Transport in Singapore
According to McKinsey's Urban Transportation report, it ranks as the world's best overall, excelling in five criteria: availability, affordability, efficiency, convenience, and sustainability.
[1] A study by London consulting firm Credo further highlights the cost-efficiency of Singapore's public transport networks,[2] with integrated multi-modal (bus and train) single-journey regular trunk adult card-based fares ranging from S$0.99 to S$2.26.
Private transport, including cars, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles, is less commonly used due to the country's limited land space and dense population.
[6] In recent years, Singapore has emerged as a preferred location for the testing and development of autonomous vehicles.
Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV) are a popular form of transport, with fares considered low compared to those in most cities in developed countries.
In Singapore, taxis can be flagged down at any time of the day along any public road outside of the Central Business District (CBD), while private hire cars can only be booked via ridesharing apps.
[9] Private transport (cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles) is less commonly used as due to limited land space of the country.
[6][11][12][13] Prospective private vehicle owners are required to place a bid for a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) sold under auction (valid for ten years, as of May 2024;[14] COEs are priced at more than S$92,700 for CAT A cars [below 97bhp], S$105,689 for bigger CAT B cars [above 97bhp], S$72,001 for prospective commercial vehicle owners and more than S$9,311 for prospective motorcycle owners) and pay the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) tax imposed at 100-320% of the open market value (OMV) of the vehicle, among other fees.
[6][11][12] Singapore pioneered congestion pricing (the market-based usage management of public roads to reduce congestion at specific times within the city centre and certain expressways), with the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, which has since been replaced with the Electronic Road Pricing, a form of electronic toll collection.
The planning, construction and maintenance of the road network is fully conducted 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.
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).
[24] The Land Transport Authority, the main planning authority of the MRT, plans to provide a more comprehensive rail transport system by expanding the rail system to a total of 360 km (223.69 mi) by the year 2030, with eight in ten households living within a 10-minute walking distance of an MRT station.
Since 1 July 2011, Woodlands Train Checkpoint serves as the southern terminus of the KTM rail network.
Previously, KTM trains terminated at Tanjong Pagar railway station in central Singapore.
An open skies agreement was concluded with the United Kingdom in October 2007 permitting unrestricted services from Singapore by UK carriers.
The international airport is situated at the easternmost tip of the main island, and serves 185 cities in 58 countries.
