Transport in Singapore
Transportation in
Singapore's transport system is globally recognized for its efficiency and effectiveness. According to
Public transport, encompassing public buses and the MRT and LRT rail networks, is the most common mode of transportation within the city-state. The
Private transport, including cars, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles, is less commonly used due to the country's limited land space and dense population. The LTA has controlled and limited the private vehicle population through the Vehicle Quota System (VQS) ownership market-based license auctions since 1990. High taxes, such as the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and Additional Registration Fee (ARF), make private vehicle ownership prohibitively expensive, leading to Singapore's reputation as the most expensive country in the world to own a car.[6]
In recent years, Singapore has emerged as a preferred location for the testing and development of autonomous vehicles. This positions the city-state at the forefront of transportation innovation, demonstrating its commitment to leveraging technology to enhance its transport infrastructure. This development further solidifies Singapore's status as a global leader in transport efficiency and sustainability.[7]
Road transport
Buses
Bus transport forms a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 4.0 million rides taken per day on average as of 2019.
Since 2016, the Land Transport Authority regulates the public bus service standards and owns relevant assets whereas bus operators bid for operating bus services via competitive tendering, under its Bus Contracting Model.
Taxis and PHVs
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. Starting rates were $3.20 - $3.90. As of March 2019, the taxi and private hire car population has been increased to 83,037.
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.
Private cars
As of 2018, there was a total of 957,006 motor vehicles in Singapore, with 509,302 of them being private cars.[9]
Private transport (cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles) is less commonly used as due to limited land space of the country, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has limited and controlled the population of privately owned vehicles in the country, through the Vehicle Quota System (VQS) ownership market-based license auctions since 1990.[10] As a result, private vehicles are prohibitively expensive and Singapore is known to be most expensive country in the world to own a car.;[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 10-years, as of October 2023,[14] COEs are priced at more than S$100,000 for all prospective car owners, more than S$80,000 for prospective commercial vehicle owners and more than S$10,000 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.[11][15][16] As a result of the aforementioned taxes, on-the-road car prices in Singapore are approximately 5 times of the on-the-road car prices in Western countries.[6][11][12]
Roads and expressways
Singapore pioneered
- Total length of expressways: 164 km
- Total length of major arterial roads: 576 km
- Total length of collector roads: 704 km
- Total length of local access roads: 2056 km (as of 2017)[17]
Traffic
The planning, construction and maintenance of the road network is fully conducted by the
- Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE)
- Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE)
- Central Expressway (CTE)
- East Coast Parkway (ECP)
- Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE)
- Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE)
- Kranji Expressway (KJE)
- Pan Island Expressway (PIE)
- Seletar Expressway (SLE)
- Tampines Expressway (TPE)
- North–South Corridor (scheduled opening in 2027)
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.)
Causeway and link bridge
Singapore has two land links to
Trishaws
Before World War II, rickshaws were an important part of urban public transportation. In 1947 they were banned on humanitarian grounds, and replaced by trishaws (cycle rickshaws).[18]
Usage of
Rail transport
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
The
The current MRT network consists of six main lines: the North–South Line, East–West Line, Circle Line and partially-opened Thomson–East Coast Line operated by SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) and the North East Line and Downtown Line operated by SBS Transit. Two more lines, the Jurong Region Line and the Cross Island Line, will open in stages from 2027 and 2030 respectively.[22][23]
Light Rail Transit (LRT)
In several
International rail links
The
Air transport
Airlines
The national flag carrier is Singapore Airlines. In total, there are three local airlines, all operating out of Changi Airport:
- Jetstar Asia Airways
- Scoot
- Singapore Airlines
Malaysia's Firefly is the sole operator with scheduled services out of Seletar Airport.
Airports
The aviation industry is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, a statutory board of the Singapore government under the Ministry of Transport.
An open skies agreement was concluded with the United Kingdom in October 2007 permitting unrestricted services from Singapore by UK carriers. Singapore carriers were allowed to operate domestic UK services as well as services beyond London Heathrow to a number of destinations, including the United States along with Canada.[24]
Seletar Airport is Singapore's first civil aviation airport and is primarily used for private aviation.
