Baey Yam Keng’s bus ride adds to wave of Singapore politicians’ public transport appearances

A series of appearances by Singapore politicians on public transport throughout April has drawn mixed reactions online, as netizens debated whether such acts reflected genuine engagement or orchestrated publicity efforts. 

The latest instance involved Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng, who was photographed taking a newly launched bus service in Tampines on 27 April. His appearance followed earlier posts and images of other political figures using public transport. 

Baey’s bus journey coincided with the launch of SBS Transit service 460, which began operations on 27 April to serve residents in Tampines GreenGlade, GreenGlen and GreenCrest.

In a Facebook post, Baey said he had tried the service “to experience it firsthand”, noting that the route covers approximately 2.4km between Tampines North and Tampines Interchange.

He said the new service provides a more direct alternative to existing bus 296 by skipping five stops, reducing travel time. “It took me 10 minutes to reach the interchange from 660 bus stop this morning,” he wrote.

Baey added that both services share the same queue at the interchange due to limited space, and acknowledged that some commuters might find this inconvenient. He also noted that additional staff had been deployed to guide passengers and invited residents to provide feedback, saying “more improvements are on the way”.

Online reactions: praise, scepticism and context

Online responses to Baey’s appearance were extensive and varied, reflecting both scepticism and support.

Some netizens questioned what they described as a recent surge in “photo ops” involving politicians on public transport. One commenter wrote: “What’s with all of them suddenly having photo ops on public transport?” Another said there was a “fundamental difference between getting your photo candidly taken … and a publicised photo op”, adding that such efforts felt “tone deaf”.

Others linked the timing to earlier viral images of Pritam Singh, with one user suggesting that “one photo of Pritam” had prompted similar actions by other politicians.

At the same time, a significant number of commenters expressed support for Baey, citing his role as both a Tampines MP and a transport office-holder. Several users noted that he had been involved in advocating for the new bus service and monitoring conditions in the area.

One commenter said the service addressed a “pain point” for residents, particularly overcrowding during school hours, while another described Baey’s post as a “closing of loop” update following earlier ground engagement.

Others said the post served a practical purpose in informing commuters about the new route. “I was confused when I saw this service at the interchange this morning … so this post definitely served its intended purpose,” one user wrote.

Some users acknowledged that while the post could be seen as “wayang”, it was more acceptable in this context. One commenter wrote that they did not mind the post as it was “informing people of the new service”, while another said it was “normal” for MPs to appear on newly launched bus routes within their constituencies.

Additional comments highlighted Baey’s reputation among residents, with some describing him as a “people’s person” and “one of the harder working MPs”, while others said his visibility was deserved given his involvement in the constituency.

A number of users also contrasted Baey’s appearance with other recent public transport posts, arguing that promoting a new service differed from showcasing personal commuting habits. “At least this is to promote the new service,” one commenter wrote.

Earlier appearances by political figures

Baey’s bus ride followed a series of similar appearances earlier in April.

On 10 April, a photograph of Pritam Singh standing in a train carriage reading a newspaper circulated on Reddit, drawing largely positive reactions, with some users describing it as “leading the way with action, not words”, although the original date of the image was unknown.

On the same day, Gan Kim Yong posted a video of himself riding the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in Punggol with fellow Members of Parliament. Separately, Senior Minister of State Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim shared on 25 April that he had taken the MRT to the Malay Heritage Centre.

The series of posts came shortly after Gan urged Singaporeans in a parliamentary statement on 7 April to adopt energy-saving habits, including using public transport instead of driving, amid rising global energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict.

Gan had warned that higher fuel prices, supply chain disruptions and weakening global demand would place pressure on the economy, adding that inflation could exceed earlier forecasts of 1 to 2 per cent for 2026.

“The crisis is unlikely to be over anytime soon, and we must be prepared for its effect to persist for some time,” he said.

Reactions to Singh, Gan and Faishal highlight broader debate

The broader debate was shaped in part by earlier contrasting reactions to Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh and Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. Some netizens had earlier suggested that the wave of similar public transport appearances followed the circulation of Singh’s photograph.

A photograph of Singh standing in a train carriage reading a newspaper, whose original date of capture is unknown, drew largely positive responses after circulating online on 10 April. Some users described it as authentic and consistent with calls for behavioural change, with one commenter noting it was “leading the way with action, not words”.

Later that day, Gan posted a video of himself riding the Light Rail Transit (LRT) through the Punggol East loop alongside other Members of Parliament. The post highlighted upgrades to the Sengkang-Punggol LRT network, including the rollout of third-generation two-car Light Rail Vehicles, with full implementation expected by 2028.

However, the video drew widespread criticism online, with some users contrasting it directly with Singh’s photograph. Comments questioned the timing, the off-peak setting and the presence of an entourage, with several describing the effort as staged. The Malay term “wayang”, referring to theatrical behaviour, appeared frequently in responses, with one user writing that it was “wayang to the max”.

One commenter drew a direct comparison between the two cases, writing: “One takes public transport to work, one takes it for pretence.”

Others suggested that meaningful engagement would involve regular, unscripted use of public transport without media coverage, rather than isolated or highly visible appearances.

On 25 April, Senior Minister of State Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim also posted photographs of himself taking the MRT to an official event. He said heavy traffic had prompted him to switch to the train, writing: “Roads were jammed, but thankfully our train system runs smoother than my morning kopi.”

The post drew mixed responses. Some commenters questioned why taking public transport was presented as noteworthy, while others suggested the images appeared staged. Critics argued that such actions risked being perceived as isolated instances rather than routine behaviour, noting that ordinary commuters rely on public transport daily without publicising it.

At the same time, some users defended Faishal, describing him as sincere and committed to residents, highlighting the continued divide in public perceptions of such appearances.

Broader debate over political optics

The series of posts has contributed to a broader discussion about political messaging and public expectations.

Some online users questioned whether leaders were consistently modelling the behaviours they encouraged, while others argued that such gestures could help reinforce policy messages if carried out regularly and without publicity.

Amid the debate, former Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen also drew attention after posting about a personal MRT trip to Maxwell Food Centre.

“Took MRT to Maxwell Food Centre and had the laksa mee on Sunday. With this new long range capability, I can now target hawker food faraway!” he wrote.

His light-hearted remark added to the growing number of public transport-related posts by political figures during the month, as discussions over authenticity and public engagement continued online.