Because the rail operators are government-assisted profit-based corporations, fares on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system are currently aimed at least in breaking-even to at least compensate for their costs of running the system. The rail operators collect fares by selling electronic tickets capable of storing data, the price of which are calculated based on the distance between the start and destination stations. These prices increase in fixed stages for standard non-concessionary travel. From the information that was earlier written in these tickets, it is possible to increase the fare according to increments based on approximate distances between stations.
Stations on the MRT system are divided into two areas, paid and unpaid areas which allow the rail operators to collect needed fares by restricting entry only through the fare gates, also as access control gates. These gates, connected to a computer network, are capable to the electronic tickets, and can store information such as the amount of time taken per trip, and the start and destination stations per trip. This will thus allow the rail operators to collect fares based on this information.
The General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) at each station allow commuters to purchase value additions for their tickets or purchase tickets for single trips. Tickets for single trips, coloured in green, are valid only on the day of purchase, and have a time allowance of 30 minutes above the estimated travelling time between the destination and starting stations. Tickets that could be used repeatedly until its expiry date required a minimum amount of money in order to purchase both a new ticket or additional value.
It is possible for passengers to extend a trip mid-journey, and pay the difference as they exit their destination station. Using distance-based prices stands in contrast to utilising fare zones in some other subway systems such as the London Underground.
Although operated by private companies, the system's fare structure is regulated by the Public Transport Council, with the operators submitting requests for fare revision for approval. Fares are kept affordable by approximately pegging them to distance-related bus fares, thus encouraging commuters to utilise the network and move away from past heavy reliance on the bus system. Recent fare increases in the past few years have raised the ire of the public. There were also similar expressions of disapproval over the slightly higher fares charged on SBS Transit's lines, a disparity which SBS Transit justified by citing higher operational and maintenance costs, and lower ridership.
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—Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)
“In really hard times the rules of the game are altered. The inchoate mass begins to stir. It becomes potent, and when it strikes,... it strikes with incredible emphasis. Those are the rare occasions when a national will emerges from the scattered, specialized, or indifferent blocs of voters who ordinarily elect the politicians. Those are for good or evil the great occasions in a nation’s history.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
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—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
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—William Lamb Melbourne, 2nd Viscount (1779–1848)