5,300 commuters change travel patterns to avoid morning peak

Between Jan 2 and end-May, roughly 5,300 public transport users in north-eastern Singapore shifted their travel patterns at least once to avoid commuting during the morning peak.

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan Correspondent

Of these, 30 per cent opted to use the North East Line (NEL) in the post-peak period from 8.45am to 9.45am, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on July 2.

Another 27 per cent chose to hop on the NEL before 7.15am to beat the morning peak, and 24 per cent did both, commuting during the pre- and post-peak periods.

About 7 per cent decided on a different mode of transport, switching to buses instead. And 12 per cent of commuters did both, either opting to travel by bus or riding the NEL in the off-peak period, LTA said.

Under a programme by LTA, commuters can earn reward points to offset their transport fares by tapping in at selected MRT stations before or after the most crowded period between 7.15am and 8.45am.