LTA ends six-month first-come, first-served trial for bus wheelchair bays and reviews feedback before deciding next step
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the public bus operators have wrapped up a six-month trial that let wheelchair users and families with prams share the wheelchair bay on buses on a first-come, first-served basis. LTA gave an update in a Facebook post on Saturday, 31 October 2026, Lianhe Zaobao reported.
The trial ran on about 10 bus services from April. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) had told Parliament it was expected to end on 26 October 2026. LTA said the trial gave it useful insight into the different needs and difficulties that wheelchair users and parents with young children face when using the bay. It is now collating and assessing six months of passenger feedback, and is looking at how to better manage the shared space and give clearer guidance. Members of the public can register online for dialogue sessions to give their views.
No decision on the way forward has been announced. In a written parliamentary reply on 7 October, Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said LTA would weigh feedback from disability groups and families with young children, as well as the implications for bus captains’ operational duties, before deciding. He added that the bus network will continue to meet Singapore’s commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The trial drew concern from disability groups. The Disabled People’s Association argued in July that prams can be folded but wheelchairs in use cannot, and that wheelchair users could be left waiting for the next bus if the bay was taken. In a separate reply on 9 September, Mr Siow said that as of August 2026 there had been three reported cases of wheelchair users being unable to board because the bay was occupied, about 0.005 per cent of trips taken by persons with disabilities on the trial services.
What it means for bus operators
The trial was partly meant to ease situations in which passengers already in the bay cannot practically make way for someone boarding, which MOT said can put bus captains in a difficult position. Whatever LTA decides is likely to come with new guidance that captains will need to explain and apply at the door, so operators should expect some briefing and training work once the outcome is known.
Bus design is also in play. MOT said newer public buses have two wheelchair bays and make up about a quarter of the fleet, but each extra bay means fewer seats, which affects other passengers such as seniors, and foldable seats do not fully make up the difference. The ministry said it will keep exploring designs that suit different groups, a point fleet planners will want to watch as future bus specifications are set.
Source: Land Transport Authority Facebook post, 31 October 2026, via Lianhe Zaobao; Ministry of Transport parliamentary replies, 9 September and 7 October 2026 — Read the original
