The Land Transport Authority (LTA) reported that public transport ridership in the first half of 2025 remains below pre-pandemic levels, averaging 7.47 million daily trips compared to 7.66 million in 2019.

While train ridership has continued to grow, supported by an expanding rail network, bus ridership has declined, and weekday morning peak hour travel has not fully recovered.

These trends reflect a deeper structural shift in travel behaviour influenced by flexible work arrangements, urban planning, and evolving commuter preferences.

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Eric Fesselmeyer, Associate Professor of Economics, College of Integrative Studies, Singapore Management University, to discuss the public transport ridership decline and what more can be done to increase it.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) reported that public transport ridership in the first half of 2025 remains below pre-pandemic levels, averaging 7.47 million daily trips compared to 7.66 million in 2019.
While train ridership has continued to grow, supported by an expanding rail network, bus ridership has declined, and weekday morning peak hour travel has not fully recovered.
These trends reflect a deeper structural shift in travel behaviour influenced by flexible work arrangements, urban planning, and evolving commuter preferences.
On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Eric Fesselmeyer, Associate Professor of Economics, College of Integrative Studies, Singapore Management University, to discuss the public transport ridership decline and what more can be done to increase it.

Money Matters is your guide to navigating the day's most important topics, from politics and current affairs to wealth management and trending issues. Every evening, the team delivers insightful discussions on business news, market movements, and the latest in alternative assets. Whether navigating the political landscape, understanding the economy, or uncovering emerging investment opportunities, Money Matters keeps you informed and ahead of the curve. Tune in daily to Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian from 4 pm to 7 pm on MONEY FM 89.3.

Money Matters is your guide to navigating the day's most important topics, from politics and current affairs to wealth management and trending issues. Every evening, the team delivers insightful discussions on business news, market movements, and the latest in alternative assets. Whether navigating the political landscape, understanding the economy, or uncovering emerging investment opportunities, Money Matters keeps you informed and ahead of the curve. Tune in daily to Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian from 4 pm to 7 pm on MONEY FM 89.3.

Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

MONEY FM 89.3 is Singapore’s first and only Business and Personal Finance station. MONEY FM is a 24-hour English talk format station featuring local and international business and financial news. We provide you with financial market and currency updates and insights from analysts, economists, policy makers, industry experts and business owners.

In the lighter hours, listen to discussions on social issues and features on topics that include health, education, arts and music.

MONEY FM 89.3 is Singapore&rsquo;s first and only Business and Personal Finance station. MONEY FM is a 24-hour English talk format station featuring local and international business and financial news. We provide you with financial market and currency updates and insights from analysts, economists, policy makers, industry experts and business owners.
In the lighter hours, listen to discussions on social issues and features on topics that include health, education, arts and music.

MONEY FM 89.3 is Singapore’s first and only Business and Personal Finance station.

MONEY FM 89.3

Your evening guide to the day's most important topics — navigate the key events in politics, business, markets, wealth management, and top investment opportunities. Keeps you informed and ahead of the curve, daily.

Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian (4pm - 7pm)

The Big Story: Public transport use below pre-pandemic levels - What can help drive its recovery?

Sudden job losses can hit hard, leaving employees with little time to process the news or plan next steps.

Recent cases, like the Providore Group retrenchments, highlight how confusing and stressful the experience can be for workers.

How much notice should workers get before retrenchment and would earlier notification make a meaningful difference for workers?

Beyond when layoffs happen, how can employees be supported in the first moments after losing their job?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Amarjit Kaur, Partner and Head of Employment Law at Withers KhattarWong, to find out more.

Sudden job losses can hit hard, leaving employees with little time to process the news or plan next steps. Recent cases, like the Providore Group retrenchments, highlight how confusing and stressful the experience can be for workers. How much notice should workers get before retrenchment and would earlier notification make a meaningful difference for workers? Beyond when layoffs happen, how can employees be supported in the first moments after losing their job? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with&nbsp;Amarjit Kaur, Partner and Head of Employment Law at Withers KhattarWong, to find out more.

The Big Story: Is Singapore’s retrenchment notice lead time leaving workers vulnerable?

Gold and Silver are back in the spotlight, surging as global tensions heat up, while Bitcoin tumbles to one of its worst months on record.

What’s driving this flight to safety, and where should investors turn next?

On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Richard Wang, Country Manager, J. Rotbart & Co., to find out more.

Gold and Silver are back in the spotlight, surging as global tensions heat up, while Bitcoin tumbles to one of its worst months on record. What&rsquo;s driving this flight to safety, and where should investors turn next?
On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to&nbsp;Richard Wang, Country Manager, J. Rotbart &amp; Co., to find out more.

Wealth Tracker: How should investors navigate geopolitical ‘War Buzz’ in 2026?

On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh find out if you could really win a S$3 million apartment… for just 85 cents a month. A South Korean YouTuber with over 17 million subscribers says yes.

His latest giveaway promises a fully furnished luxury apartment, complete with a massive TV, high-end gaming setup, and designer interiors, to one lucky paid subscriber. Genius marketing, or just too good to be true? 

Then, we shift from influencer giveaways to the red carpet, where a Chinese actress recently went viral for carrying… a yellow plastic bag to a glamorous film festival.

At first, people thought it was another outrageous luxury fashion stunt, but the real reason behind the bag tells a very different story.

On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh find out if you could really win a S$3 million apartment&hellip; for just 85 cents a month. A South Korean YouTuber with over 17 million subscribers says yes.
His latest giveaway promises a fully furnished luxury apartment, complete with a massive TV, high-end gaming setup, and designer interiors, to one lucky paid subscriber. Genius marketing, or just too good to be true?&nbsp;
Then, we shift from influencer giveaways to the red carpet, where a Chinese actress recently went viral for carrying&hellip;&nbsp;a yellow plastic bag to a glamorous film festival.
At first, people thought it was another outrageous luxury fashion stunt, but the real reason behind the bag tells a very different story.

The Big Story: Public transport use below pre-pandemic levels - What can help drive its recovery?

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Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian (4pm - 7pm)

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