2 Among those taking public transport to work, there has been a clear shift from bus to MRT. The MRT has become a more popular mode of transport with the extension of the MRT network in the last decade. The proportion commuting to work by MRT only or MRT with transfer from/to public bus increased from 12 per cent in 1990 to 23 per cent in 2000. Workers commuting by public bus only declined from 40 per cent to 25 per cent over the same period.

3 Usage of cars continued to increase, with the proportion of workers commuting to work by car only rising from 18 per cent in 1990 to 24 per cent in 2000. However, fewer workers used private chartered bus/van and motor cycle/scooter in 2000 than 1990.

4 The proportion who worked within walking distance of their homes and those who worked at home decreased in the last ten years. The proportion who did not require any transport to work declined from 8.0 per cent to 6.1 per cent.

5 The proportion commuting to work by public transport decreases with each level of household income. Correspondingly, a higher proportion of workers in higher-income households travel to work by private car (Table 1). Among workers with household income of $8,000 or more in 2000, 45 per cent relied on car compared with 6.4 per cent of those with $2,000 or less. For workers in lower-income households, those using private transport were more likely to use chartered bus/van, lorry/pick-up and motorcycle/scooter than those in higher-income households.

6 The increased usage of cars is related to higher car ownership. More households owned cars in 2000 (32 per cent) than ten years ago (28 per cent) (Table 2). There is a strong, positive correlation between car ownership and income. Higher-income households have greater affordability and hence more likely to own cars. The higher car ownership rate among households living in bigger and better housing reflects their higher income-earning capability.

Per Cent

7 As HDB estates are well-served by extensive networks of public bus services and the MRT system, a high proportion of HDB dwellers use public transport to commute to work (Table 3). Among occupants of private flats and houses, there is greater reliance on car as the mode of transport to work. Some 60 per cent of working persons living in private housing commuted to work by car as against 27 per cent by MRT or public bus in 2000. This is partly because of their greater affluence, and partly because public transport is generally less accessible in private housing estates than HDB estates.

Per Cent 

8 Public transport is the most commonly used by white-collar workers. In 2000, 54 per cent of professional workers, 72 per cent of clerical workers, and 58 per cent of sales and services workers commuted to work by public bus or MRT either in a single journey or with transfers to/from other modes of transport (Table 4). However, those in managerial jobs tended to rely on private transport, with 62 per cent commuting to work by car.

9 For workers employed in production jobs, about half used private transport to travel to work. The private chartered bus/van, car and motor-cycle/scooter were the main modes of transport for them. The high proportion of 13 per cent requiring no transport reflects the large group of transport operators and drivers who were classified in this category.

Per Cent

10 On the whole, the mode of transport to school has remained relatively stable for the student population in the last ten years (Chart 2). Three in ten students do not require any transport to school. This could be associated with the preference of some parents for nearby schools for their children, and the primary schools’ general practice of according priority to registrants living close to the school.

11 Slightly less than half (45 per cent) of the student population travel to school by public transport. Public bus remains the most important mode of transport for the students, with only a slight shift to MRT.

12 Another one quarter of students use private transport to school. With the increased usage of cars to travel to school, fewer students take chartered bus/van than before.

13 Reflecting the presence of schools within HDB estates, many students living in HDB flats are able to walk to school from their homes. One third of them required no transport to school in 2000 (Table 5). For those who need to travel further to school, the public bus is the principal means of transport, being the only mode used by 33 per cent.

14 The majority of students who live in private flats and houses use private transport to commute to school. Some 27 per cent travelled to school by car only and 25 per cent by chartered bus or van in 2000.

Per Cent 

15 The majority of students attending secondary or higher levels continued to take public bus only to school, but the proportion had fallen over the last ten years. The decline was most significant for university students – from 69 per cent to 37 per cent – due to the shift to the MRT (Table 6). In 2000, 41 per cent of university students took the MRT (MRT only or MRT with transfer to/from public bus) compared with about 18 per cent in 1990.

16 Among the young students, there was an increase in the proportion who did not require any transport to school. In 2000, 46 per cent of pre-primary and primary school students walked to school because of the close proximity of the schools to their homes. The corresponding proportion was 43 per cent in 1990. In contrast, there was a significant drop in the proportion relying on chartered bus or van which provided residence to school service, from 33 per cent in 1990 to 25 per cent in 2000.

Per Cent 

CENSUS OF POPULATION OFFICE

SINGAPORE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS

JANUARY 2001