Public transport card fares for adult commuters in Singapore will increase by 12 to 13 cents per journey from Dec. 26, 2026, the Public Transport Council (PTC) said on Sep. 29, 2026.

This is the highest absolute value increase in fares to date.

Changes to fares

The fare adjustments, which will take effect from Dec. 26, 2026 are:

• Adult card fares: 12 cents more per journey for distances of up to 3.2km, and 13 cents more for distances of more than 3.2km.
• Student, senior, and person with disabilities card fares: 5 cents more per journey.
• Adult cash fares: 20 cents more per journey.
• Student, senior and person with disabilities cash fares: 10 cents more per journey.

There will be no fare adjustment for card fares under the Workfare Transport Concession Scheme (WTCS).

The prices of all monthly passes will also remain unchanged, to help heavy users of public transport cope with the cost increases, said PTC.

About 190,000 WTCS cardholders and 126,000 monthly pass users will benefit from these.

PTC added that with card fares increasing while monthly pass prices remain unchanged, about 110,000 additional commuters who currently pay by card could potentially benefit by switching to a hybrid monthly pass.

Driven by "significant increases in energy prices"

The maximum allowable fare adjustment is determined in part using a formula that takes into account various costs affecting public transport operations, as well as wage growth and cost-of-living indicators.

PTC said the fare formula quantum for 2026, 5.3 per cent, is higher than that in 2025.

The council largely attributed this to significant increases in energy prices between July 2025 and June 2026 as a result of the Middle East conflict.

That formula quantum together with a deferred quantum of 9.4 per cent from previous fare review exercises, produced a maximum allowable fare adjustment of 14.7 per cent.

Both SBS Transit and SMRT applied for a fare adjustment of 14.7 per cent, citing cost pressures arising from elevated energy prices amid geopolitical developments, as well as a competitive labour market for attracting and retaining workers.

However, the council decided to grant only an adjustment of 7 per cent this year.

The remaining 7.7 per cent will be deferred to the next fare adjustment exercise.

"Ultimately, our decision reflects the delicate balance that we have to strike each year: keeping public transport affordable for commuters today, providing more help to those who need it, while ensuring that our public transport system remains financially sustainable for the longer term," said PTC chairperson Janet Ang.

Public transport fares remain affordable

PTC noted that economic growth is forecast to remain comparable to 2025, while inflation is expected to be higher.

Singapore’s labour market also continued to expand in the second quarter of 2026 despite ongoing global uncertainty, it said.

PTC also noted that public transport fares in Singapore remain affordable, with the proportion of monthly household income spent on public transport remaining low and stable.

Government to provide almost S$200 million in subsidies

Separately, the government will provide close to S$200 million in taxpayer-funded subsidies to support commuters and public transport operators, covering the cost of deferring the full allowable fare adjustment.

This is in addition to more than S$2 billion in annual operating subsidies for public transport.

The government will also invest around S$5 billion each year over the next five years to build new public transport infrastructure and renew existing infrastructure and assets.

This includes major service improvement initiatives such as the S$1 billion committed to strengthening rail reliability, as well as the S$1 billion Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, which is already benefiting about 300,000 commuters daily.

Value of public transport vouchers to be increased

The government will also provide further assistance to lower-income resident households through Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs).

For this year’s fare adjustment exercise, each eligible household will receive S$80 in vouchers, up from S$60.

The eligibility threshold will also be raised so that more households can benefit.

Resident households with a monthly household income per person of not more than S$2,100 will qualify, compared with S$1,800 previously.

About four in 10 resident households are expected to qualify, an increase of around 60,000 households.

TLC's latest season of "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way" features a Singaporean among its cast.

The new season follows five new couples, including Jonathan and Ally.

Ally, 28, is from a rather familiar place: Woodlands, Singapore.

Jonathan, 49, is from Groton, Connecticut. He is a divorced father who, according to the show, still lives with his ex-wife.

The show follows Americans who move abroad to be with their partners.

It is a spin-off of "90 Day Fiancé", which follows couples where one partner travels to the U.S. to live with their fiancé for the first time on a fiancé visa.

