SINGAPORE, Nov 19, 2008 (AFP) - More people in Singapore are taking public transport as they try to save money during the global economic slowdown, the city-state's transport minister said in a speech released Wednesday.

Raymond Lim said "some people will drive less and take more public transport" as consumers and investors turn cautious during the credit crisis.

"Public transport ridership has increased by some eight percent in the first eight months of this year, compared to the same period a year ago," the minister told a meeting of transport workers Tuesday night.

He said hundreds of additional train trips have been put into service every week this year and hundreds of new buses are to be purchased next year.

But the government hopes commuters will stick with public transport after the economy recovers, Lim said.

Singapore plans to double its rail network by 2020 and put a train station within 400 metres (1,200 feet) of "anywhere within the city area," he said.

Singapore's economy is in recession and could experience negative growth next year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned at the weekend.