Transport in Singapore
Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore enjoys the reputation of "Hanging Garden" with its well-developed cities. As a "garden city", Singapore attracts a large number of tourists every year. For the first-time traveler, you may have some question about the transport in Singapore. How to get to Singapore? Which means of transportation should you choose to travel in Singapore? Is there anything that needs special attention in public transportation in Singapore?
How to get to Singapore?
Transportation between Singapore and other countries is mainly airplane. Singapore in Southeast Asia connects Europe, America, and Oceania, and has routes to 54 countries and 127 cities. Singapore Changi International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the largest airports in Southeast Asia.
If your budget is insufficient, you can consider taking a cheap flight to Singapore. The available airlines are Air Asia, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Airways in Australia, Lion Air in Indonesia and Cebu Pacific Air in the Philippines.
How to get around Singapore?
The most convenient way between urban areas in Singapore is the subway. There are also sightseeing bus, buses, and taxis, which is really convenient!
Metro
The Singapore Metro, also known as Mass Rapid Transport (MRT), opened in 1987. It is currently one of the most developed and efficient public transportation systems in the world. Taking the Singapore MRT is the fastest way to travel. Singapore's subway system not only is one of the cleanest transportation systems in the world, but also allows you to enjoy the beauty of urban areas on the road. The Singapore Metro is the most convenient transportation for visiting Singapore except taxis, and it can go to almost any corner of Singapore.
Visitors can obtain the subway line directly from the website (www.smrt.com.sg), or obtain the subway guide from the control center of any subway station, and use it to guide the tour. The service starts at 5:30 in the morning and ends at 1 in the morning, and the frequency is about 3 to 8 minutes. The metro is divided into 5 lines, namely east-west line (green line), north-south line (red line), north-east line (purple line), circle line (orange line), downtown line (blue line).
Public Bus
SBS Transit and Singapore Metro (SMRT) are Singapore's two major bus operators, with bus routes throughout Singapore. Singapore's bus routes are quite complicated, and the name of the station is usually a landmark building near the station. In addition, most buses do not report the station, and you need to press the bell when you get off the bus. It is best not to play with your mobile phone when you are in the bus, or you will probably pass the station.
SMRT
In addition to operating Singapore's subway system, SMRT also operates bus services mainly in northern Singapore.
SBS Transit
This is Singapore's main bus operator, with 250 bus routes. SBS Transit even regularly travels to and from the most remote areas of the island. SBS Transit buses have three different urban loop routes, passing through Orchard Road, Little India, Chinatown, Clarke Quay, Kampong Glam and Suntec City The bus fare ranges from 0.8 SGD to 1.7 SGD.
If you want to see Singapore's lively nightlife, SBS Transit also provides a special bus service called "Nite Owl", which operates on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays. The fare is S$4 for payment with EZ-Link card and cash. If it is in the urban areas, the fare is S$1.5.
Taxi
Taxis are available on the roads in most parts of Singapore, and there are taxi stands in front of most hotels and shopping malls. There are 6 taxi companies in Singapore, namely: Comfort, City Cab, SMRT, Trans-Cab, Jetta Premier Taxis, Smart Cab. Among them, SMRT also provides premium taxi services, namely Mercedes-Benz and London cab, but the charges are much higher than ordinary taxis.
SIA Hop-On Bus
You can take the SIA Hop-On Bus to visit the shopping, cultural and entertainment centers in Singapore's downtown area. The bus journey includes Orchard Road, Bugis Junction, Suntec City, downtown, Boat Quay, Chinatown, Little India and Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Tourists can buy tickets from most hotels, ticket offices of Singapore Airlines in the city, or directly from the driver. Passengers participating in the Singapore Stopover Holiday (SSH) do not need to pay the fare, they only need to show the SSH ID to the bus driver when taking the bus.
Traffic Cards
When visiting Singapore, apart from preparing cash on hand, buying a traffic card in advance can also save a lot of time.
EZ-Link Card
The adult EZ-Link card is priced at SGD 15 (including the stored value of S$ 7, the refundable deposit of S$ 3, and the non-refundable card fee of S$ 5), and the child EZ-Link card is priced at SGD 6. It can be purchased at the Ticket Office of any subway station, and can be used on subways, light rail transit (LRT) and buses. One card is used for multiple purposes, and the validity period is 5 years. You can also buy it at the airport terminal 2.
If you plan to stay in Singapore for more than 5 days, it is recommended that you use an EZ-Link card. After the amount in the card is used up, there is no need to buy a new card, just take the original card to the Ticket Office window and pay a storage fee of SGD 10, and you can continue to use it. The minimum recharge amount is SGD 10 and the maximum is SGD 100. Before leaving Singapore, passengers return the card to the Ticket Office to refund the unused balance.
Tourist Pass
In order to facilitate tourists, the Singapore Tourism Board officially launched the "Singapore Tourist Pass" and the "Travel Guide to Singapore". There are three options for the pass, from 1 day, 2 days, to 3 days. As long as SGD 8 per day, you can take the Singapore Metro (MRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and buses as many times as you want. This price includes a deposit of S$10, and you can get the deposit back as long as you return it within 5 days. In addition, you can also enjoy special offers and discounts at designated stores.
