Travel Smart

Singaporeans are good at exploiting loopholes in the system. LTA's free travel trial is the latest to fall.

Under the free travel trial:

1. Commuters must exit at any of the 16 designated stations in the city area by 7.45am on Mondays to Fridays (excluding public holidays) for the train portion of their journey to be free. Up to 50 cents discount from 7.45am to 8am. The train journey must not begin at any of these 16 designated stations.


2. The 16 designated stations are Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut, Lavender, Orchard, Outram Park, Raffles Place, Somerset, Tanjong Pagar, Bayfront, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Marina Bay and Promenade.

Now comes the part to take advantage of the system, even if you do not usually alight at these stations:

For example, you stay near Boon Lay MRT Station and your work place is near Redhill MRT Station. Normally you take a train from Boon Lay and alight at Redhill. You pay $1.47, right?


Wrong! If you can reach Outram Park MRT Station before 7.45am, your trip is free. After exiting the faregate, you then enter again and take another train to Redhill MRT Station. It only cost you $0.73, which gives you a saving of 74 cents.


If you work 220 days a year, you will save a total of $162.80 during the trial year.