Ministers On Public Transport: Who Was Spotted Taking The MRT, LRT & Bus This Month?

If you felt like you were seeing more of our Singapore politicians on public transport this month, you are not imagining things.

This comes after Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong's parliamentary address on Apr 7 urging people to take public transport as a means to conserve energy amid concerns over rising costs due to the Middle East conflict. 

Here is a rundown of the six politicians who were spotted tapping in to public transport this month. 

Pritam Singh – Aljunied GRC MP 

On Apr 9, a photo of Pritam Singh standing in a cabin of the train with newspaper in hand sent the internet into a frenzy. The Workers' Party chief was reportedly headed towards City Hall.

While most praised the move as refreshingly down-to-earth and authentic, others had other opinions. “Who still reads physical newspapers on the train?” said a netizen. 

Others chimed in that they've spotted him on the train before too. “Legit saw him a few times taking public transport near City Hall most of the time..." wrote one netizen. 

Gan Kim Yong – Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Minister for Trade and Industry

DPM Gan was spotted taking the Punggol LRT on April 10, accompanied by Janil Puthucheary (Senior Minister of State), Sun Xueling (Minister of State), and Yeo Wan Ling (MP for Punggol GRC). He was seen interacting with commuters and gathering feedback on the new third-generation Light Rail Vehicles.

Ng Chee Meng – MP for Jalan Kayu

On April 19, Ng Chee Meng took the bus to gather feedback from residents. "Dropped by earlier to see the situation on the temporary closure of the Sengkang West LRT Inner Loop, and speak with residents on the ground," he posted on Instagram. 

"Heard first-hand how residents are adjusting their routines and travel plans during the morning hours. Thank you for your patience and for sharing your feedback with me," he added. 

Faishal Ibrahim — Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs of Singapore

On April 25, Faishal Ibrahim posted a photo of his MRT commute to get to an breaking-of-fast event at the Malay Heritage Centre. He was travelling from another event in the city when he got stuck in a massive traffic jam due to heavy rain, he said. "Made a quick switch to the train and arrived just in time [for the event]." he captioned. 

"Roads were jammed, but thankfully our train system runs smoother than my morning kopi," he added.

Baey Yam Keng – Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth of Singapore, Tampines GRC MP 

On April 27, Baey Yam Keng was spotted taking bus 460 from Tampines Boulevard to Tampines MRT station. The Tampines GRC MP's ride coincided with the inaugural run of a new peak-hour service he had pushed for after complaints about overcrowding.

Ng Eng Hen – Former Defense Minister

On Apr 27, the retired minister posted on Instagram that he was heading to Maxwell Food Centre via MRT — which looked packed, by the way​​​​​​.

“With this new long-range capability, I can now target hawker food faraway!” he quipped.

In the photo, he was also seen holding his PAssion Card. The PAssion Silver Concession Card offers Singaporean citizens aged 60+ up to 55 per cent off adult fares on MRT and bus services.