MRT, buses and Grab in Singapore

Singapore's trains and buses are clean, cold, cheap and frequent, and you can pay with the same contactless card you use back home. Most Americans here never miss having a car.

The short version

Pay by tapping a contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, or your phone, at the gates and on buses. No sign-up needed, but foreign-issued cards pay an admin fee [1].
Fares are distance-based. Adult card fares run from SGD 1.28 (about USD 1.00) for short trips to SGD 2.57 (about USD 2.01) for the longest, in fares effective December 27, 2025 [2].
Fares go up on December 26, 2026, by 12 to 13 cents a trip for adults paying by card [3].
Grab and other apps are licensed by LTA, and metered taxis are easy to find [4].
Bikes are welcome, with rules. Some footpaths became pedestrian-only in July 2025, and helmets are required on roads [5].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = SGD 1.2776).

How the network fits together

Think of it as a subway system that a big US city would build if it started from scratch with a budget and a deadline. The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) lines cross the island, with the LRT light rail feeding some suburban estates. Buses fill in everything else, and many routes run double-decker buses. Public buses and trains are run by operators such as SBS Transit under the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Two tools do the planning for you [1]:

LTA's MyTransport app (iOS and Android) shows train operating times, station exits, bus services and live bus arrival times.
LTA's journey planner and fare calculator work out routes, transfer fares and travel times.

Google Maps and Apple Maps also handle Singapore transit well. Station exits matter here more than in most US cities: big interchange stations have many exits, and the right one can save you 10 minutes of walking in the heat.

Paying: your US card, your phone or a SimplyGo card

This is the easy part. LTA's system, called SimplyGo, accepts contactless bank cards directly at the fare gates and bus readers [1].

How you pay	What to know
Contactless bank card	Mastercard, Visa, American Express and NETS cards work. Adult fares apply, no registration needed [1]
Phone or watch	Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and others are accepted [1]
SimplyGo EZ-Link card	A stored-value transit card sold at SimplyGo Ticket Offices; top up in the app [1]
Concession cards	For students, seniors and others who qualify; not for adult expats [1]

The foreign-card fee

LTA says an admin fee applies to cards issued outside Singapore, without listing the amount on its journey page [1]. Your US bank may add its own foreign transaction fee on top. For a week of house hunting, tapping your US card is fine. Once you open a local account, switch to a Singapore-issued debit card or a SimplyGo EZ-Link card. Our guide to banking in Singapore covers getting that account.

How charges post

Charges don't hit your card trip by trip. Mastercard bundles them and posts after five days or once you've spent SGD 15 (about USD 12), whichever comes first. Visa, Amex and NETS charges add up daily and post after three days [1]. Register your card in the SimplyGo app if you want to see each trip, which helps when you file expense reports.

Tap in and tap out on both trains and buses. On a bus, forgetting to tap out can leave you paying for a longer trip than you took.

What it costs in 2026

Fares are set by the Public Transport Council and charged by distance, so a trip with a transfer is generally priced on its total distance. These are the adult card fares effective December 27, 2025 [2]:

Trip	Adult card fare	About in USD
MRT or basic bus, up to 3.2 km (2 miles)	SGD 1.28	USD 1.00
MRT or basic bus, over 40.2 km (25 miles)	SGD 2.57	USD 2.01
MRT, short trip, tapping in before 7:45 a.m. on a weekday	SGD 0.78	USD 0.61
Express bus, up to 3.2 km (2 miles)	SGD 2.28	USD 1.78
Basic bus, cash, up to 3.2 km (2 miles)	SGD 2.10	USD 1.64

From December 26, 2026, adult card fares rise by 12 cents for trips up to 3.2 km (2 miles) and 13 cents for longer ones. Adult cash fares rise by 20 cents. Monthly pass prices don't change [3].

The early-bird discount is real money if you commute: tap in before 7:45 a.m. on a weekday and the MRT fare drops a full 50 cents [2]. Heavy riders can buy an Adult Monthly Travel Pass for unlimited basic bus and train rides, priced at SGD 122 (about USD 95) and unchanged in the 2026 fare review [6]. Do the math against your actual commute before buying one.

Set that against a monthly subway pass in New York or a BART commute in the Bay Area, and Singapore looks like a bargain. Our cost of living in Singapore vs San Francisco guide runs the full numbers.

Taxis, Grab and the other apps

Ride-hailing in Singapore works the way Uber and Lyft work stateside, except the dominant app is Grab. LTA licenses ride-hail operators, and its current list includes GrabCar, Gojek (through Velox Digital), CDG Zig, TADA and Ryde, plus Geo Lah and Trans-cab, which got full licenses in December 2025 [4]. Licenses run to December 31, 2027 [4].

Practical tips:

Download two or three apps. Prices and wait times jump at rush hour and when it rains, and the cheapest app changes from ride to ride.
Taxis still matter. Metered taxis wait at taxi stands outside malls, hotels and hospitals, and CDG Zig books ComfortDelGro taxis too [4]. Peak-hour, late-night and location surcharges apply; the meter or app shows them.
No tipping. The price on the app or meter is the price.
Kids' car seats aren't standard in taxis or ride-hail cars. If you need one, check in the app before you book or bring a portable booster.

Thinking of driving instead? Our guide to driving in Singapore with a US license explains the COE, and why most Americans skip it.

Cycling, scooters and walking in the heat

Bikes and e-scooters

Singapore has been building cycling paths for years, but the rules are stricter than in most US cities. LTA's current rules [5]:

Bicycles can use cycling paths, roads and shared footpaths. Since July 1, 2025, footpaths running next to a dedicated cycling path are pedestrian-only, so ride on the cycling path instead.
Helmets are required on roads for cyclists and riders of power-assisted bicycles.
Power-assisted bicycles (e-bikes) may use cycling paths and roads, and riders must pass a theory test first. Their motor must cut off at 25 km/h (about 16 miles per hour).
E-scooters are allowed only on cycling paths, only after the rider passes a theory test, and only if the device is UL2272-certified and registered with LTA. They're banned from footpaths.
Since June 1, 2026, simply keeping a non-certified e-scooter is an offense, with fines up to SGD 2,000 (about USD 1,565) for a first offense.
Expressways and road tunnels are off-limits to cyclists.

Don't ship your US e-scooter over unless you've confirmed it carries UL2272 certification.

Walking

Singapore is very walkable on paper, but it sits just north of the equator, and the heat and humidity are with you all year. Locals plan walks around covered walkways, underground links between MRT stations and malls, and air-conditioned shortcuts through buildings. A few habits help:

Carry a small umbrella every day. Afternoon thunderstorms arrive fast, and it doubles as shade.
Walk early or after dark for anything over 15 minutes.
Use the underground passages around Orchard Road and the downtown core.

Our guide to heat, haze and dengue in Singapore covers staying well in the climate. And if you want commuting tips from people on your route, ask in our community group for Americans in Singapore.

MRT, buses and Grab in Singapore: tap your card, beat the heat, skip the car