Alright now, taking the plane or train to Singapore is the easy part. You give the tickets to the counter staff and they shuffle you to the seat on your plane, train or spacecraft. But you are worried about getting around in Singapore. Perhaps you have heard of Singapore's great public transport system. but that doesn't calm you a bit. Are the taxi drivers those venomous sort that charge you double what locals pay. What about the underground? (or affectionately known here as MRT). Are they confusing lines to switch and millions of colour codes? Fret no more. You are about to embark on Robin's guide to Singapore public transport. (stop trembling, you gotto trust me!)

While efficient for the average man, the public transport system does not cater to the wheelchair travelers. The only way for someone in a wheelchair to get around is by car or taxi.

New Ticketing System (New)

The public transport recently gone through a revamp on their ticketing system. The new cards are 'proxy card' (Felica card by Sony) The cards are read by card reader using radio wave. There is no need for contact between the card and reader. The less technically savvy commuters are often seen 'wiping' their card on the reader to get a reading. You just have to tap the card on the reader surface and that will enable the electronic trolls to deduct the fares.

You can buy a single trip ticket, stored value ticket and the Visitors Card.

Single Trip Ticket as the name suggest is good for one trip. You pay a dollar deposit for the card and the fare. You get the deposit back by returning the card to the ticketing machines after you reach your destination in the MRT Station. For buses, there are no Single Trip Ticket. You can pay by cash or get a stored value ticket or the Visitor Card.

Stored Value Ticket is a card that cost S$5 (non refundable, yes dumb business decision) plus the amount you wish to put into the card. This ticket works for both buses and MRT. Using this card is the same as the single trip ticket except that you do not need to go to the machines.

The Visitors Card (TVC). It's a stored value card that allows you to travel on the MRT and public buses. It also acts as a discount card for attractions, guided tours, shopping malls, restaurants, night spots, hotels and etc.

TVC cost S$40 for a 3 day pass to S$200 for a 1 year pass (using the card to travel on the public transport may require you to add value to the card). You also get a free guide book among other freebies. Find out more here. The Visitors Card

More public transport ticketing info here: SMRT Ticketing

Means of public transport

Let's get the facts right. Singapore's public transport are among one of the easiest to get around. Let's talk about the few ways you can get around here. There are the

• Taxi (Small metallic thingy with wheels)

• Mass Rapid Transport (The Underground, The Metro, Subway or whacha-u-callit)

• Buses (Big huge metallic thingy with wheels, over here is usually a Mercedes or Volvo)

How to pay for the trip?

Yes, some of you smart ass know it's by cash. There are actually more options than that. (nope you can't buy the driver a drink). Other than cold hard cash, there are some alternatives. First, you can pay on some taxi by credit card. These taxi have those thingy that swipe you card (they charge extra for that). However, if you planned to traveled around here a lot by the bus and MRT, then you may want to invest in a EZ link Stored Value card or the Visitors Card. It's a plastic card with cash valued you prepaid. You used these on buses and MRT so that you don't have to fumble with foreign looking coins dropping S$3 instead of a few cents. The fare card can be bought at any MRT station. Just go to the ticketing booth. The fare card has a range of store value from S$10 - $50. You need to purchase the card for S$5.  Once you have depleted the value you can topped it off with another multiple of $10. If your remaining value of the card (say 20 cents) is less than the full fare ($1.50), the balance required ($1.30) for the fare is deducted from the deposit. If you decide you don't need the plastic thing again, you can either keep it as a souvenir or go to the any MRT ticketing booth and get a full refund of whatever value left on the card by returning the ticket except the S$5 you paid for the card.

The Taxis

The taxis that are available here, are all from legitimate companies. All taxis are metered. You only pay what the meter says plus some surcharge imposed during peak hours, from the airport, into the city and so on. These are clearly stated on a piece of notice in the taxi. Taking a taxi is a no hassle & safe experience unlike some countries in South East Asia. From 11pm till 6am, taxi charges are increasing to up 50% more than usual. The surcharges are stated in the taxi.

