Singapore - Get around

Getting around Singapore is effortless: the public transportation system is among the best in the world and taxis are cheap. Very few visitors rent cars.
If you are staying in Singapore for some time, a farecard called ez-link might be a worthwhile purchase. You can store value on it and use it to enter and exit the MRT and buses at a 15% discount. As of December 2004, the card costs S$15, including S$7 of stored value and a S$3 refundable deposit, and the card can be "topped up" in increments of at least S$10 (at the farecard vending machines). Alternatively, the Visitors Card also includes ez-link card functionality and a variety of discounts for attractions; prices start at S$45 for 3 days.


By mass transit
The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and LRT (Light Rail Transit) form Singapore's transit system. They are a cheap and very reliable mode of transportation. Buy single trip tickets at the station either at quite user-friendly automatic machines or from the cashier; single trip tickets cost from S$0.80 to S$2.00, plus a S$1.00 refundable deposit. All lines are integrated, so you do not need to buy a new ticket to transfer.


By bus
Buses connect various corners of Singapore. SBS Transit [37], Singapore's largest bus company, has a useful bus route finder on their front page, but it does not show services run by competitor SMRT [38], which has its own search system. You can use your ez-link card for payment on all buses. You can pay cash (coins) in buses, but the fare stage system is quite complex (it's easiest to ask the driver for the price to your destination), you are charged marginally more and there is no provision for getting change.
Payment with the ez-link card is the easiest method. The systems works like this: the user taps his card against the reader at the front entrance of the bus when boarding, and a maximum fare is deducted from the card. When the user alights, he should tap his card again at the exit, and the difference is refunded. Inspectors occasionally prowl buses to check that everybody has paid.


By taxi
Taxicabs here use meters and are reasonably priced and honest. You will not spend more than $5.00 to $8.00 Singapore dollars for a trip within the Central Business District.
Taxis charge S$2.50 flagfall, and this lasts you 1 km before increments of 10 cents per 200 m. Watch out for surprises though: there is a myriad of peak hour, holiday, road pricing and surcharges, although most add only a dollar or two to your fare, and these are all clearly shown on the meter. After midnight a 50% surcharge applies. During rush hour in the CBD, or late at night on the weekends, it's wise to call for a taxi. Telephone numbers for the largest taxi companies are Comfort at 6552-1111, SBS Transit at 6555-8888, City Cab at 6552-2222, Smart at 6485-7700 and Trans cab at 6553-3333.


By trishaw
Trishaws, three-wheeled bicycle taxis, haunt the area around the Singapore River and Chinatown. Geared purely for tourists, they aren't really recommended for serious travel and locals do not use them. There is little room for bargaining: short rides will cost S$10-20 and an hour's sightseeing charter about S$50 per person.


By boat
Tourist-oriented bumboats cruise the Singapore River, offering nice views of the CBD skyscraper skyline. You can also take a ferry to Singapore's largely uninhabited Southern Islands for a picnic and lagoon swimming.
There is also a boat shuttle passengers from Changi Village to Pulau Ubin, a small island off Singapore's northeast coast which is about as close as Singapore gets to unhurried rural living. One can rent bikes to cycle around the island which has a number of disused granite quarries.


By car
Car rental is not a popular option in Singapore. You will usually be looking at upwards for S$100 per day for the smallest vehicle, not including gas at around S$1.50/litre or electronic road pricing (ERP) fees, and you'll usually need to pay extra to drive to Malaysia. If planning on touring Malaysia by car, it makes more sense to head across the border to Johor Bahru, where both rentals and petrol are half price, and you have the option of dropping your car off elsewhere in the country. Take note that if you do intend to rent a car, be sure to drive on the left side of the road (Singapore follows the UK road system), and reading up a bit on road regulations helps too.


On foot
Singapore is almost certainly the most pedestrian-friendly city in southeast Asia. Sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are in good shape and plentiful, roads are well signposted and drivers are usually very careful — by law, any accident between a pedestrian and a vehicle is presumed to be the driver's fault! Classic walks in Singapore include walking down the river from the Merlion through the Quays, or just pottering around Chinatown, Little India or Bugis.
The one unavoidable downside, though, is the tropical heat and humidity, which leaves many visitors sweaty and exhausted, bringing along a packet of tissue or a hankerchief is recommended. Having a bottle of water with you also helps. It's best to get an early start, pop into air-conditioned shops, cafes, and museums to cool off, and plan on heading back to the shopping mall or hotel pool before noon. Alternatively, after sundown evenings can also be comparatively cool and breezy, especially down by the river.