Getting there & around
Having invested squillions into its public transport infrastructure, Singapore is without doubt the easiest city in Asia to get around. With a typical mixture of far-sighted social planning and authoritarianism, the government has built, and continues to extend, its Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system and is improving its already excellent roads.
Traffic is minimal as the government controls private cars by a restrictive licensing system and prohibitive import duties that make owning a vehicle primarily a preserve for the rich. Cars entering the central business district (CBD) have to buy special licences.
For getting around, the pocket-size TransitLink Guide ($1.50 from MRT ticket offices), listing all bus and MRT rail routes, is a good investment if you will be regularly using public transport. Maps show the surrounding areas for all MRT stations, including bus stops. The TransitLink Map ($6) shows the whole island with numbered bus routes and MRT stations.
SBS Transit (www.sbstransit.com.sg) is an excellent online resource that includes a very useful route planner.
Contents
Local transport
Taxi
Singapore has close on 19, 000 taxis, but in the city it can often be hard to find one. Major cab companies are City Cab (6552 2222), Comfort (6552 1111), Premier (6363 6888), Smart (6485 7777) and TIBS (6555 8888). Fares start from $2.10 (TIBS off peak) and $2.40 (other companies) for the first kilometre, then 10¢ for each additional 220m. There are various surcharges to note:
Overnight From 11.30pm to 6am, surcharge rises incrementally from 10% to 50% of the metered fare.
Peak hour Surcharge of $1 between 7.30am and 9.30am and 5pm and 8pm.
From the airport A $5 surcharge from 5pm to midnight Friday to Sunday, $3 all other times.
Bookings $2.50 for off-peak telephone bookings, $4 for peak-hour bookings (less than an hour before needed). For advance bookings you'll pay $5 to $5.20.
To/from the CBD Surcharge of $1 on all trips from the CBD between 4.30pm and 7pm on weekdays and from 11.30am to 2pm Saturdays. You may also have to pay another surcharge if you take the taxi into the CBD during restricted hours.
Credit-card payment Add 10% to the fare.
You can flag down a taxi any time. Also look out for the special taxi stands (they have signs) where you can queue. Ordering a taxi by phone is a computerised process that is usually extremely efficient. After telling the operator your name and location, you will be transferred to an automatic message that gives you the numberplate of your designated cab. All you need to do then is wait and watch for the cab with this numberplate.
Share taxis to Malaysia are also available.
Bus & tram
Bus
Singapore's extensive bus service should be the envy of the world. You rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for a bus, and they will take you almost anywhere you want to go. Some even have TVs.
Bus fares start from 60¢ (air-conditioned buses are 70¢) for roughly the first 3.2km, rising to a maximum of $1.20 ($1.50 air-con). There are also a few flat-rate buses. When you board the bus, drop the exact money into the fare box, as no change is given.
Ez-link cards can be used on all buses. Just tap it on the reader as you board, and again when you get off.
Tourist buses
The SIA Hop-On, run by Singapore Airlines, passes Orchard Rd, Bugis Junction, Suntec City, the Colonial District, Clarke Quay, Boat Quay, Chinatown and the Botanic Gardens. It operates daily (every 30 minutes) between 9am and 6pm and runs on a continuous loop. It's free if you are on a 'Singapore stopover holiday' (show your SSH identification card); it costs $3 for passengers on either Singapore Airlines or Silk Air (show your ticket or boarding card). Other passengers pay $6/4 per adult/child for an all-day pass. Tickets can be bought from the bus driver, hotels or Singapore Airlines offices, or call 6734 9923 for bookings.
The Singapore Trolley (6339 6833) is a red bus made up to look like an old-fashioned tram. Its route takes in Orchard Rd, the Colonial District, Clarke Quay, Marina Centre and Suntec City. Fares are $9/7 per adult/child for an all-day ticket.
CityBuzz gives you a chance to explore the city on your own without lagging behind a tour operator and dozens of tourists. For $5, CityBuzz double-decker buses give an unlimited tour of the city, stopping at key attractions like Orchard Rd, Little India, Chinatown, Clarke Quay, Kampong Glam and Suntec City. Tickets are available at Transit- Link, Singapore Visitors Centre offices and authorised agents. The bus operates every 10 to 15 minutes between 10am and 10pm.