Airport | ICAO | IATA | Usage | Runway | Length (ft) |
Length (m) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paya Lebar Air Base | WSAP | QPG | Military | Paved | 12400 | 3800 | Former civilian |
Seletar Airport | WSSL | XSP | Civilian/Military | Paved | 6023 | 1836 | Mainly non-scheduled flights |
Sembawang Air Base | WSAG | Military | Paved | 3000 | 914 | ||
Singapore Changi Airport |
WSSS | SIN | Civilian | Paved | 13200 | 4000 | |
Tengah Air Base | WSAT | TGA | Military | Paved | 8900 | 2713 |
Heliports
Aerial lift transport
Cable car
The
In addition, a similar gondola lift system also operates within Sentosa as the Sentosa Line were opened in 2015. This line links Siloso Point to Imbiah.[27]
Maritime transport
Ports and harbours
The Port of Singapore, run by the port operators PSA International (formerly the Port of Singapore Authority) and Jurong Port, is the world's busiest in terms of shipping tonnage handled. 1.04 billion gross tons were handled in 2004, crossing the one billion mark for the first time in Singapore's maritime history. Singapore also emerged as the top port in terms of cargo tonnage handled with 393 million tonnes of cargo in the same year, beating the Port of Rotterdam for the first time in the process. In 2019, it handled a total of 626 million tonnes of cargo.[28]
In 2018, Singapore was ranked second globally in terms of containerised traffic, with 36.6 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) handled,[29] and is also the world's busiest hub for transshipment traffic. Additionally, Singapore is the world's largest bunkering hub, with 49.8 million tonnes sold in 2018.[30]
In 2007, the Port of Singapore was ranked the world's busiest port, surpassing Hong Kong and Shanghai.[31] The Port of Singapore is also ranked the Best Seaport in Asia.
Port | Operator | Type | Berths | Quay length (m) |
Quay cranes | Area (m2) |
Capacity (kTEUs) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asia Automobile (Singapore) (AATS)[32] | K Line/Nippon Yusen/PSA International | Car | 2 | ||||
Brani (BT)[33] | PSA International | Container | 8 | 2,325 | 26 | 790,000 | |
Cosco-PSA (CPT) | Cosco/PSA International |
Container | 5 | 720 | 228,000 | 5,000 | |
Jurong | JTC | Multi-Purpose | 23 | 4,486 | 1,200,028 | ||
Keppel (KT)[33] | PSA International | Container | 14 | 3,164 | 27 | 1,025,000 | |
Magenta Singapore (MST)[32] | ONE/PSA International | Container | 4 | 4,000 | |||
MSC-PSA Asia (MPAT)[32] | MSC/PSA International | 7 | 14 | ||||
Pasir Panjang Automobile (PPT)[33] | PSA International | Ro-Ro | 3 | 1,010 | 250,000 | ||
Pasir Panjang (PPT 1) | PSA International | Container | 6 | 2,145 | 19 | 850,000 | |
Pasir Panjang (PPT 2) | PSA International | Container | 9 | 2,972 | 36 | 1,390,000 | |
Pasir Panjang (PPT 3) | PSA International | Container | 8 | 2,655 | 31 | 940,000 | |
Pasir Panjang (PPT 4) | PSA International | Container | 3 | 1,264 | 13 | 700,000 | |
Pasir Panjang (PPT 5) | PSA International | Container | 6 | 2,160 | 24 | 830,000 | |
Pasir Panjang (PPT 6) | PSA International | Container | 6 | 2,251 | 24 | 800,000 | |
PIL-PSA Singapore (PPST)[32] | PIL/PSA International | Container | 3 | ||||
Sembawang Wharves[33] | PSA International | General | 4 | 660 | 280,000 | ||
Tanjong Pagar (TPT)[33] | PSA International | Container | 7 | 2,097 | 0 | 795,000 |
Passenger transport
Water transport within the main island is limited to the River Taxi along the Singapore River. The service was introduced in January 2013, with low ridership.[34][35] There are also daily scheduled ferry services from the Marina South Pier to the Southern Islands such as Kusu Island, Lazarus Island & Saint John's Island and Sisters' Islands.[36] Changi Point Ferry Terminal in the east offers daily ferry services to Pulau Ubin and some destinations in Johor, Malaysia.
In addition to the ferry terminals, the Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC) also operates a cruise terminal which is handled by the International Passenger Terminal (IPT), and has two berths of 310 metres and 270 metres with a height limit of 52 metres. It has a draft of 12 metres. It underwent an upgrade in 2005 to improve its passenger handling facilities. An additional cruise terminal, the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore, began construction in 2009 and was completed in 2012 in order to accommodate bigger cruise ships that are not able to dock at the Singapore Cruise Centre.
