If you plan to ride public transport during your visit to Singapore, this post will be helpful to understand the travel cards. There are basically 3 types of cards that can be used to pay public transport fare. Each card serves a different purpose.
There are 3 types of public transport tickets: standard card, Singapore Tourist Pass, and EZ-Link card. In this post, I will elaborate them one by one.
Standard Card
A standard card can only be used on MRT and LRT rides for both single and return trips. You can use it six times within 30 days from the date of purchase, but cannot use to pay for bus fares. The purchase price includes a deposit of 10 cents. The deposit will be automatically refunded on the travel fare of the third trip. A user also enjoys a 10-cent discount on the sixth trip.
You can purchase a standard ticket for a single trip through a ticketing machine. Read the step-by-step how to purchase it here.
Singapore tourist pass (STP)
The Singapore Tourist Pass is a special EZ-link card that offers tourist unlimited travel on Singapore’s basic public transportations for a certain duration. I will recommend using STP if you will be in Singapore for not more than 3 days.
STP comes with 3 valid duration with a different price. The price excludes $10 deposit, which can be refunded.
- 1-day pass cost $10
- 2-day pass cost $16
- 3-day pass cost $20
There are few things to note for STP:
- 1-day coverage of the day pass begins from the 1st usage of the pass to the end of public transport service for that day.
- Usage of 2-day or 3-day card must be on consecutive days. Unlimited travel is only applicable for public bus and train services. The pass excludes rides on premium services such as Sentosa Express, RWS8, Fast Forward, Night Rider and Nite Owl buses.
- The duration and validity of the pass are based on the operating hours of the public transport system. Service and coverage of the pass typically end at midnight for bus services and 0030hrs for MRT services.
You can purchase the STP at TransitLink Ticket Office. This office is located in some selected MRT stations. To get a refund of your deposit, you can go to ANY TransitLink Ticket Office. Please pay attention to their operation hour, as some office may close earlier than the other.
EZ-link card
EZlink card can be used for multiple journeys. This is the most practical card in our opinion. You must go to Passenger Service counter to purchase a new EZlink card.
One EZlink card costs $12, with $7 stored inside the card (the card itself costs $5). If you are going to stay in Singapore more than 3 days and have a chance to revisit Singapore again, I would suggest buying EZlink. It expires in 5 years and more practical for traveling around the city.
It will cost you cheaper too if you use EZlink for continuous public transport ride. As an illustration, a single trip of train ride may cost you around $2 and a bus ride may cost about 80 cents. If you ride a train and transfer to a bus, it may cost you only $2.10. Cost may vary depends on distance.
If you run out of credits in your EZlink card, you can make a top up at several places: general ticketing machine (available in every MRT stations), passenger service office (available in every MRT stations), 7-Eleven (with additional charges), Singapore Post Offices, DBS/POSB ATMs, OCBC ATMs, AXS Stations