Thailand
The main terminal for buses to and from Thailand is at the Golden Mile Complex. Among the travel agents specialising in buses and tours to Thailand are Grassland Express (6292 1166), with buses to Hat Yai ($42); Phya Travel (6294 5415) and Kwang Chow Travel (6293 8977), both with bus services to Hat Yai and Bangkok (around $70). Most buses leave around 6.30pm and travel overnight.
Air
Singapore's location and excellent facilities make it a natural choice as a major Southeast Asian aviation hub. As a result, cheap long-haul deals are often available. It is the base for four budget airlines, which offer amazingly cheap fares to many cities in the region.
Websites worth checking out for flights to Singapore include the following:
www.cheapestflights.co.uk This site really does post cheap flights (out of the UK only), but you have to get in early to get the bargains.
www.dialaflight.com This site offers worldwide flights out of Europe and the UK.
www.expedia.msn.com A good site for checking worldwide flight prices.
www.lastminute.com This site deals mainly in European flights but does have worldwide flights, mostly package returns.
www.statravel.com This is STA Travel's US website. There are also sites for the UK (www.statravel.co.uk) and Australia (www.statravel.com.au).
www.travel.com.au This is a good site for Australians to find cheap flights, although some prices may turn out to be too good to be true.
www.zuji.com.au This site offers good deals on a range of top-notch carriers, including Singapore Airlines.
www.travelonline.co.nz This is a good site for New Zealanders to find worldwide fares from their part of the world.
www.airtreks.com This American site is good for arranging round-the-world and circle Pacific fares.
Airlines
Following are some of the major airline offices in Singapore. Check the Business Yellow Pages for any that are not listed here.
Air New Zealand (6532 3846; 24-07/08 Ocean Bldg, 10 Collyer Quay; Raffles Place MRT)
British Airways (6589 7000; 06-05 Cairnhill Pl, 15 Cairnhill Rd; Orchard MRT)
Cathay Pacific Airways (6533 1333; 16-01 Ocean Bldg, 10 Collyer Quay; Raffles Place MRT)
Garuda Indonesia (6250 5666; 12-03 United Sq, 101 Thomson Rd; Novena MRT)
KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines (6737 7622; 12-06 Ngee Ann City Tower, 391A Orchard Rd; Orchard MRT)
Lufthansa Airlines (6835 5933; 05-01 Palais Renaissance, 390 Orchard Rd; Orchard MRT)
Malaysian Airlines (6336 6777; 02-09 Singapore Shopping Centre, 190 Clemenceau Ave; Dhoby Ghaut MRT)
Qantas Airways (6589 7000; 06-05 Cairnhill Pl, 15 Cairnhill Rd; Orchard MRT)
Singapore Airlines (6223 8888; Level 2, Paragon Bldg, Orchard Rd; Orchard MRT)
Thai Airways International (1800 224 9977; The Globe, 100 Cecil St; Raffles Place MRT)
Following are the budget airlines operating in Singapore that, if they stay in business, will have revolutionised Asian travel. They are expanding their networks all the time, so check websites for details. Bookings are made almost entirely online, though Air Asia tickets can also be bought at post offices. At the time of writing, Jetstar Asia and Valuair had merged, but it wasn't clear what form they were going to take in the future.
Air Asia (6733 9933; www.airasia.com)
Air Sahara (6557 4550; www.airsahara.net)
Jetstar Asia (6822 2288; www.jetstarasia.com)
Tiger Airways (6538 4437; www.tigerairways.com)
Valuair (6229 8338; www.valuair.com.sg)
Airports
Airport departure tax, or passenger service charge (PSC), from Changi is $21 and will be included in the cost of your air ticket.
Changi airport
Singapore is a good place to buy air tickets. Practically all international air traffic goes through Singapore Changi Airport (6542 1122; www.changi.airport.com.sg).
