We refer to the letter by Forum writer Lau Kim Lon, "Channel money collected from COEs to fund public transport" (April 20).

The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system is a market-based mechanism that has been in place since 1990 to control the vehicle population in land-scarce Singapore.

It is a key feature that supports our car-lite vision, as is our continued investment in and developing a world-class public transport system.

The revenue collected by the Government from COEs adds to the pool of resources available for various programmes that directly benefit Singaporeans, including spending on public transport infrastructure and subsidies.

Ong Hui Guan
Deputy Group Director, Policy and Planning
Land Transport Authority