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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

41

Abstract
Integrated public Integrated public transport has received particular
attention in recent years as a means to improve public
transport in transport services and reduce reliance on car travel.
Cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong already
have high modal shares in public transport (63% and
Singapore and 90% of all motorised trips, respectively). The high
population densities in these cities naturally help

Hong Kong promoting travel by public transport, but the high


quality of transport services is also another key factor.
High modal shares and good service levels still require
extra effort to integrate the services across all modes.
This paper describes the activities in integrated public
James Luk and Piotr Olszewski transport in Singapore and Hong Kong. These
activities are in the form of physical, network, fare,
information and institutional integration. The paper
discusses the issues involved, including those related
to an ageing population problem. In car-based
Australian cities, improving public transport systems
alone may not be effective in reducing car travel. The
investment required to effect significant modal shift
will be high. Apart from good public transport services,
Singapore also relies on high car ownership and
usage costs and Hong Kong on road congestion and
carparking control to maintain a low car-ownership
rate. The introduction of complementary measures
such as more bus and transit lanes and even congestion
pricing may be necessary to reduce car use in
Australian cities.

Invited Paper
This unrefereed paper is based on a presentation to
the Conference on Integrated Transport for Local
Communities, held by ARRB Transport Research in
Melbourne on 2-3 December, 2002. It is published
here with permission in the interests of information
dissemination, and as a contribution to policy and
technical discussions on integrated transport in
Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

42
INTRODUCTION This paper begins with the definition of integrated
public transport and limits the scope of discussion to
Singapore and Hong Kong are well-known for their
the transport of passengers; freight transport is
high modal shares in public transport trips. Singapore
excluded. It then identifies the five key measures for
has also successfully introduced congestion pricing
transport integration. The Singapore experience is
since 1975 to reduce car trips to the CBD and maintained
used to illustrate the various measures. Hong Kong
high car ownership costs to encourage transit usage
has its own set of issues which are described in a
(Luk 1999). Hong Kong has a very high urban density
subsequent Section. A discussion of integrated public
and is one of the few cities that can provide a good
transport in the context of an ageing population is
return on investments in public transport systems
also provided.
and its transit modal share is even higher than that of
Singapore. Table 1 summarises some of the basic
characteristics of Melbourne, Singapore and Hong MEASURES FOR INTEGRATED PUBLIC
Kong with data compiled from year books and various
TRANSPORT
web sites (see References list at the end of the paper).
The term ‘integrated public transport’ (or simply
In recent years, integrated public transport has ‘integrated transport’) is generally defined as a system
received particular attention in Singapore and Hong that provides door-to-door public transport services
Kong as well as in many other cities. There is real effort for passengers (Janic and Reggiani 2001). The term
in improving the connectivity across transport modes ‘intermodal transport’ is commonly used for the
so that public transport becomes a viable alternative transport of goods. There are as yet no standard
to car travel, thus reducing road congestion, pollutant definitions of these terms. The objective of integrated
emission and other externalities – an objective shared public transport is clear – to achieve a high transit
by many large cities. Transport systems have not modal share with a seamless service using two or
usually begun from an integrated platform. They tend more modes.
to evolve over time as population increases, with rail
or tram lines radiating from the city centre. This paper Measures for integrating transport services include
describes the measures that have recently been taken the following five broad categories (Luk and Olszewski
to improve the integration of transport services in 2001; Luk and Yang 2001; Konopatzki 2002):
Singapore and Hong Kong. These two cities are chosen
partly because the authors have lived in both cities for (a) Physical integration – the close proximity and
some time and are familiar with the issues involved. ease of access at mode interchanges will greatly
It is also because of the large investments by both enhance public transport services. Walkways
Governments in pursuing better service integration. should be carefully designed for passengers to

Table 1
Some urban transport features of Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong

Characteristic Melbourne Singapore Hong Kong

Population (million) 3.5 4.16 6.79


Area (km2) 2025 685 1100
Population density (per km2) 1720 6075 6300
Private car ownership (/1000) 490 113 50
Public transport modal share
• % of total motorised trips 9.5% 63% 90%
• % of total pax-km (from Newman 8% 47% 82%
and Kenworthy 1999)

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

43
change mode. Passengers should be within a coordination amongst government agencies, and
short walking distance from their residences to a between the private and public sectors, become
transit stop. vitally important.

