News releases
Public Transport Council Identifies Focus Areas to Enhance Commuting Experience
20 July 2026
Crowding, waiting times, commuter graciousness and train temperatures among top concerns raised by commuters
1. Based on the 2025 Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey (PTCSS), as well as other feedback received from commuters through channels such as focus group dialogue and public feedback, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has identified three key areas for improvement in our public transport network: (a) crowding and bus waiting times; (b) courtesy and consideration among commuters; and (c) the quality of air conditioning on trains. PTC has been engaging the Land Transport Authority (LTA), public transport operators (PTOs) as well as commuters to discuss ways to make improvements to these aspects of public transport journeys.
Key Areas of Feedback
Waiting Time for Buses and Crowding in Buses and Trains
2. The top areas of commuters’ concern are irregular bus waiting times and difficulty in boarding crowded buses and trains. While the coverage and frequency of bus services have been enhanced under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, and rail capacity has increased with the introduction of the Thomson-East Coast Line in recent years, commuters remained concerned about bus waiting times and crowdedness on buses and trains. Commuters desired more accurate and timely information on bus and train arrival timings to better plan their journeys, choose less crowded services and reduce waiting times. PTC will facilitate deeper engagements with LTA, commuters, and app developers to explore how journey planning mobile applications can be enhanced to help commuters make more informed decisions.
3. Commuters also shared feedback that other commuters often do not give way or move in, resulting in space on buses or trains not being optimally utilised. As a result, some commuters may be unable to board the first arriving service and have to wait longer for the next bus or train. Bus captains and crowd marshals actively encourage commuters to move in to less crowded areas of the bus and train carriages. Commuters are also encouraged to take the initiative to move in and make better use of available space. PTC will engage LTA, commuters and operators on ways to further improve boarding efficiency, such as rear-door boarding for buses where it is safe, or deploying additional marshals or digital screens at busier train platforms to guide commuters to less crowded train carriages.
Care and Consideration on Public Transport
4. The next highest concern raised by commuters is the level of care and consideration shown by other commuters on public transport. Common feedback today on inconsiderate behaviour includes playing music or videos aloud and an unwillingness to give up seats to those who may need them more. PTC has been spearheading the Caring SG Commuters movement and working with LTA, PTOs, educational institutions and community organisations to foster a more gracious, caring and inclusive commuting culture in Singapore. PTC will continue to strengthen the Caring SG Commuters movement to increase public awareness and foster empathy to make everyday journeys more pleasant for all. PTC also invites all commuters to be part of the movement and be considerate and look out for others in need, as building a gracious and caring commuting culture is a shared responsibility.
Air Conditioning on Trains
5. Finally, commuters also raised concerns about thermal comfort on trains, such as uneven temperatures and weak airflow particularly during peak periods and on certain train lines. PTC will engage LTA and PTOs to explore ways to enhance travel comfort, potentially by optimising air-conditioning performance on older train fleets and reviewing maintenance practices, where appropriate.
6. Please refer to Annex A for more details on PTC’s findings and recommendations.
Understanding Commuters’ Expectations and Needs
7. PTC conducts surveys and research studies to gather public feedback on matters relating to bus, train, street-hail and ride-hail services in Singapore. These include the PTCSS and Point-to-Point Transport Services Customer Satisfaction Survey (PCSS). These data points allow PTC to understand pain points and to recommend measures to improve the commuter experience.
8. To ensure that the PTCSS and PCSS continue to be effective and relevant in capturing commuter feedback, PTC undertook a comprehensive review of the surveys from November 2024 to June 2025. The review resulted in enhancements to the survey design and methodology, including refinements to the question formats, and service attributes.
9. The 2025 PTCSS found that on an overall basis, 87% of commuters expressed satisfaction with Singapore's public transport system, and 96% of commuters surveyed in the 2025 PCSS were satisfied with Singapore's P2P transport services. Please refer to Annex B for more details on the surveys.
10. Delivering a better public transport experience is a shared endeavour. PTC will continue to surface commuter concerns, facilitate discussions and bring together stakeholders, including commuters, to shape Singapore’s public transport system. PTC has also shared the PCSS findings with P2P operators and encouraged them to take steps to improve the commuter experience.
11. “A key tenet of PTC’s work is to improve the commuter experience. This requires us to continually engage commuters and operators to better understand their concerns and identify practical solutions. We understand that many of the proposed solutions require careful balancing of the interests of commuters, operators and the wider public. PTC remains committed to ensuring that commuters are at the heart of the decisions that shape Singapore’s public transport system. While agencies and operators will continue to improve the hardware of our public transport network, every commuter also has a role to play through greater care, courtesy and consideration for one another. Together, we can make every ride a more joyful and purposeful one.” said Ms Janet Ang, Chairperson, Public Transport Council.