At the end of the 90-day period, each couple must decide whether they want to get married.

How they met

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A post shared by 90 Day Fiance (@90dayfiance)

In their introductory video, Ally introduces herself as "Alimna" and tells the story of how they met.

She said that just two years ago, she was out partying and enjoying herself.

"And then, one night, I met this really hot guy from America," she said. "And he was the best sex I've ever had in my entire life."

Ally added that it was "crazy" to be six months pregnant, as this was not something she had expected.

Jonathan, 49, shared a bit about himself as well. "I don't have what you would call a typical job," he said, explaining that he designs and manufactures sonar equipment.

He described himself as a "nerdy, mad scientist" who somehow landed a hot girlfriend on the other side of the world.

Baby on the way

However, their new life together in Singapore comes with its challenges: Jonathan has little money saved and no job lined up.

In addition, Ally’s devout Muslim parents apparently do not know one crucial detail — she's pregnant.

TLC's 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way premieres on Oct. 4 (U.S. time).

A Malaysian woman working in Singapore suffered a miscarriage at the six-month mark of her pregnancy and was at a loss as to how to give her foetus a proper send-off.

The woman, identified as 32-year-old "Mary", spoke limited English and was unfamiliar with Singapore's funeral proceedings, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The single mother, who worked as a clerk at a local mini supermarket, was facing financial difficulties as she earned less than S$1,500 a month.

But she was eventually able to carry out a sea burial for her unborn child as local funeral parlour, Funeral Guru, offered its services pro bono.

A proper send-off

According to the company's director Karen Ong, Mary miscarried on Aug. 27.

The woman then contacted numerous funeral companies, but failed to receive a response, until she was referred to Funeral Guru.

When Ong first met Mary, she recalled sensing that the grieving mother was feeling very down, she told Shin Min.

"She was very scared when we were processing the paperwork to claim the body," said Ong.

"She was even hesitant to go into the morgue office. We accompanied her through the process, she was very quiet throughout and hardly spoke to any of the staff."

Funeral Guru recounted in a Sep. 4 Facebook post the process of picking up the body at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH): "Our hearts sank when we received the body of this little angel this morning at SGH Mortuary."

Bag of baby items

On the day of the send-off, Mary prepared a bag containing baby items that she hoped to send off with her child, Shin Min reported.

The funeral team also prepared a small white casket, as well as purchased additional clothes, toys and a pacifier, who was dress as a prince before being brought to the crematorium.

"We wanted to give him the dignity and care he deserved, right until his final journey," the funeral parlour's post added.

Due to the small size of the casket, it had to be manually pushed into the cremation chamber.

"It was a heartbreaking moment for everyone involved," the post added. "A heartfelt thank you to our silent sponsors and supporters who made this possible."

Final rites involved three religions

The final rites were led by religious leaders of three different faiths.

The nearly 20-minute sea burial took place near Changi Ferry Terminal.

It was led by a Taoist scripture recitation, followed by a Christian prayer, and a Buddhist scripture reading.

Ong personally scattered the baby's ashes into the sea and offered her own prayers.

Offering pro bono burial services

In a separate Facebook post, Funeral Guru added that it remains committed to providing pro bono funeral assistance to families and individuals who are in need:

"At Funeral Guru, we believe that every life deserves dignity, regardless of race, religion or background. Everyone deserves a meaningful and dignified final farewell.

Every life matters. And the ability to say goodbye with dignity should not depend on one’s financial circumstances."

In a previous interview with Mothership, Ong, a former SCDF paramedic, said the pro bono outreach started in January 2026.

The company helps with the costs of caskets, cremation, a hearse, ash collection, and sea burials.

They have partnerships with other funeral service providers, which helps them lower the usual cost for a direct cremation, which would typically cost around S$1,688.

A 26-year-old man recently died in a three-vehicle crash that occurred along the Senai-Desaru Expressway in Johor, Malaysia on Sep. 19.

The man was a Singaporean who had recently completed his national service.

He was returning home from an ORD trip with friends when he met with the fatal accident.

