Father pens open letter to Jeffrey Siow after SMRT staff barred toddler handover through station side gate

A Singaporean father has publicly questioned an MRT gantry procedure after a disagreement with an SMRT station manager over handing his toddler to a caregiver, prompting an appeal to Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

Daniel Chow, 33, published an open letter on Instagram on 9 June 2026, asking whether parents should be required to tap out and incur additional charges when transferring children to family members at station gantries.

The issue stems from a childcare arrangement that Chow and his family have been using occasionally since around October 2025.

On mornings when both he and his wife are required to work on Saturdays, Chow would take the MRT to a station along the Thomson-East Coast Line and hand his daughter to his mother-in-law for babysitting.

According to Chow, the exchange typically took place at the side gate of the EZ-Link gantry, allowing him to push his daughter's pram through before returning to continue his journey.

He said station staff had consistently accommodated the arrangement by opening the side gate.

Dispute at station

The situation changed on 14 March when a station manager allegedly refused to open the gate and instead instructed Chow to tap out before completing the handover.

In his open letter, Chow said the manager cited security reasons for the requirement.

The father questioned the rationale, noting that babies travel free on public transport and arguing that the procedure imposed unnecessary costs on families.

"Is there really such a rule that parents need to tap out to pass our babies to our parents and then waste S$2 tapping back in?" Chow wrote.

"If yes, can we please remove it?"

According to Chow, the encounter escalated into what he described as a "showdown" after he challenged the apparent rule.

He recalled that the incident occurred at approximately 8.20am when there were few people in the station.

"At 8:20am, there was literally no one else but my in-law and I. Why can't a staff just open the side gate?" he wrote.

Chow said the disagreement became prolonged enough for his toddler to begin crying during the exchange.

Manager eventually relented

According to Chow's account, the station manager ultimately allowed the handover to proceed through the side gate but warned that it would be the "last time".

Chow noted that the same manager had previously informed him that the arrangement was technically not permitted but had nevertheless exercised discretion and allowed it to proceed.

He said the manager's position changed during the March incident.

"He started talking about just following the rules, needing to tap out for security reasons — which I found ridiculous," Chow recalled.

The father also alleged that the manager told him another commuter had complained about the practice.

However, Chow said the manager declined to provide proof when asked, citing confidentiality.

When Chow questioned whether the rule was one that should be strictly enforced, he alleged that the manager responded by saying he was "just doing his job".

Questions over family support

In his open letter, Chow linked the issue to wider concerns about family costs and Singapore's declining fertility rate.

He argued that even relatively small recurring expenses could create additional burdens for families relying on grandparents and other caregivers for childcare support.

Chow suggested that a parent making similar handovers daily could incur around S$80 in additional monthly transport costs.

Addressing Siow directly, he posed three questions.

He asked whether such a rule genuinely exists, whether it could be removed if it does, and whether public agencies should do more to support families as Singapore seeks to encourage childbearing.

"I understand staff must follow procedures," he wrote.

"My question is whether the current procedure is the most sensible one."

He added that if a parent was merely handing a child to a caregiver without entering or leaving the paid area, there could be a more practical solution that maintains security while avoiding unnecessary charges.

Alternative arrangement adopted

Following the incident, Chow said he stopped transferring his daughter at the gantry.

Instead, he began carrying out the handover across a glass barrier located within the station.

He shared a video of the alternative arrangement as part of his Instagram post.

The post subsequently attracted responses from other parents, some of whom informed Chow that he could apply for a complimentary EZ-Link concession card for his child.

According to information published by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), children between 0.9m and 1.2m tall who are below seven years old and not yet enrolled in primary school may obtain a concession card through SimplyGo ticket offices for free travel.

Public reactions and SMRT response

The incident generated discussion online, including comments from former independent candidate in the 2025 General Election, Darryl Lo.

Lo questioned the need for strict enforcement in the circumstances described by Chow.

"Don't see why they can't be flexible for this reason, nor do I understand what the security concern is," he wrote.

According to local media Mothership, on 10 June, SMRT contacted Chow through Instagram, according to screenshots he shared publicly.

The transport operator offered to arrange a discussion between Chow and its head of community engagement.

Chow thanked SMRT for reaching out but told Mothership that he did not intend to attend the meeting.

He said he did not believe such a discussion would be helpful.

Instead, he said his objective in making the issue public was to encourage people "to be more empathetic and think critically about unnecessary rules".

In response to media queries, an SMRT spokesperson said the company understood Chow's concerns.

The spokesperson added that SMRT had spoken with staff regarding circumstances in which discretion could be exercised and noted that most station employees had done so in this case.

The Online Citizen has also written to Minister Siow and SMRT seeking clarification on whether a formal rule requires commuters to tap out when passing an infant or pram across an MRT fare gate.

We also asked how staff are expected to exercise discretion, why enforcement appeared inconsistent, and whether existing guidelines remain appropriate in light of Singapore's family-support objectives. 

Additionally, TOC asked whether SMRT intends to review CCTV footage of the incident and reconsider the relevant procedures.