Utilisation Rate and Cost of Marine Parade Cluster WeCare Shuttle Bus Service
Ministry of Culture, Community and YouthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the utilisation rates, costs, and future of the Marine Parade Cluster WeCare Shuttle Service, as raised by Mr Fadli Fawzi. Minister Edwin Tong Chun Fai stated that the pilot received a $200,000 seed grant, with remaining costs covered by grassroots fundraising and donations. Due to varying utilisation rates across its six routes, the grassroots organisations decided to terminate the service after its contract ends on 20 November 2025. Resources will be redirected to more targeted resident needs, and alternative plans will be shared by the grassroots organisations in due course. Whether other community-based shuttle services are launched will depend on factors like specific local requirements, costs, and the availability of existing transport alternatives.
Transcript
95 Mr Fadli Fawzi asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what were the utilisation rates and actual costs of the Marine Parade Cluster WeCare Shuttle Service during its one-year pilot; (b) what are the future plans for the service; (c) whether the Government has provided additional funding beyond the initial one-off $200,000 seed grant; and (d) whether any other grassroots organisations are planning such community-based shuttle services.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: I am answering in my capacity as the Minister charged with the responsibility for the People's Association.
The Marine Parade shuttle bus service is a ground-up initiative by the Grassroots Organisations (GROs) of the Marine Parade Town Cluster. It was started with a seed grant of $200,000 by South East Community Development Council (CDC), with the aim of trialling a bus service for better connectivity for residents. There is a total of six bus routes each plying different routes. It was a pilot project which started in early July 2024.
The service has been regularly reviewed throughout its pilot, with some adjustments being made at the end of last year after user feedback was obtained. On the whole, utilisation of the service varies from route to route and also depending on the time of the day.
Following the latest review, the GROs of the Marine Parade Town Cluster have assessed and decided not to continue with the bus service when the current contract period is up on 20 November 2025 and instead re-direct their resources in a more targeted manner. Further information on this and alternative plans will be shared by the Marine Parade Town Cluster GROs with their residents.
Beyond the $200,000 seed grant provided by the South East CDC to implement the pilot, the rest of the funds used to run the bus service throughout the entire period were raised by the GROs and through donations.
As to whether any other GROs are planning such community-based shuttle services, it would depend on factors, such as the specific local needs of the residents, the cost of any such services and the availability of alternatives.