Accident

According to New Straits Times, the Sep. 19 crash involved:

• a Perodua Myvi carrying four passengers and a driver,
• a Proton Exora with one passenger,
• and a Mazda driven by a 30-year-old man.

The Singaporean, Chua Bing Xuan, was travelling in the Perodua Myvi, which was driven by a 21-year-old.

The local police chief superintendent said that authorities received reports from the public about the crash at 11:50am on Sep. 19.

He also said that the crash was believed to have occurred when the Perodua Myvi attempted to overtake a vehicle but crashed into the oncoming Proton Exora.

Six others were seriously injured in the accident.

Malaysian media reports did not identify Chua as a Singaporean.

On the way home from ORD trip

Chua's family has taken to social media to remember him.

In one of their posts on TikTok, a family member pointed out the absence of Chua's nationality in Malaysian media reports.

Speaking to Mothership, the TikTok user shared that he was Chua's older brother, and one of the two siblings.

Going by Kris, the older brother said Chua had just completed his national service about two months ago in July.

He was on an ORD trip with four of his NS friends, who are Permanent Residents.

"They had gone to Desaru together and were on their way back when the accident happened," Kris said.

The group of friends were travelling together in the same car at the time of the accident.

One of them was driving, and Chua was seated in the front passenger seat.

Shock, tears

According to Kris, they learned about what happened to Chua when a funeral undertaker knocked on their doors at around 4pm on Sep. 19.

"When we were told that Bing Xuan had passed away, our hearts sank. We were in complete shock and tears just started flowing," the older sibling recalled.

The family then rushed to the hospital in Malaysia to identify Chua's body and bring him home.

For that, they enlisted the help of a funeral parlour and reached out to Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who rendered assistance.

Not speculating on cause of accident

Commenting on the accident, Kris said that the family understood that it is still under investigation.

He added that they did not wish to speculate about the cause or place blame on anyone until the full investigation report is out.

The older brother also shared that the car's driver had been seriously injured and was placed under intensive care before regaining consciousness three to four days after the accident.

The driver's father subsequently reached out to Chua's family.

"As a Buddhist family, we believe in compassion and forgiveness. During Bing Xuan's wake, knowing that his friends were also seriously injured, we spoke to Bing Xuan and asked him to protect and help his friends," Kris said.

"At the end of the day, we can only choose forgiveness," he added.

Was readying for next stage of life

Kris said that his younger brother was at the "transition stage" before starting his working life.

The 26-year-old had been looking for jobs, attending interviews and "preparing to begin the next stage of his life".

The family had also just celebrated his 26th birthday on Sep. 14, the same week of his trip to Malaysia.

"So, everything happened before he or our family had the chance to properly prepare for his future, including things like insurance coverage," Kris said.

It has been an "extremely difficult" time for the family, especially Chua's mother.

"My mother cries everyday thinking about Bing Xuan," Kris wrote on TikTok.

Remembering his younger brother

On why he decided to share the story on TikTok, Kris explained that he wanted people to know about what happened to his younger brother.

"Some of his friends may still miss him, and some people who knew him may not even know what happened to him," he remarked.

He also hoped that anyone who came across Chua's story will realise "just how unpredictable life can be":

"We often think there will always be another dinner together, another conversation, another trip, or another opportunity to tell someone we love them. But sometimes, without any warning, that opportunity is taken away.

"If Bing Xuan’s story can make even one person go home and appreciate their parents, siblings, partner or friends a little more, then I believe something meaningful has come from sharing his story."

Tributes have been left on the TikTok posts by those who knew the 26-year-old.

One user, who said he knew Chua from Basic Military Training, remembered the "nice conversations" they shared.

"He was a nice presence in our big bunk," the user wrote.

"Got to know him in NS and was such a joy to be around. Terribly sad that he's gone so soon," another user wrote.

39 individuals were caught in a drug-busting operation conducted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Sep. 15.

According to a Sep. 29 press release by CNB, investigations led them to multiple channels on Telegram where drug-related activities were conducted.

These channels were also linked to multiple drug trafficking networks.

Subsequent enforcement operations led to the arrest of 39 suspected drug offenders across Singapore, around half of whom were below 30 years old.

