Motoring costs drive Singapore MRT passenger trips to hit record 52 million in May 2008

Rising costs for motorists is partly why rail ridership hit record levels for the second time in less than 6 months. SMRT saw commuters making 41,964,448 train trips last month. SBS Transit, which runs the North-East line [NEL], saw 10,540,700 passenger trips last month. Both operators say the hike can be attributed to many factors, such as a change in travel patterns, population growth, employment growth and the government's push for more people to take public transport. "The rise in petrol prices could also be a contributing factor as some motorists switch to public transport," added SBS Transit spokeswoman Tammy Tan.

- When I remarked to a colleague that crude oil prices had hit a then-record of $135.04 last month [May 2008], he commented that the MRT trains would become a lot more crowded. Well, he turned out to be right, as this announcement shows. It is interesting from a peakoiler point of view to see how behaviour starts to change when drivers are faced with rising oil prices, since not everyone is able or willing to hedge 100% of their petrol costs like I have.

Switching to public transport is one coping strategy, and Singaporeans are fortunate that the government has had the foresight to plan way ahead to put in place the MRT system since the 1980's, which had reportedly been in planning back in the 1960's. Personally, I prefer to take the trains myself when making the occasional trip into the city area, where it can be quite a hassle to drive and to try to find parking. It is easy enough for me since I just need to cross the road over to the Sengkang MRT station. And in a few years' time, the Singapore MRT railway network will be more complete with the addition of the new MRT lines. Almost just in time for Peak Oil, and record-breaking oil prices like you've never ever seen before.

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