One of the first things that hit us when we got here (apart from the squeaky clean streets and leafy green avenues) was the fantastic transport system in Singapore. It’s absolutely brilliant!
Having lived and travelled my entire life in an overcrowded, dusty, polluted and stressful city like Bombay (which I still love dearly and always will because it’s home) I’m used to shoving, pushing and grabbing my bag close to me in public transport. Add to that the heady mix of hair oil, sweat and certain unmentionable “stuff” along the rail tracks and travel by public trains is pure joy – Not!
Back home, I’ve been travelling on the local train ever since kindergarten and all through college which was a long long trip and to be honest, those journeys may have been stressful and tiring then but I still miss them. Of late however, travelling in Singapore’s organised, clean and comparatively much less crowded trains has completely spoilt me. I now shudder to get into a train in Bombay -as for travelling at peak time – Never! But my stories of travel in Bombay’s public transport are for another day…this one is about Singapore.
Image courtesy burrp.com
Whenever we have friends/family over from outside Singapore, they never cease to be amazed by the MRT and Bus system. It’s practically flawless. Yes, of course it’s crowded but hardly as bad as you’d think. The buses and trains are rarely late. Delays and breakdowns have happened a bit more frequently in the last few years but that’s expected when systems begin to show wear and tear. And again, it’s not just the breakdowns but how they are managed that makes a difference and here there is so much more done for the commuter. Free shuttle buses, sign-ages displayed, money refunded – it all happens like clockwork most of the time. Fantastic!
But my favourite discovery that has helped me on numerous occasions is a tiny lil website called gothere.sg
When we first got here, travelling around seemed easy but with such a vast network of MRT lines, bus routes and expressways, deciding which was the shortest route was confusing. Thats when we found this little website.
All you need to do is put in your current address, the one you want to go to and choose your means of transport (MRT, Bus, Taxi) and it not just tells you which bus or MRT will get you there, but also the time it will take you, the cost of travel and the distance covered. Super!
Now all our friends and family use it too – and it’s so simple. And thanks to this discovering new and exciting places on this little red dot has never been easier 🙂
P.S. if you need some tips on travelling in a local train in Bombay – this is a good site to get it
Beyond Bombay! 