Budget debate speech about private bus drivers in Singapore and some of their concerns arising out of the COVID-19 situation. Does MOT have a perspective or position on how they can be helped and reached out to, in this time of need?

The second clarification arises from Senior Minister of State Janil's sharing on the purchase of public buses. I think 60 buses were purchased. What initiatives does the Ministry have in mind for the earlier adaptation for electric buses for the private sector? There are a lot of buses that are used to transport workers in Singapore, for example, and that can only support the Government's mission of the transit to electric vehicles in general.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Chairman, on Mr Singh's first point. The best help for the private bus drivers is going to be when business is usual is returned to and the tourists come back and workers need to be transferred and the current crisis is over. They will benefit from some of the measures that are in the larger support package for businesses in general and for Singaporeans in general. We have not gotten a specific package for private bus drivers, but as business entities in general, they will be assisted. But it is something we were looking at. And if there is an appropriate way and appropriate opportunity to do so, it is something that we can consider.

There are differences though, through the taxi operators, for example. There are ways in which we make sure that it goes down to the individual worker and so forth, and that is, the outcome that we would like to achieve.

For the electrification of private sector buses, the changes around vehicle emission schemes would be one of the key measures through which we hope they would be incentivised to then think about transition to electric platforms. The difficulty, of course, is that there are not quite as many models and platforms of that size today. There will be, as the technology improves, but we hope to be able to incentivise this from the emissions perspective.

The 60 buses that Mr Singh mentioned – 50 diesel hybrid – they demonstrate some of the difficulties that we have. We are exploring how to deploy and operationalise this technology and see what we need in terms of maintenance or depot reconfiguration, changes to the skill sets in our workers. And that is something where we have the entire network to deal with. I think for the smaller operators, it may take a little bit longer before they are able to make these changes. So, we do have some time to do it to meet our targets, but we will find ways to incentivise and encourage them to develop the skills and ability to do so.

The Chairman: Mr Yee Chia Hsing.

Mr Yee Chia Hsing: Thank you, Chairman. I hear from Senior Minister of State Janil that in 10 years' time, almost 100% of the new cars sold will be electric vehicles or clean energy vehicles. But now we are at 0.1%. How do we move from 0.1% to 100% in 10 years?

Like I have mentioned in our Budget speech, I think we need a five-year target rather than shoot for a 10-year mark. If in five years, we are not even hitting 5%, I think we will miss our target.

The other feedback is that there are a lot of car models, EV models which are available in the UK, but the dealers do not bring them in. What is MOT doing to push all these dealers to bring these models in? That is one feedback from consumers, that they have very limited EV choices.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Chairman, indeed our strategies that I have discussed – the four moves – are to reduce the cost differential between an electric vehicle and an internal combustion engine vehicle, encourage consumers to take this up as a choice, both because of the aspiration to be cleaner and greener, then hopefully it makes increasing economic sense to do so. Over the lifetime of a vehicle, an electric vehicle, hopefully, should incur less maintenance cost, the mechanisms are easier to maintain, and also less energy cost.

So, the short answer is we hope consumers will make the choice and we are trying to incentivise consumers to make the choice, as a result of which dealers should respond.

Internationally, many manufacturers are developing new models and have committed in some cases, to only develop electric models past a certain date. That should also help to lower the price of these vehicles.

Put together, we hope that over the next 10 years, there are increasing reasons for Singaporeans who choose to buy a car to choose to buy an electric car. And then, we hope that somewhere around 2030, we will have the last sale of an internal combustion engine vehicle and then, over a 10-year cycle by 2040, we will have an entire cleaner and greener fleet here in Singapore.

The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Mr Chairman, I thank all Members for their speeches and contributions. In particular, I would like to thank the MOT team for their hard work and support. Sir with that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,992,837,500 for Head W ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $9,484,729,700 for Head W ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.