Of the 39, 19 of them are believed to be linked to the same drug trafficking network.

The police seized the offenders' drugs and paraphernalia, including cannabis, "Ice", and "Ecstasy''.

In the Telegram channels, suppliers and clients openly sold and transacted drugs, crafting menus and offering islandwide delivery.

CNB said that it is "concerned" about how young persons can be exposed to misinformation about drugs and pro-drug content online.

It will continue to work with the police to issue directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) to restrict access by those in Singapore to Telegram accounts and channels linked to drug activities.

Investigations into the activities of the arrested suspects are ongoing.

Assistant Commissioner Ng Khai Song, Director of CNB's Intelligence Division, cautioned drug traffickers that online platforms do not shield them from enforcement.

"Every online interaction leaves a trail. CNB actively monitors the online space, develops intelligence and acts decisively to detect and disrupt drug activities. Those involved will be traced and dealt with under the law. We also leverage legal powers under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) to disrupt online drug activities and restrict access to drug-related content.

Our message is clear: Drug offenders cannot hide behind online anonymity. Anyone involved in drug-related activities whether online or offline is not beyond CNB's reach.”

CNB calls on parents and trusted adults to safeguard youths against pro-drug content.

A woman in Cambodia reportedly survived a fall from a building.

The incident occurred in Sihanoukville in the early hours of Sep. 27, Sin Chew Daily reported.

Residents heard loud noise

TNB News reported that the woman had fallen from the eighth floor of the building and landed on the zinc roof of a nearby house.

Residents were startled by a loud noise and went over to investigate.

They initially feared that she had been seriously injured or had died, Sin Chew Daily reported.

However, about half an hour later, the woman regained consciousness and sat up.

She then took out her phone and used it for around 20 minutes.

The woman subsequently made her way down from the roof on her own and left the scene.

Neither report provided further details about the woman's condition after she left.

🚨 #BREAKING | Sihanoukville, Cambodia 🇰🇭

A woman survived an 8-storey fall on the night of September 26 after landing on a corrugated iron roof that reportedly cushioned the impact.

A shocking escape from a potentially fatal fall. pic.twitter.com/EHg9jIFVoP

— Silent Observer (@YousufPash69914) September 27, 2026

A traveller at Changi Airport says he could not use most of his S$3 vouchers at The Shilla Duty Free, a cosmetics shop, and ended up letting them expire.

The store says the vouchers work differently from how he supposedly understood them, and that three were redeemed that day.

What he was trying to do

The traveller, identified as Ky, was shopping at The Shilla Duty Free at Changi Airport Terminal 2 before a flight on Aug. 22, Stomp reported.

He wanted to buy L’Oréal facial cleansers priced at S$7 each and was told that buying two would entitle him to an additional 30 per cent discount.

Ky also had more than 10 of these S$3 vouchers, which he said his family had accumulated from travelling several times a month.

He said: "I made a purchase and attempted to use several $3 vouchers with no minimum spending requirement."

He was told 1 per passport

When he tried to use several of them, he was told at the cashier that only one voucher could be redeemed per passport.

According to Stomp, The Shilla Duty Free clarified that each S$3 voucher could be used for one transaction, with each transaction tied to an individual traveller's passport.

As there were three travellers at the point of purchase, three separate transactions were processed and three S$3 vouchers were redeemed.

Why he was unhappy

Ky complained that the restriction was supposedly not stated on the vouchers and was only made known to him at the cashier.

He said he “could not find any such limitation in the terms and conditions printed on the voucher”, and that he had used several the previous month without being questioned.

He told Stomp:

"A restriction that is not stated on the voucher's terms and conditions should not, in my view, be imposed at the point of payment without prior disclosure."

He felt such conditions should be "clearly and prominently communicated to consumers before they make their purchase".

Stomp noted that a photo shared by Ky showed the voucher directing customers to the store for additional terms and conditions.

The vouchers expired

Ky said the remaining vouchers subsequently expired on Aug. 31, despite him making two overseas trips before then.

He said this meant he had missed the chance to use vouchers that had been issued without a stated minimum spend.

S$30 offered

The Shilla Duty Free told Stomp it had since reviewed the matter and been in touch with Ky.

