School bus fares for Pathlight students to climb by up to 50% in 2026

Bus fares for Pathlight School will jump by 40 per cent to 50 per cent from January, affecting students across its three campuses.

- Lee Nian Tjoe Senior Transport Correspondent

One of Pathlight School's campuses in Ang Mo Kio. The bus operator said it needed to raise fares to cover rising costs. PHOTO: GOOGLE STREET VIEW SCREENSHOT

(GOOGLE STREET VIEW SCREENSHOT)

Parents were first informed in an Oct 2 letter from the school, seen by The Sunday Times, that its bus service provider Woodlands Transport Solutions (WTS) said it needed to raise fares to cover rising costs.

The school then decided to call a tender to “evaluate school bus providers in the market” before appointing a provider for the new academic year.

On Nov 5, the school informed parents that it was reappointing WTS after the tender exercise.

A spokeswoman for Pathlight School told ST that the procurement process was fair, transparent, competitive and in accordance with procurement guidelines.

She added that the bids were evaluated by a “multidisciplinary panel based on criteria such as safety, reliability and service quality”.

Pathlight offers primary, secondary and vocational education for students with autism who are aged between seven and 18. In 2025, about 60 per cent of the students used the school bus service.

Bus fees will be raised by 40 per cent for its two campuses in Ang Mo Kio, and by 50 per cent for the Tampines one.