Regularly voted the world's best airport, Changi is vast, efficient and amazingly well organised. Among its many facilities you'll find foreign exchange booths, a post office (24hr), courtesy phones for local calls, free Internet access, left-luggage facilities (6214 0628; suitcase or backpack per 24hr $4.20; 24hr), scores of shops, as well as restaurants, fitness centres, saunas, a swimming pool, showers, and business and medical centres (including one that is open 24 hours in the basement of Terminal 2).
Currently Changi has two terminals, of which Terminal 2 is the newer and handles most major international flights. A third terminal dedicated to budget airlines was set to open in 2006. On your way through the arrivals concourse, pick up the free booklets, maps and other guides (including the airport's own magazine) available from stands. Left luggage is in the basement of Terminal 1 and in the arrival hall of Terminal 2.
About 20km from the city centre, the airport is now served by the MRT. Changi Airport to City Hall is a bargain at $1.35 and takes 26 minutes with trains departing roughly every seven minutes.
The most convenient bus is the airport shuttle service - six-seater maxicabs that will take you to your hotel or anywhere in the CBD (adult/child $7/5). The shuttle operates daily from the arrivals halls of both terminals from 6am to midnight, departing every 15 minutes. Bookings can be made at the airport shuttle counters at the arrivals halls in both terminals and you pay the driver.
Public bus 36 leaves the airport for the city approximately every 10 minutes between 6am and midnight. You should have the right change ($2.50) when you board.
Taxis from the airport are subject to a surcharge of about $5 on top of the metered fare, which is around $12 to most places in the city centre. This supplementary charge only applies to taxis from the airport, not from the city.
There's also a limousine taxi service ($35) available between 6am and 2am to the CBD vicinity. You can choose between a Mercedes and a London cab.
Seletar airport
The small, modern Seletar airport is more used to corporate flyers and visiting luminaries. You may come here to catch the daily Berjaya Airways flights to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia.
Seletar is in the north of the island, and the easiest way to get there is to take a taxi for around $11; otherwise bus 103 will take you from Serangoon or outside the National Library to the gates of the Seletar Air Force base, from where you change to a local base bus to the airport terminal.
Car & motorcycle
Singaporeans drive on the left-hand side of the road and it is compulsory to wear seat belts in the front and back of the car. Unlike in most Asian countries, traffic is orderly, but the profusion of one-way streets and streets that change names (sometimes several times) can make driving difficult for the uninitiated. The Singapore Street Directory is essential for negotiating the city.
Hire
If you want a car for local driving only, many of the smaller rental operators quote slightly cheaper rates than the major companies. Rental rates are more expensive than in Malaysia - if you intend driving from Singapore to Malaysia and spending time there, it will be better to rent your car in Johor Bahru.
Rates start from around $150 a day, while a collision damage waiver will cost about $20 per day for a small car such as a Toyota Ford Laser or Mitsubishi Lancer. Special deals may be available, especially for longer-term rental. There are hire booths at Singapore Changi Airport as well as in the city. Contact details for the major companies include the following:
Avis (6737 1668; www.avis.com.sg ; 392 Havelock Rd, 01-07; Clarke Quay MRT)
Budget Rent a Car (6532 4442; 26-01A Clifford Centre, 24 Raffles Pl; Raffles Place MRT)
Hertz Rent-a-Car (6734 4646; 15 Scotts Rd, 01-01 Thong Teck Bldg; Orchard MRT)
Thrifty (6338 7900; 80 Middle Rd; Bugis MRT)
Restricted zone
From 7.30am to 6.30pm weekdays, as well as from 10.15am through to 2pm Saturdays, the area comprising the CBD, Chinatown and Orchard Rd is considered a restricted zone. Cars are free to enter as long as drivers pay a surcharge. Vehicles are automatically tracked by sensors on overhanging gantries that prompt drivers to insert a cash card into their in-vehicle unit, which then extracts the appropriate toll. The same system is also in operation on certain major highways. Rental cars are subject to the same rules.
Anyone who does not pay the entry toll is automatically photographed and fined.
Boat
You can charter a bumboat (motorised sampan) to tour the Singapore River or to visit the islands around Singapore.