The company said his feedback would be taken into account when communicating voucher redemption conditions in future.

The Shilla Duty Free also offered Ky a S$30 voucher as a gesture of goodwill.

Ky, however, felt the compensation did not adequately address his experience.

“I initially have around 10 pieces of $3 voucher to spend,” he told Stomp. “And after going through all the trouble and got into argument, I am getting back only that $30 in compensation.”

All travellers flying with Singapore Airlines (SIA) can expect new in-flight dining food.

More than 100 new and refreshed appetisers, main courses, and desserts are being introduced across all cabin classes.

SIA said on Sep. 29, 2026 that the carrier is upgrading its in-flight dining experience.

The new dishes have been rolled out on its flights.

Other upgrades, such as new drinks and tableware, will be introduced from Nov. 8.

What SIA travellers can expect

Economy class: Roasted chicken breast and oriental-style fish with yellow bean sauce.

Premium economy: Irish lamb stew and chicken stroganoff.

Business class: Prawn cocktail, char siew or roast pork with wanton noodles, roasted cauliflower steak, Singapore-style prawn noodle soup, and Indonesian dishes, such as jackfruit opor with blue pea rice and vegetarian nasi padang.

Suites and first-class: Poached Maine lobster with champagne sauce, beef short rib sambal percik served with nasi kerabu, sous vide chicken thigh roulade with chicken and pearl barley broth, lobster royale, as well as citrus-marinated lobster.

Another meal that would also be served across all cabin classes include tandoor roasted paneer.

SIA's new first-class seats will allow passengers travelling together to convert selected seats into a shared space to dine facing each other.

The new cabin features will be launched on Nov. 7.

New custom-designed tableware will be available for passengers in Suites, first and business cabins.

New spirits options are available to passengers in all classes, with new wine options for suites, first class and business class.

Economy and premium economy travellers can expect Whyte and Mackay blended Scotch whisky, while suites and first class passengers will get a new blended whisky from Japan’s Komoro Distillery, exclusive to SIA.

A 30-year-old Myanmar man has been charged after sending an AI-generated, digitally edited image of a crocodile at Pandan Reservoir to a colleague and later deleting it from his phone.

Ye Lin was charged in court on Sep. 29.

He was given an agency bail of S$5,000.

His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2026.

Fake crocodile picture

According to a police news release on Sep. 28, preliminary investigations revealed that the man had created an AI-generated image depicting a crocodile at Pandan Reservoir and sent it to his colleague.

Chargesheets seen by Mothership said Ye sent a message with the doctored picture on Aug. 20 at about 3pm.

Ye subsequently deleted the images and the Gemini AI application history log records from his handphone.

He was charged with the offence of communicating false message under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act 1906 and obstructing the course of justice.

The offence of communicating a false message carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine up to S$10,000, or both.

The offence of obstructing the course of justice carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.

Background

On Aug. 20, 2026, national water agency PUB was notified that a crocodile had been sighted at Pandan Reservoir.

Members of the public were advised to exercise caution in the area while water activities at the reservoir were suspended, the police said.

PUB and the National Parks Board (NParks) also deployed resources to conduct search and capture operations in the area.

Subsequently, PUB discovered that the photograph provided in relation to the reported sighting was fake and the matter was referred to the police on Aug. 21.

An eight-year-old Japanese girl, Hirata, who was an idol trainee, died from myocarditis on Sep. 25 after contracting the flu.

She had been part of a Japanese pop idol agency, Dianna Project.

The entertainment agency posted a notice on its website on Sep. 28, announcing the eight-year-old's passing.

According to Sin Chew Daily, the girl was born on Apr. 16, 2018.

She had participated in performances on Sep. 20, just five days before her passing.

According to a post on her X account, she passed on Sep. 25 at around 4am.

After news of her passing was made public, Hinata's family wrote a post on social media thanking her fans and staff from the agency for their support, Sin Chew Daily reported.

The family shared that she had spent a third of her lifetime as a trainee and had cherished those around her.

They also expressed the hope that Hirata would remain in everyone's hearts as a "forever idol".