Grab announces new Singapore-JB ride-sharing service
Commuters travelling between Singapore and Johor Baru can soon make use of a new cross-border ride-sharing service.
The GrabHitch Johor Baru-Singapore Inter-Country Service will be available from next Monday (June 20), Grab said in a media release on Monday (June 13).
Passengers, who can pre-book rides between seven days and 30 minutes in advance, will be matched with drivers based on similar pick-up and drop-off locations.
A trip between City Square shopping centre in Johor Baru and Woodlands starts from RM9 (S$3) per person, and passengers can opt to pay either in cash or by credit card.
Fares are aimed at offsetting the driver's cost of petrol, and rides will be charged in the currency of the country from which the passenger starts his trip.
The new service is an extension of the carpooling platform, GrabHitch, which was launched last November (2015).
"The high cost of travelling, frequent congestion and lack of point-to-point transportation between Johor Baru and Singapore are compelling reasons for us to introduce the GrabHitch JB-SG service," said GrabHitch head Ngiam Xin Wei.
The Causeway and Second Link are among the busiest land checkpoints in the world, with an estimated 400,000 crossings in both directions daily.
~Straits Times/Asia News Network~
Lily blooms adorn Gardens by the Bay
(ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG)
A woman takes a selfie among the exotic lily blooms at Gardens by the Bay's first lily exhibition. Lilytopia, which opened on Saturday, features more than 40 varieties of the flower sourced from around the world, including the large trumpet lily.
~News courtesy of My Paper~
UWS aquarium at 1991 prices before it closes
There is a 83m underwater tunnel with marine life swimming around visitors. (PHOTO: UNDERWATER WORLD SINGAPORE)
UNDERWATER World Singapore will be closing on June 26, it announced yesterday, as the lease for the premises at Sentosa expires in less than two years.
The aquarium, run by Haw Par Corporation, has found a home for its vulnerable or endangered marine animals.
"After nearly a year reviewing suitable facilities, we found a home for our pink dolphins, fur seals and otters," a Haw Par spokesman said.
They were moved to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, China, after approval by the authorities in Singapore and China. The other marine creatures are still looking for a place to stay.
The aquarium will mark its closing with a month of charity this month. Beneficiaries from charities it has worked with will be granted free entry to the attraction.
It will also be lowering ticket prices for all to its 1991 opening price from today - $9 per adult and $5 per child.
Its current ticket prices are $29.90 for adults and $20.90 for children.
When Underwater World opened in May 1991, it was the largest tropical fish oceanarium in Asia. Built at a cost of over $20 million, it was a big draw for tourists.
More than 30 million visitors have visited since it opened, said its spokesman.
The Sentosa attraction is 25 years old this year and faces competition from the new SEA Aquarium and Universal Studios. It is best known for its 83m underwater tunnel, where visitors can view sharks, rays and colourful reef fishes swimming just above their heads and around them.
Underwater Santa and the Underwater God of Fortune will be making daily appearances at the tunnel to bid visitors farewell, Haw Par said.
~News courtesy of My Paper~
Two wildlife parks to join Zoo, Night Safari in Mandai
The 126ha Mandai nature precinct, to be completed by 2023, will have two wildlife parks - Rainforest Park and the relocated Bird Park. Features like nature trails and playgrounds will be free of charge. (PHOTO: MANDAI SAFARI PARK HOLDINGS)
SINGAPORE will soon have a wildlife and nature attraction in Mandai, complete with eco-lodges and a rainforest-themed park where visitors can get up close to wildlife.
When the Mandai nature precinct is complete by 2023, two new wildlife parks - the Rainforest Park and the Bird Park - will join the existing trio: the Singapore Zoo, the River Safari and the Night Safari.
Sleeping under the stars could be an option for those who want to spend a night or two in Mandai, as accommodation options such as tents, suites and family rooms are being considered.
There will also be nature trails, boardwalks, outdoor seating and playgrounds, where no admission fees will be charged.
The 126ha Mandai hub sits just outside the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and borders Upper Seletar Reservoir.
The plans to turn the area into a nature precinct were announced yesterday by developer Mandai Safari Park, and were welcomed by tourism experts who said they could help Singapore jump on the fast-growing nature tourism bandwagon.
At the new 12.5ha Rainforest Park, visitors can stroll along aerial walkways that extend from the forest floor to treetop canopies, or enjoy the coolness of the forest as they relax in pods suspended from the ground.
The Bird Park, which will be relocated from Jurong, will occupy 17ha and open as early as 2020. Birds will fly freely in nine "upsized" aviaries, each featuring a unique landscape such as wetlands and bamboo forests. Mike Barclay, group chief executive of Mandai Safari Park, said at the press conference yesterday: "We may be surrounded by the forests while in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, but many people may not get a chance to encounter wildlife there. Now, they'll be able to do so here."
The Mandai precinct is being designed to be in harmony with nature. The two new wildlife parks will be developed on previously occupied land and measures will be taken to minimise impact on the flora and fauna in the area.
An eco-bridge will be built across Mandai Lake Road for animals to move between the central and northern reaches of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Plans for the Mandai makeover were first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in September 2014. The first phase of its development, which could start as early as later this year, costs $1 billion. It will cover the construction of the two new parks.
Michael Chiam, Ngee Ann Polytechnic's senior tourism lecturer, said: "More Singapore residents are getting away from their concrete jungle environment into nature and wilderness, to relax and be rejuvenated. This hub has great potential to attract them."
Housewife Foo Kailing, 34, liked the idea of having public access spaces.
The mother of two children, aged six and eight, said: "I've only taken my children to the zoo once. With more open spaces that are free, there are more reasons to go back."
~News courtesy of My Paper~