The big cruise centre at the World Trade Centre (WTC), next to HarbourFront MRT station, is the main departure point for cruises and many ferries; a host of agents here handle bookings. Regular ferry services run from the WTC to Sentosa and the other southern island.
The Tanah Merah ferry terminal south of Changi airport handles ferries to the Indonesian island of Bintan. To get to the Tanah Merah ferry terminal, take the MRT to Bedok and then bus 35. A taxi from the city is around $13.
Changi ferry terminal (6546 8518) and the pier at Changi Village, both north of Changi airport, have ferries to Malaysia. Regular ferry services run from Changi Village to Pulau Ubin ($2). To get to Changi ferry terminal, take bus 2 to Changi Village, then walk.
Tanjung Belungkor
The ferry from Changi ferry terminal to Tanjung Belungkor, east of Johor Bahru, is primarily a service for Singaporeans going to Desaru in Malaysia. The 11km journey takes 45 minutes and costs $16/22 one way/return. There are four services daily in each direction. From the Tanjung Belungkor jetty, buses operate to Desaru and Kota Tinggi.
Pengerang
From Changi Village, ferries go to Pengerang, an interesting back-door route into Malaysia. There's no fixed schedule; ferries leave throughout the day when a full quota of 12 people is reached. The cost is $10 per person or $60 for the whole boat. The best time to catch one is early in the morning before 8am. Clear Singapore immigration at the ferry terminal.
Indonesia
No direct ferries run between Singapore and the main ports in Indonesia, but it is possible to travel between the two countries via the islands in the nearby Riau Archipelago. Most services run to Pulau Batam and Pulau Bintan from Tanah Merah ferry terminal. Upon arrival, most nationalities are issued a tourist pass for Indonesia, valid for 60 days, and do not require a visa. The ferries are modern and fast as well as air-conditioned. From Batam, boats go to Sumatra, a popular way to enter Indonesia.
Train
Malaysia & Thailand
Singapore is the southern termination point for the Malaysian railway system, Keretapi Tanah Malayu (KTM; www.ktmb.com.my). Malaysia has two main rail lines: the primary line going from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth, Alor Setar and then into Thailand; and a second line branching off at Gemas and going right up through the centre of the country to Tumpat, near Kota Bharu on the east coast.
There is a booking office is located at Singapore railway station (6222 5165; Keppel Rd; 8.30am-2pm & 3-7pm).
Three express trains depart every day to Kuala Lumpur (1st/2nd/3rd class $68/34/19), roughly around 8am, 3pm and 10pm, passing through Johor Bahru en route; check the website or call the booking office for the exact times. The journey takes around seven hours. There are three daily services to Gemas, Kluang and Gua Musang (on the east-coast line to Tumpat). There's also an express train to the far northeastern town of Tumpat (1st/2nd/3rd class $51/41/32), the Express Timuran, at 8.20pm, which reaches Jerantut at 3.40am for Taman Negara National Park.
The luxurious Eastern & Oriental Express (6392 3500; www.orient-express.com) departs on alternate Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The sumptuous antique train takes 42 hours to do the 1943km journey from Singapore to Bangkok. Don your linen suit, sip a gin and tonic, and dig deep for the fare: from $3030 per person in a double compartment to $6140 in the presidential suite.
Bicycle
If you can cope with the heat and sometimes fast-moving traffic, getting around Singapore by bicycle isn't too bad an idea. Cycling up to Changi Village and then taking the bike over to Pulau Ubin (or just hiring a bike on Ubin) is a very popular activity and there's a great mountain-bike track circling the base of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Hire
In the city centre you can hire bicycles from Wheelpower Rent-a-Bike (6238 2388; 01-09 Sunshine Plaza, 91 Bencoolen St; 9.30am-7pm) for $10/28 per hour/day and Treknology Bikes 3 (6732 7119; www.treknology3.com ; 01-02 Tanglin Pl, 91 Tanglin Rd; 11am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-3.30pm Sun) for $35 per 24 hours. Treknology is also a good place to buy a bike.
Bikes can also be rented at several places along East Coast Parkway, on Sentosa Island and Pulau Ubin from $3.
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