(b) Network integration – bus and rail systems The following Section describes how these measures
should be an integrated network in their own are being implemented in Singapore.
right and these separate networks should further
complement one another. Feeder services using
buses, trams or light rail should be designed to INTEGRATED MEASURES IN SINGAPORE
maximise the patronage of the trunk routes. Singapore has a population of about 4.2 million and
Network integration is closely linked to physical an area of 685 km2. It has an effective pricing program
integration and both contribute towards the to manage traffic congestion. It is the home of the
integration of infrastructure. world’s first Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) and the
subsequent Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system to
(c) Fare integration – a single fare card for multiple implement congestion pricing for traffic management.
transit services will facilitate the transfer between Car ownership costs are also kept high through a
modes. Rebates can be implemented as an Vehicle Quota System and other ownership fees. The
inducement for those who transfer from one mode quota for new vehicles per year is fixed at 3% of the
to another. previous year’s vehicle population. The island-wide
transit modal share is high at 63% of all motorised
(d) Information integration – a comprehensive, easy- trips. The network of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and
to-use passenger travel guide is critical to Light Rail Transit (LRT) is going through fast
successful multi-modal travel. The signage at rail expansion. Table 2 shows the modal split in Year 2000
and bus stations should be properly designed to for all motorised trips.
convey effective information to travellers.
Information Technologies (IT) and Intelligent The Government plans to continue investing in public
Transport Systems (ITS) can play important roles transport (especially rail) so that the modal split
in integrated transport in general and information increases to 75% of all motorised trips. The intent is to
integration in particular. achieve a comprehensive MRT network for the whole
island. Buses or LRT are to be used in the long term as
(e) Institutional integration – a common institutional feeder services to the MRT and within-suburb travel.
framework is better able to undertake land-use The current rail transit system has 90 km (including
planning, travel demand management and 7.8 km of LRT). The short-term plan is to increase the
integrated public transport services. In the absence rail network to about 150 km by 2006 from the current
of such common framework, cooperation and 90 km. The rail projects committed for completion by

Table 2
Singapore island-wide daily modal split for motorised trips (Year 2000)

Motorised transport mode Daily person-trips Percentage

Rail (MRT and LRT) 1,100,000 14


Bus 3,080,000 41
Taxi 590,000 8
Car, motorcycle, goods
vehicle, private bus and ferries 2,800,000 37

Total 7,570,000 100

Source: Luk (1999) with updates

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

44
2006 are shown in Table 3 (see Figure 1). The Government merged with SMRT Group. As a result, there are now
currently provides the funding for the infrastructure two multi-modal operator groups.
construction. The transit operator funds the rolling
stock, other mechanical and electrical system Physical Integration
replacement costs and the on-going operating cost.
New transit stations are now designed to integrate
with commercial development and at least one other
Traditionally, the SBS Transit provided nearly all the
transport mode (Tong 2002). The North-East Line,
bus services in the island until the Trans-Island Bus
which was opened in June 2003, has all its stations
Services (TIBS) began operation in 1983. The Singapore
well-integrated with adjacent activity centres. This
Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT Group) was given the task
policy is a departure of the earlier MRT station design
to operate all heavy and light rail services. Due to the
– often separated from the nearby neighbourhood and
continuing expansion of the transit networks and the
shopping area by a good 10 minutes’ walk on average.
need for integration, the most recent institutional
The Senkang LRT and the Punggol LRT act as feeder
framework is shown in Table 4. In 2002 TIBS was

Table 3
New rail projects to be completed in Singapore by 2006

Project Type Length (km) Available by

Changi Airport Line MRT 6 Completed in 2002


North-East Line MRT 20 Completed in 2003
Circle Line: Phase 1 MRT 5.4 2006
Phase 2 MRT 5.6 2006
Senkang LRT 11 Partly completed in 2002
Punggol LRT 10 2004

Total 58

Source: Tong (2002); MRT = Mass Rapid Transit; LRT = Light Rail Transit

Figure 1
Rail projects in Singapore

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

45
Table 4
Current public transport operators in Singapore

Operator Bus Mass Rapid Transit Light Rapid Transit


(MRT) (LRT)

SBS Transit 2500 buses on North East Line Senkang LRT


200 routes (opened in June 2003) Punggol LRT
(all in the north east
sector)

Singapore Mass — North-South Line Bukit Panjang LRT


Rapid Transit East-West Line
(SMRT) Circle Line (under
construction)

Trans-Island 600 buses on — —


Bus Services 53 routes (mostly
(part of the SMRT in the north side)
Group)

