SINGAPORE - Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew has said that the Public Transport Council (PTC) has struck a "good balance" with the current fare review.

He also shared that the Government has more plans for the use of the Public Transport Fund, but did not give details.

The fund was set up by the Government in 2007 to help poor Singaporeans cope with fare hikes.

Bus and train fares will go up by 2.8 per cent, or about 2 and 5 cents per trip from April 5, the PTC said on Wednesday.

Student concessionary fares will also increase by 1 cent.

Senior citizen fares will remain the same, as will prices for existing travel concessions. The Government will also issue 250,000 vouchers of $30 each to low-income households, which will amount to $7.5 million drawn from the fund.

"I believe the Public Transport Council (PTC) has achieved a good balance between keeping fares affordable for Singaporeans and maintaining the viability and sustainability of our public transport system," Mr Lui wrote on Facebook.

He added that he was pleased that more than 1.1 million commuters will not see a fare increase.

Thanking the council for its work, he concluded: "I think that the PTC will find the next fare exercise in 2015 much easier to deal with."

chuimin@sph.com.sg