Singapore Transport: How to Get Around the City

Singapore has one of the most developed public transport systems, but it has its own peculiarities.

Taxi

The easiest, most convenient, and at the same time inexpensive way to get around is by taxi. For example, the fare from the airport to the city center is $18-$30 Singapore dollars (13–22 US dollars). The price depends on the time: after midnight, the fare increases by 50%, during rush hour (morning and evening) by 25%. Finding a car is not difficult; you can call a taxi yourself or ask a hotel employee to do so. In the city, taxi drivers wait at special stands, which are located near every shopping mall, more or less major attraction, and large hotels. There might be only one problem here — queues of people, especially in the rain. If there’s a huge queue near a shopping mall, walk a little further; it’s possible there’s another stand 200–300 meters away. All taxi stands in Singapore can be found on the map - http://www.streetdirectory.com; they are marked with a special ‘Taxi’ sign on a yellow background.

Bus

The fare for buses in Singapore depends on the distance you need to travel. You can pay in two ways:

• EZ-Link Card. When entering, you must tap the card on a special card reader. The amount required for the journey from your entry stop to the bus’s final destination will be frozen on your card balance. When exiting, tap the card on the card reader again, and any excess amount (the difference between the maximum fare and the actual fare) will be returned to your card. If there isn’t enough money on the card (to the bus’s final destination), payment will not go through, even if you only plan to travel one stop. In this case, a message will appear on the card reader asking you to pay in cash.
• Cash. Cash payment is made at a special machine located near the driver. Since the fare depends on the distance, confirm the amount with the driver. Keep in mind that the machine does not give change.

Metro

The metro fare also depends on the distance. You need to scan your ticket when entering and exiting the station. Tickets themselves can only be bought from machines; there are no manned ticket counters. As convenient as Singapore’s transport is, its payment system is equally inconvenient. Machines do not accept large banknotes, so collect small change. As a last resort, you can get change.

The ticket is a plastic card, and in addition to the fare, you will have to pay a deposit for it. After your journey, return it to the machine and get your deposit back. Unfortunately, the card cannot be reloaded; you will have to pay the deposit and get it back every time. If you are in Singapore for more than 1–2 days and plan to use public transport frequently, it might be more cost-effective to buy an EZ-Link card; it can be used for both metro and bus travel, and the fare will be cheaper.