Notes: these operators also provide other types of transport services both in Singapore and overseas

services to the North-East Line and are integrated of population within the catchment area (800 m from
with local neighbourhoods. a station) from 19% to 24% (Konopatzki 2002). The
construction of the Circle Line will further provide a
Existing MRT stations are upgraded to achieve better circumferential linkage of middle area suburbs.
integration. These include:
These and other new proposals for MRT construction
• Woodland MRT/bus interchange; will provide a better-integrated MRT network on its
• Novena MRT station integrated with nearby own. However, the current daily volume of MRT/LRT
commercial development; passengers is about 1.1 million compared with the 3
million bus passenger trips (Table 2). The catchment
• Dover MRT station with roadside bus stop; and
area of the bus network is very extensive with 90% of
• Toa Payoh MRT station with a relocated bus the population living within 300 m of a bus stop. The
interchange. bus network is currently the backbone of the public
transport services supporting about 41% of all
More attention is given to the architectural design of motorised trips.
new MRT stations from both the aesthetic and
accessibility points of view. Safe and easy walk paths With further investment in MRT/LRT, it is important
and elevators are now provided for all users, especially that the bus network and the rail network are properly
for the ageing population and those on wheelchairs integrated. There are suggestions to use the bus (or
(see Section on Issues Related to The Ageing LRT) network only as a feeder service to MRT so that
Population). there is less surface road congestion on arterial roads.
The MRT network is to provide the major share of the
Network Integration long haul travel. In changing the role of the bus
Network integration requires substantial funding and network, it is important to ensure that current bus
takes time to achieve. The MRT network began with users are not penalised with a walking distance
three radial routes from the CBD, followed by the substantially longer than the current 300 m in order to
Woodland extension in the north to connect two of the catch a train. The issue of network integration becomes
three radial routes (Figure 1). The completion of the even more important if bus trunk routes are no longer
North-East Line is expected to increase the percentage provided.

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

46
Fare Integration The signage system will also be progressively extended
to bus interchanges, bus stop and taxi stands. It
A single fare card usable on all public transport
provides a consistent identity for all public transport
modes greatly facilitates integrated transport.
modes.
Singapore introduced a magnetic stripe, stored-value
TransitLink fare card in 1990 for bus/rail travel. A
In future, real-time information could be provided
contactless smart card, called the EZ Card, was
through an 'i-Transport platform'. This is an IT
introduced in 2002 as a common fare card for all bus,
platform that integrates traffic information from road-
MRT and LRT services. The EZ card project was
based ITS measures (signal system, freeway
designed by the same company (the ERG Group of
monitoring system, road pricing system) and transit-
Australia) that implemented the Hong Kong Octopus
based measures (GPS-equipped taxis and buses, MRT/
Card (contactless) and the Melbourne Metcard
LRT locations). A traveller would be able to use this
(magnetic stripe). Other applications suitable for the
real-time information to make decisions on modal
EZ card include park-and-ride and small retail
choices, trip start times and route planning.
purchases.

The impacts of such a system are efficiency gain and Institutional Integration
operating cost reduction. In a trial study on the use of The formation of a service company such as
the EZ Card, the boarding time of a bus was found to TransitLink in 1989 was a first step towards
decrease by 62% compared with cash payment, and institutional integration. In 1995 the Land Transport
34% compared with magnetic transit cards. In Hong Authority was formed which combined the functions
Kong, it was also found that the cost of coin collection of a planning agency and regulatory body for both
and counting was about 8% of the revenue and this public and private transport. The publication of its
cost has been substantially reduced. Each day’s taking White Paper (Land Transport Authority 1996)
can now be reconciled within 24 hours instead of the outlining the policy of promoting public transport
usual three-day delay when cash constituted a was a major milestone.
significant portion of the revenue.
The process of institutional integration takes many
With a single fare card, it is also easy to encourage years, in Singapore as in many other cities. Singapore
using public transport by introducing rebates for began with a large number of small private bus
intermodal transfer. Using the EZ card and the earlier companies. As shown in Table 4, the latest institutional
TransitLink card, a rebate of up to S$0.25 is given to an integration takes the form of two key operators: SBS
individual passenger who transfers from an MRT Transit operating the North-East Line, the Senkang
station to a bus within 30 minutes. Fare integration and Punggol LRT’s (also in the north-east sector of the
and rebates are powerful tools to achieve a high island), and the majority of island-wide bus services.
transit modal share. The other operator is the SMRT Group, which has
most of the MRT lines: North-South Line, East-West
Information Integration Line, the Circle Line that is under construction, and
the Bukit Panjang LRT Line in the north-west sector.
A service company, TransitLink, was formed in 1989
Another bus company, TIBS, operating on the north
to produce a transit travel guide and coordinate transit
side of the island, is now part of the SMRT Group.
travel information such as routes, timetables and
multi-modal data at interchanges. The TransitLink
There is some overlap of the bus networks of SBS
Guide provides coordinated and comprehensive
Transit and TIBS and hence some competition. The
information on all aspects of travelling on bus, MRT
rail networks are quite well segregated geographically.
and LRT in a single book. It is updated every year and
Each operator is thus in a good position to provide
remains in use today. An electronic version is also
integrated services within its designated territory.
available through the Internet.

