Navigating through Singapore

The public transportation system in Singapore is very efficient and user-friendly (which is a good thing since our plan is not to get a car while we are here).  Buses and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) are easy and reliable and there are some great apps that allow us to travel around Singapore without any thought or worry.

The main bus stops have boards stating the arrival times of the buses.  This morning we took Bus 14 to school so we only had to wait 3 minutes till the bus arrived.  If we missed this bus, the next one was arriving in 15 minutes.

I never stress about how to get somewhere.  Using this app, I select my starting location and my desired end point then it calculates my different travel options.  It states the approximate travel time and cost and after selecting the preferred option, it gives explicit instructions on where to go.  I wouldn't know what I would do without this app!

At the bus stops without the arrival time boards, I use this app to tell me when my bus should be arriving.  On the way out of the door this morning, I checked to see when Bus 14 would be arriving and saw that we have 11 minutes to get to the bus stop.  If we missed the bus, the app shows that the next bus will arrive in 37 minutes.

Bus commute this morning

To ride the bus or MRT, you use a ez-link card which you upload with money.  You tap your card on a sensor at the front of the bus, or when you enter the MRT station, and tap it again when leave.  The cost of the trip will appear on the sensor and it is automatically deducted from your card value.  So easy! This is what the entry gate at one of the MRT stations looks like.

This is the MRT station (obviously during non-peak hours).  There are two platforms headed in opposite directions but everything is so well marked that it would be very difficult to board the wrong train.  At some stations, a screen shows you when the next train is scheduled to arrive (typically, the longest wait time would be 5 minutes).

While doing errands today, I stopped at a "wet market", which is kind of like a farmers market, Asian style.  Each stall specializes in a specific speciality.  I've included some pictures for you.

Hope this finds you well,
Lisa