SINGAPORE (Bernama): Putting feet on seats, playing loud audio, littering and eating or drinking on Singapore’s public buses could see commuters slapped with a fine of up to S$500 (S$1=RM3.20 - almost RM1,600) from Sept 23 under new regulations aimed at curbing nuisance and disruptive behaviour.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the offences are set out in the new Bus Services Industry (Control of Conduct and Activities - Public Bus) Regulations 2026 and Bus Services Industry (Control of Conduct and Activities - Bus Interchange) Regulations 2026.
Apart from public buses, the rules would also apply at bus interchanges and terminals, it said.
More serious offences such as causing obstruction or danger to fellow commuters within bus interchanges and terminals, or soiling any part of a public bus, bus interchange or terminal, would carry a maximum penalty of S$5,000, it said.
"These penalties are aligned with those under the existing Rapid Transit Systems Regulations," LTA said in a statement on Monday.
Under the new rules, empowered staff from public bus operators, such as ticket inspectors and bus interchange staff, may issue Administrative Notifications of Offences (Administrative NOO) to those suspected of committing an offence.
Bus captains, however, will not be empowered to issue Administrative NOOs to avoid affecting their core duty of safely operating buses, LTA said.
They may advise passengers to stop nuisance or disruptive behaviour, require non-compliant passengers to alight and seek assistance from the Bus Operations Control Centre or police in egregious cases, it said.
"Notwithstanding these new regulations, LTA and the public bus operators will continue to exercise discretion and fairness in managing inconsiderate commuters, especially for cases involving commuters with physical or mental health conditions,” it said.
LTA said it would continue working with public transport operators and community stakeholders to encourage considerate behaviour, while taking enforcement action against nuisance and disruptive behaviour, to ensure a better commuting experience for all. -- BERNAMA