See also
References
- ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Fare Structure". ptc.gov.sg. Public Transport Council. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ "New Rail Financing Framework". lta.gov.sg. Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ "Bus Contracting Model". lta.gov.sg. Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Descalsota, Marielle (28 June 2022). "Cars in Singapore cost on average 5 times more than they do in the US. Here's a breakdown of what 5 popular cars would set you back in each country". Business Insider. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ Umar Zakir Abdul, Hamid; et al. (2019). "Current Landscape of the Automotive Field in the ASEAN Region: Case Study of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - A Brief Overview". ASEAN Journal of Automotive Technology. 1 (1). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "Bus, train ridership rises to new high". The Straits Times. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Annual Vehicle Statistics 2018: MOTOR VEHICLE POPULATION BY VEHICLE TYPE" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "How the COE system went from managing rapid vehicle growth to hitting record premiums". CNA. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Ho, Timothy (11 April 2022). "An Explanation On Why Cars In Singapore Are So Expensive". DollarsAndSense.sg. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Why are cars so expensive in Singapore?". Budget Direct Insurance. January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ "Cost of car ownership soars in Singapore". BBC News. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "COE premiums for large car and Open categories hit record highs for 6th straight exercise". TODAY. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Yeoh, Grace (14 February 2023). "Budget 2023: Higher additional registration fees, cap on rebates for luxury car owners". CNA (TV network). Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ cue (14 February 2023). "Budget 2023: Tax for higher-end cars to rise again; ARF to go up from 220% to 320% | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Length of Roads Maintained by LTA". Land Transport Authority. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Infopedia: Rickshaw". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ISBN 978-1921867385.
- ^ Lee, Chong Ming. "From their heyday in the 1940s to their demise: The end of trishaws in Singapore". CNA. MediaCorp. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Two New Rail Lines and Three New Extensions to Expand Rail Network by 2030". www.lta.gov.sg. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Jurong Region Line to serve NTU, Tengah estate, Jurong Industrial Estate". CNA. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "First phase of Cross Island MRT line finalised; will have 12 stations". The Straits Times. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Singapore, UK conclude landmark Open Skies Agreement". Channelnewsasia.com. 3 October 2007.
- ^ "Air Network". changiairport.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
- ^ "Skytrax names Singapore Changi as World's Best Airport". World Airport Awards. Skytrax. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "New cable car service to help visitors get around Sentosa". The Straits Times. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "Cargo Throughput, Monthly". Data.gov.sg. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Top 50 World Container Ports". World Shipping Council. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Singapore's 2018 Maritime Performance". Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. 14 January 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Singapore remains world's busiest port". Xinhuanet. 12 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2006.
- ^ a b c d "Our Business: Joint-Venture Terminals". www.singaporepsa.com. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Our Business: Terminals". www.singaporepsa.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Water taxis to make a splash in Singapore". Telegraph. 27 December 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "Few using water taxis as regular mode of commute". TODAY. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "Singapore Island Cruise". islandcruise. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "wowgetaways.com". SCC. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
Further reading
- Archives and Oral History Department (Singapore) (1984). The Land Transport of Singapore, From Early Times to the Present. Singapore: Educational Publications Bureau. ISBN 9971001365.
- Davis, Mike; Phillips, Ron; York, F. W. (2005). Singapore Buses. Vol. One, Part One: Singapore Bus Service – Early Single-Deck Buses and the First Double-Deckers. Croydon, UK: DTS Publishing. ISBN 190051575X.
- Davis, Mike; Phillips, Ron (2005). Singapore Buses. Vol. One, Part Two: Singapore Bus Service – Double and Single-Deck Buses from the 1980s to 2005. Croydon, UK: DTS Publishing. ISBN 1900515261.
- Davis, Mike (2012). Singapore Buses. Vol. Two: Singapore Shuttle Bus and Trans-Island Bus Service. Croydon, UK: DTS Publishing. ISBN 9781900515276.
- Fwa, Tien Fang (2016). 50 Years of Transportation in Singapore: Achievements and Challenges. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company. ISBN 9789814651608.
- Teo, Eisen (2019). Jalan Singapura : 700 Years of Movement in Singapore. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 9789814828741.
- York, F. W.; Phillips, A. R. (1996). Singapore: A History of Its Trams Trolleybuses and Buses. Vol. 1: 1880's to 1960's. Croydon, UK: DTS Publishing. ISBN 1900515008.
- York, F. W.; Davis, Mike; Osborne, Julian (2009). Singapore: A History of Its Trams Trolleybuses and Buses. Vol. 2: Buses and bus services 1970s and 1990s. Croydon, UK: DTS Publishing. ISBN 9781900515016.
External links
- Ministry of Transport
- Public Transport Council
- Land Transport Authority
- TransitLink
- PublicTransport@SG at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2012-04-18)
- Taxi Singapore and Transport Guide
- traffic management system