Driving in Singapore

To be honest: the government there is pretty much against people driving in Singapore. It puts in place several disincentives to discourage people from putting more cars on the road. So, before you go out there and rent a car, that's one thing to consider.

Indeed, there is hardly a good reason to drive. Given the efficiency of public transport, the only reason you would want to rent a car is to go out of Singapore to explore Malaysia. Still, if you really want to rent a car, it may be cheaper to do it in Johor Bahru. Singapore car rental firms charge a S$25 levy for bringing their vehicles into Malaysia.

Another reason for not driving in Singapore is the high road toll rate. Within the Central Business District (CBD), the ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) programme charges a rate that varies from S$0.25 to S$4.00 for passenger cars each time you enter the CBD during peak hours (usually from 7:30 am to 7:30pm). No toll is charged during off peak hour. The amount charged is deducted using an electronic device called the In-Vehicle Unit (IU) which is affixed to the lower right corner of the front windscreen of the vehicle. Inserted into the IU is a stored-value card, called the CashCard, which is obtainable from most petrol stations.

Yet another good reason is the heavy parking fee. You are sure to incur a fine if you simply stop your car anywhere and leave it there. Do not park on roads with zigzag yellow lines on them - you may just stop there to quickly pick up passengers or drop people off. In most places, the parking fee is S$2.00 per hour, and has to be paid using parking coupons which are obtainable from grocery shops and convenience stores.

Okay, if you still want (or have to) rent a car in singapore, here are the contacts of several car rental companies:

Avis (www.avis.com.sg)390A Havelock Road 01-07 Waterfront Plaza 169075tel: 6737 1668toll free: 1 800 737 1668

Hertz (www.hertz.com)15 Scotts Road 01-01 Thong-Teck Building 169075tel: 6734 4646toll free: 1800 839 3388

RentCars Pte Ltd (www.rentcars.com.sg)14 Robinson Road #13-00 Far East Finance Building Singapore 048545tel: 6778 5866

SIXT (www.sixt.com/main/car-rental/Singapore/)International Business Park, Jurong 609916tel: 6423-9566

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