With an expanding MRT/LRT network, it becomes


THE HONG KONG EXPERIENCE
necessary to employ a good signage system to facilitate
multi-modal travel. New colour coding for MRT/LRT Car-ownership in Hong Kong is very low at 50 cars per
lines has recently been introduced. Each MRT/LRT thousand population, and the public transport systems
station employs consistent new alphanumeric codes. account for 90% of motorised trips. Table 5 shows the

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

47
Table 5
Public transport modal share in Hong Kong (2001 data)

Mode Types Daily passengers %

Railways East Rail (also 800,000 7.4%


known as Kowloon-
Canton Railway)
Mass Transit Railway 2,200,000 20.4%
(MTR)
Airport Express 25,000 0.2%

Buses Franchised buses 4,166,000 38.6%


Minibuses 1,632,000 15.1%

Taxis Taxis 1,313,000 12.2%

Light Rail Trams (HK Island) 240,000 2.2%


Light Rail Transit in 319,000 3.0%
New Territories
Peak Tram 9,600 0.1%

Ferries Ferries 93,200 0.9%

Total 10,797,800 100.0%

Source: Hong Kong Government (2002)

modal splits of different public transport systems in the Government has focussed on infrastructure
Hong Kong. The two major issues facing the city are investments to facilitate integration. The investments
road congestion and air quality. The high congestion are in more and better modal interchanges, and extra
in the road network together with good public transport heavy and light rail routes. Some recent projects on
systems are the key factors that keep car-ownership low transport integration include (Figure 2) —
in Hong Kong (Cullinane and Cullinane 2003). The
Government is implementing a plan to increase the • Extension of the southern terminal of the East
railway network from 150 km to 200 km by 2007. There Rail (which connects Kowloon to China in the
is also a plan to invest more in rail such that the rail north) by 1.6 km to facilitate interchange with the
modal share increases from around 30% to 45% by 2016 MTR station at Tsim Sha Tsui (see Figure 3);
(Hong Kong Government 2003). • New crossing to China with the construction of
the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line off the East Rail;
Hong Kong has a private sector driven economy and
• Construction of the West Rail and better
productivity gain is achieved through competition,
integration with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in
which goes against the ideal of integrated transport.
the west side of New Territories; and
Hong Kong has a long history of private transit
operators, with many modes available to the • Construction of the Ma On Shan (medium) rail to
population. Its high density provides easy physical the Shatin Station of the East Rail.
integration and most of the Mass Transit Railway
(MTR) stations are well-integrated with activity centres The local regulatory authority is the Hong Kong
and local neighbourhoods. Transport Department. It has recently initiated the
Study on Coordination of Other Public Transport
Apart from the implementation of the very popular Services with New Railways (SCOPTS) to increase the
Octopus integrated fare collection system since 1997, rail modal share. The study has recommended some

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

48
Figure 2
Rail projects in
Hong Kong
(Source: adapted
from Yan et al.
2001)

• The marginal benefit of integrated public


transport in Hong Kong is not obvious and may
be small.
• Better modal interchanges and information
integration are the key measures that benefit the
public in the local context.
• There is lack of space for park-and-ride facilities
for bicycles.

From surveys reported in Cullinane and Cullinane


(2003), the aspiration to own cars amongst the younger
population in Hong Kong is quite high. In view of the
excellent public transport services, heavy road
congestion and high carparking charges, this finding
provides some policy directions for Australian cities.
Improving public transport services (and
incorporating transport integration) is a step in the
Figure 3
Extension of East Rail in Hong Kong by 1.5 km for transport
right direction. However, experiences have shown
integration (Source: adapted from Yan et al. 2001) that the investment cost would be high and the effect
in increasing transit modal share could be small (Luk
2003). Complementary measures to reduce car
reductions in bus services (Yan et al. 2001) and the ownership and usage are necessary, e.g. high car
issue of the subsequent increase of the walk distances ownership and usage costs in Singapore and limited
of current bus users needs to be addressed. Other carparking facilities and road capacities in Hong
issues are: Kong. Note that both cities have extensive provision
of bus lanes, which effectively increase congestion to
• Each transport mode should be well integrated car users and reduce delay for bus travellers.
with the current land-use development.

