Getting Around in Singapore

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Transport within Singapore is mainly land-based. Almost all parts of Singapore are accessible by road, including islands such as Sentosa and Jurong Island. The other major form of transportation within Singapore is rail: the Mass Rapid Transit which runs the length and width of Singapore, and the Light Rail Transit which runs within a few neighbourhoods. The main island of Singapore is connected to the other islands by ferryboat services.

Singapore also has many links to the rest of the world there are two bridges which link Singapore to Malaysia - the Causeway, and the Second Link. The Singapore Changi Airport is a major aviation hub for many airlines, and Singapore is a major transshipment port. Singapore pioneered the modern use of toll roads to enter the most congested city area with the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, which has since been replaced with the Electronic Road Pricing, a form of electronic toll collection.

Expressways
The 10 expressways of Singapore plus the 3 semi-expressways. The Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and the Marina Coastal Expressway are currently under construction. Clementi section of the Ayer Rajah Expressway. The planning, construction and maintenance of the road network is overseen by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and this extends to expressways in Singapore. These form key transport arteries between the distinct towns and regional centres as laid out in Singapore's urban planning, with the main purpose of allowing vehicles to travel from satellite towns to the city centre and vice-versa in the shortest possible distance. These expressways include:

Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE)
Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE)
Central Expressway (CTE)
East Coast Parkway (ECP)
Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE)
Kranji Expressway (KJE)
Pan Island Expressway (PIE)
Seletar Expressway (SLE)
Tampines Expressway (TPE)
Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) (under construction)
North-South Expressway (under planning)

The influence of expressways on Singapore's transport policy developed shortly after independence during the history of Singapore because of frequent traffic congestion in the Central district. The aim was to encourage residential development in other parts of the island and give residents in these new "satellite towns" a convenient link between their homes and their workplaces (which were mostly situated around the city centre.)

Cable Car
Singapore's only cable car system, the Singapore Cable Car, plies between Mount Faber on the main island of Singapore and the resort island of Sentosa as an alternative means of accessing that tourist attraction.

Public Transportation within Singapore

Public transport in Singapore covers a variety of transport modes such as bus, rail and taxi and is widely utilised by her population. This is a result of great emphasis by the Government of Singapore in order to promote its use over private transport. About 5.308 million trips are made on a daily basis on the public transport system and at least half of its population utilizes it daily.

The public transport system is the most important means of transportation to work and to school for Singaporeans. A slight dip has been noted in the number of Singaporeans and permanent residents using public transport compared to what happened in the past which had 55.0% and 46.3% of them going to work and to school respectively. The government aims to reverse this trend such that the total average number of commuters on public transport rises above 75% of all trips made.

Rail
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is a standard gauge system with a total rail network length of 109.4 km and 64 stations. There are three main lines running at present: the North South Line, the East West Line (both operated by SMRT Corporation), and the North East Line (operated by SBS Transit). A new Circle Line is slated for completion in 2010 and will be opened in phases as various stations are completed. In 1998, a 7.8 km-Light Rail Transit (LRT) system with 14 stations was introduced in Bukit Panjang. The Sengkang LRT Line, a 10.7 km light rail line was opened in 2003; a third LRT line, Punggol LRT Line, was opened in 2005 Jan with the East Loop of the system serving the residences in Punggol. A 2.1km Sentosa Express monorail built by Hitachi Asia Ltd was opened on 15 January 2007, linking Sentosa island to mainland Singapore.

Taxis
All taxis in Singapore are fitted with meters; all are air conditioned; the majority of the taxis are 5-seaters; about 90% of taxis have radiophones; call booking is done via GPS or digital voice dispatch. All passengers must fasten their seat belts by law. Most taxis run on diesel fuel.