From Changi Airport to the City

Taxi fare from the airport to the city is about S$15 (day), S$23 (around midnight) and takes about 15-20 minutes depending on traffic. Should you take the taxi to the city? If you have 3 or more pax, it is definitely worth paying for the convienient unless you are really tight on budget. If for any reason, the taxi driver refuse to use the meter giving any excuse, find another cab.

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Kindly check the official website for route map, fares etc.

You need to buy a ticket for the train. It can be a single trip ticket or the store value ticket I have mentioned above. If you are buying a single trip ticket, You will need to get it in the station. Get ready some coins or there are coins changing machines in the station. Look at the chart in the station to determine your fare. Go to the ticketing machine, slot those coins in and press the button with the amount. (nope, there aren't any cherries spinning round) The ticket will pop out together with any change. The fare will cost anything from S$0.60 to S$1.90 depending on distance. You also need to  add a refundable $1 for the card. This can be refunded at the ticketing machines location at the station you alight.

To use the tickets (either store value or single trip) for the MRT, look for the square card reader on the top of the gate, tap the card on the card reader. When exiting the gates, do the same and the gates' troll will let you pass. If you are using the single trip ticket, your will need to proceed to the ticketing machine for a refund of the deposit (Read below).

There are 5 main lines right now. North & South, East, West and Northeast. these lines are also denoted by the colour  If there is a need to change from east/west bound train to north/south or to the Northeast Line or vice versa, there are a few station to change from. These are called interchanges There are the Dhoby Ghaut, City Hall, Raffles Place, Outram station. There are announcements on the train to tell you where you should changed. Anyone surviving the underground system in London will find this a piece of cake.

From the Airport to the City

The East/West line has been extended that you can now catch the train from Changi Airport to the City. The fare from Changi Airport to say City Hall MRT Station is only $1.40 (as of Jun 2002). You might need to change trains at Tenah Merah Interchange to make your way to the city.

Schedule and Fare

The first train starts around 6am and the last train is around 12 midnight. The time extend till after midnight on weekends. Check out their website for the schedule for each station. Interval for each train is from 3 mins to 10 mins depending on the time of the day.

Rather than trying to show you all the possible fare, check out the fare you need to pay on their website

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One more thing, no consumption of food and drinks (if you are really thirsty, drinking that Evian is okay) are allowed in the station or on the train. Smoking is prohibited. Such offences carry a fine of at least S$500.

There, that wasn't so bad.

The Buses

Numerous buses service Singapore. You need to know the bus no. and where to get on. This is because the same bus on the opposite direction of the road goes to different end of the route. The frequency of buses is about 10-20 mins. To know which bus to take and where you can either buy and refer to a bus guide available in any MRT station or bookstore. There are also information stands on most bus stops which you can refer but it only shows buses traveling on that route. 

Paying the bus fare is easy. Get the exact coins ready and slot it in & retain the ticket they issue. You can also pay with the EZ Link or Visitors card. For the bus, tap the card very much the same way as on the MRT except that the reader is placed upright. Tap the card again when you exit from the bus this is important! The system works this way - Full maximum fare is deducted from the fare card when you board the bus, when you alight from the bus and tap the card again, the actual fare is then calculated and the balance is refunded.  

If you are paying by coins and do not know the fare, ask the driver and he will advice you. Most drivers are polite enough to tell you where to alight if you are seated near them and ask them to do the favor. 

Again, no consumption of food and drinks are allow in the station or on the train. Smoking is prohibited. Such offences carry a fine of at least S$500.

Car Rental

Car rental is expensive in Singapore because the prices of car is. A 1.6L Auto Toyota Sedan cost around S$60,000. Typically rental cost about $100 a day. Unless you have special reason to do so, use the public transport or even the taxi to get around.

The New Fare Card System

The new card system was set up to ease ticketing and faster human traffic getting in and out of the buses and trains. In my humble opinion its is a downgrade from the previous system. It cost more for the passengers and is more inconvenient to travel with a single ticket. The rationale for the change is to reduce fare cheats costing the transport company S$13 millions annually. The investment of S$300 millions for this system means a ROI is 23 years long. Wow! I will get fired if I proposed something like this in my company.

Last Edited 09 Jun 2004