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

49
ISSUES RELATED TO THE AGEING While the moves towards greater transport integration
POPULATION are generally resulting in improved quality of service,
care must be taken to make the integrated system more
The demographic structure in Singapore and Hong
accessible and suitable for the elderly.
Kong, as in other urban areas, is changing – people
Accommodating the needs of these passengers should
live longer and the proportions of those over 65 are
involve the following types of facilities.
increasing rapidly. This ageing population
phenomenon has important implications on the future
Interchanges
transport systems in cities. The rapidly growing
numbers of senior citizens will require special attention Interchanges between urban transport modes,
and improved public transport facilities. Mobility is terminals and stations are the locations where most
now considered to be an aspect of the quality of life for barriers exist. Especially old facilities often constitute
the elderly (Olszewski 2001). While people over 65 insurmountable obstacles for older travellers. Old
generally tend to make fewer and shorter trips, the infrastructure should be re-designed with proper
new generations now entering the retirement age have accessibility standards whenever renovation works
higher aspirations for leading an active lifestyle. are carried out. The desirable interchange features are:
lifts, ramps, better stairs and escalators, reduced gap
The proportion of those 65+ now ranges between 12% between platform and train/vehicle, and tactile floors.
and 17% in industrialised countries. As birth rates are
low and people live longer, the proportion of the When designing new interchanges, the aim should be
elderly will keep increasing. Long-term projections to minimise the impedance associated with the
talk about 1/3 of the population being over 65 in fifty transfers. Specifically, interchanges should be designed
years in several countries (ECMT 1999). so as to reduce walking distances, effort to negotiate
stairs and ramps, and time between arriving and
Singapore, which now has only 7.3% of people over departure. In addition, elderly-friendly interchanges
65, will be catching up fast. While the total resident should have ancillary facilities (i.e. accessible toilets,
population is expected to increase by only 12%, the convenience shops, etc.), be secure, well-lit and
numbers of the elderly (65+) are likely to grow almost protected from the weather, and provide very good
four times (from 240,000 to 930,000 in 2030). The information.
demand for travel by the over-60 age group is likely to
increase between 4.2 and 5.7 times, depending on Pedestrian Environment
assumptions about the future car ownership and trip A major difficulty for the older people is in getting to and
rates. The share of the over-60 group in total travel from bus stops and stations. As every trip begins and
demand is likely to increase from the present 6% to ends on foot, walking should be properly integrated as
between 21% and 25% (Olszewski 2001). one of the transport modes in the travel chain. Footpaths
leading to bus stops should be given special attention
Very few elderly in Asian cities will have access to and priority treatment. The design of footpaths, road
cars, either for economic reasons or due to the lack of crossings and pedestrianised areas should aim to create
driving ability. They will be more dependent on a stepless walkway environment.
public transport services to satisfy their mobility needs,
particularly in Singapore where restrictive policies
Information Systems and Technology
on car ownership are currently in place.
A coordinated approach is needed to provide network-
In recent years there have been significant advances wide information at the trip planning stage. In addition
in many countries in improving public transport to good information on connections and timetables,
accessibility for the elderly in terms of legislation, people with disabilities need information on
vehicle technology and infrastructure design (ECMT accessibility features such as lifts, accessible vehicles,
1999). Some progress has also been made in Singapore. toilets at stations, etc.
While the MRT stations built before 2000 have no lift
access to platforms, the new LRT line and two recently The information should be clear, concise, accurate and
opened MRT stations have lifts and a proper timely. The presentation format is equally important: for
wheelchair access. There are plans to gradually visual information, there are guidelines on legibility,
improve accessibility at the existing stations. high contrast, colours, etc. New information technology
holds promise to improve information content and

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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

50
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November 15-16, 2001, Singapore.

Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research


Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

51
James Luk
Dr James Luk has academic degrees in electronics and traffic engineering. He joined
ARRB in 1975 to undertake research in traffic control and was a Chief Scientist before
taking up an academic position with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
from 1998 to 2002. He has rejoined ARRB since July 2002, and is also an Adjunct Professor
with the Queensland University of Technology in the School of Civil Engineering.

Piotr Olszewski
Dr Piotr Olszewski has obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in highway engineering
from the Warsaw University of Technology. After working in an environmental planning
research institute in Poland, in 1981 he joined Nanyang Technological University in
Singapore, where he is now Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. Dr Olszewski is teaching courses in the area of transportation engineering
and logistics. His research interests include modelling of transportation systems, traffic
flow theory, travel behaviour and transport logistics.

Contact
James Luk
ARRB Transport Research Ltd
Email: jamesl@arrb.com.au
Tel: (03) 9881 1531

Piotr Olszewski
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Email: colsze@ntu.edu.sg

Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research

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