Supporting SPED Schools and Middle-income Families Affected by Discontinued One-way Transport Services
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether Special Education (SPED) school bus operators are discontinuing one-way transport services and how affected families and schools are being supported. Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked about measures to prevent forced two-way fare bundling and whether targeted support would be provided to middle-income families facing fare increases. Minister Desmond Lee clarified that all SPED school bus operators offer both one-way and two-way services, though specialised requirements and high overhead costs limit the pool of suitable operators. To remain commercially viable, operators often charge identical or only slightly lower fares for one-way transport, with Social Service Agencies helping set sustainable pricing guidelines. Minister Desmond Lee highlighted that eligible SPED students can receive up to an 80% subsidy on bus fees through the Enabling Transport Subsidy or apply for school-based financial assistance.
Transcript
44 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has information that some Special Education (SPED) school bus operators will be discontinuing one-way transport services; (b) if so, how will affected SPED schools be supported in monitoring bus operators to prevent forced two-way fare bundling; and (c) whether targeted support will be provided to middle-income families who fall outside means-testing thresholds but face bus fare increases due to the discontinuance.
Mr Desmond Lee: All school bus operators serving Special Education (SPED) schools offer both one-way and two-way transport services. However, such school bus operators may require vehicle retrofitting, specialised vehicles, trained bus attendants and customised transport arrangements to accommodate their higher needs. These requirements can limit the pool of suitable operators.
To manage their overhead costs and maintain a commercially viable service, most operators across mainstream and SPED schools charge only a slightly lower fare for one-way transport than for two-way transport. In some cases, there are operators that charge the same fare for both options.
Social Service Agencies (SSAs) operating SPED schools work with their bus operators to set pricing guidelines that balance these constraints while keeping school bus transport service sustainable.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) recognises the importance of keeping school bus services affordable and regularly reviews assistance schemes to support families in managing transport costs. When financial assistance is needed, eligible SPED students may receive up to 80% subsidy on school bus fee through the Ministry of Social and Family Development's Enabling Transport Subsidy (ETS) and/or apply for school-based financial assistance through their schools. MOE will continue to work with SSAs and relevant agencies to improve the affordability of school bus services over the longer term.