Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
40
walking distance, but walking between the
different neighborhoods can be a hike,
especially in the heat. The STB Visitors'
Centres carr y a v ariety of fr ee city maps
and walking tour maps of individual
parts of the island can be r eached fairly
inexpensively, while trips to the outlying
attractions can cost fr om S$10 to S$15
(US$6.70-US$10/£4.50-£6.75) one-way.
That said, I caution against becoming too
dependent on them. D uring the morning
and evening rush, you can wait a madden-
ingly long time in the line, and sometimes
if you're at a destination outside the main
city area, they're few and far between. If it's
raining, you might as w ell stay put; y ou'll
never get a cab.
If you do find y ourself stranded, ther e
are a few things you can do. If you're at an
attraction or a r estaurant, you can ask the
cashier or help desk to call a taxi company
and book a cab for y ou. I f y ou're near a
phone, you can make y our own booking:
CityCab
(
&
65/6552-2222
),
Comfort
(
&
65/6552-1111
), and
TIBS
(
&
65/
6555-8888
). There's an extra charge for
the booking, anywher e betw een S$2.50
and S$3.50 (US$1.65-US$2.35/£1.10-
£1.55).
Taxis charge the meter ed fare, which is
from S$2.80 to $3 (US$1.85-US$2/
£1.25-£1.35) for the first kilometer (
6
/
10
mile) and S20¢ (US10¢/5p) for each addi-
tional 300-400m (984-1,312 ft.) or 45
seconds of waiting. E xtra far es ar e levied
on top of the meter ed fare, depending on
where you're going and when y ou go. At
times, figuring your fare seems more like a
riddle. Here's a summary:
Trips during peak hours: B etween the
hours of 7 and 9:30am Monday to Friday,
and 5 and 8pm M onday to S aturday,
meters tack on an additional 35%. I f
you're trav eling within the Central B usi-
ness D istrict (CBD) fr om 5pm till mid-
night Monday through Saturday, you also
pay an additional S$3 (US$2/£1.35) sur-
charge. (To accurately outline the bound-
aries of the CBD, I'd need to fill a couple
of encyclopedic volumes, so for this pur-
pose, let 's just say it 's basically O rchard
neighborhoods to help y ou find your way
around.
Stored-value EZ-Link far e car ds
can
be used on both the sub way and buses,
and can be purchased at TransitLink offices
in MR T stations. These sav e y ou the
bother of trying to dig up exact change for
bus meters. The car d does carr y a S$5
(US$3.35/£2.25) initial cost and a S$3
(US$2/£1.35) deposit—for a S$15
(US$10/£6.75) initial inv estment, y ou'll
get S$7 (US$4.70/£3.15) wor th of trav el
credit.
A better deal is the
Singapore Tourist
Pass,
a card that allows unlimited travel on
MRT trains and public buses for 1, 2, or 3
days. The cost is S$8 (US$5.35/£3.60) per
day, with a r
efundable S$10
(US$6.70/£4.50) deposit. P asses can be
purchased at the follo wing MRT stations:
Changi Airpor t, O rchard, Chinato wn,
City H all, Raffles P lace, H arbourfront,
and Bugis, and at the STB Visitors' Cen-
tres at Changi Airpor
3
t and O
rchard
Road.
I recommend purchasing the latest edi-
tion of the
TransitLink G uide
for about
S$2 (US$1.35/90p) at the TransitLink
office where you buy your card. This tiny
book details both MR T and bus r outes
with maps of each MRT station surround-
ings, and it indicates connections between
buses and MR T stations. I t also tells y ou
fares for each trip.
By Taxi
Taxis are by far the most conv enient way
to get ar ound Singapore. Fares are cheap,
cars ar e clean, and driv ers speak E nglish.
Taxi stands can be found at ev ery hotel,
shopping mall, and public building; other-
wise, you can flag one down from the side
of the road. Most destinations in the main
