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Lemonade PostAug 2016 The FIRST-EVER ISSUE! SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORT INDUSTRY In a nutshell Explore SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS Have you Heard of KOPI? TOP 5 MUST-TRY HAWKER FOOD Eat & drink like a local! CONTENTS Lemonade Post Editorial Editor Koh Han Jun Contributor Timothy Yeung Art Direction Creative Direction Koh Han Jun Photography Timothy Yeung Cover Adrian Yeap Advertising [email protected] Publisher Yeap Transport Pte Ltd 3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62 #08-04 Link@AMK Singapore 569139 Co Regn. No. 200301353E 4 CEO’S MESSAGE It’s our rst issue! 13 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE Singapore Coee What you need to know INDUSTRY UPDATES 5 about kopi The school bus industry in Singapore 6 EXPLORE 17 TOP 5 Map of Singapore Eat Like a Local! A list of attractions at a glance Top 5 must-try hawker food 12 RECREATIONS Singapore Botanic Gardens Guiding you through one of the city’s most enthralling attractions 3 Dear Readers, Over the past 30 years, there's been a growth CEO’s in the number of families relocating to Singapore for work. In that time, some of the long-time customers have become my Message mentors, while many familiar faces are now dear friends of mine. I am delighted to know that many of them are keen to explore Singapore with their family members, who tend to be in South East Asia for the rst time. Through my conversations with my customers, I get to share more about Singapore. Unfortunately, short exchanges like these would not be able to cover what this vibrant city truly oers. This is one of the reasons why I decided to put together this magazine with the help of my team, to allow us to eectively communicate industry updates, spread latest happenings, as well to ignite the local spirit! I hope that you will enjoy this maiden issue of the Lemonade Post. I believe you will be inspired to explore what makes us uniquely Singapore, experience rst hand our cultures, and discover its hidden treasures together with your loved ones. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to our very small but very hardworking editorial team. Enjoy! Best Wishes, Adrian Yeap CEO Yeap Transport Pte Ltd INDUSTRY UPDATES School Bus Transport in Singapore By Timothy Yeung The transportation industry in the land-scarce Moreover, Singapore has grown to become a Singapore has always been tough. In major cities like world-class city over the years, with the costs of Shanghai and New York, road congestion is an living matching up to it. Salaries have raised ongoing problem and a dicult issue to tackle. The steadily, which in-turn increases the overall cost of Singapore government has decided to tackle this business and its services. Vehicle insurance, fuel issue by controlling the number of vehicles on the taxes, as well as parts and labour for maintenance roads, and one way to do that is to make it less all contribute to the ever-rising costs of operations. aordable for people to own private vehicles in Singapore. Certicates of Entitlements (COE), Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) systems, heavy taxation on vehicles and fuel sales drive up the costs of private vehicle ownership. Fortunately for the busing industry, the Singapore government only imposes a 5% tax on heavy vehicles upon its registration (Additional Registration Fee or ARF), as compared to private vehicles with taxes that School bus transportation service will always be could easily double or triple the cost of the vehicle here to stay - it is a safe and convenient way to itself! That said, school buses are still subjected to shuttle your child between school and home other costs. COE prices started to increase from an without aecting your already busy schedule. In average of $2,500 in 2009, to a high of $76,000 in order to maintain an aordable service to all 2013, a whopping 3040% increase. Currently, it is families despite the rising cost pressures, we always hovering around $50,000. This means the cost of aim to minimise the use of smaller buses. We have acquiring just the vehicle for the purpose of providing to work as a community and understand that school bus transport service has increased from 30% school bus service is not a direct service from to 80%, depending on the bid price of the COE. Only school to your home, but a service that caters to about 1 in 10 COEs are awarded to school bus many people living in and around your transport providers as construction and logistics rms neighbourhood. Using lesser small buses will not with higher nancial capabilities often outbid them. only reduce the environmental impact and ease Thus, school bus transport providers are constantly trac congestion, it would also mean more facing the issue of limited school bus supply. aordable school bus service for you. 5 Explore Singapore 2 3 1 4 5 12 13 6 7 8 10 11 9 1. Bukit Timah Hill 10. Chinatown SEE &DO 2. River Safari 11. Clarke Quay 3. Singapore Zoo 12. Orchard Road This small tropical island has 4. Night Safari 13. Little India much to oer despite its size. If 5. Singapore Botanic Gardens 14. Merlion you don’t know where to start, 6. Holland Village 15. Gardens by the Bay here’s a simple guide to point you 7. Jurong Bird Park 16. East Coast Park in the right direction. 8. Dempsey Hill 17. Changi Airport 9. Sentosa 18. Coney Island 6 MAP GENERAL INFORMATION Weather Singapore’s climate is warm and humid, with the average 18 temperatures ranging between 28 to 32 deg C. However, while the world is experiencing the hottest year to date, tropical Singapore is unlikely to be aected by the heatwave due 17 to the moderating eect of surrounding seas. Instead, be prepared for rain at any time, which can be torrential, but 14 usually brief. 16 15 Safe Drinking Water Tap water is potable as water in Singapore passes the World Health Organization standards. Water coolers can be found in major tourist attractions. Alternatively, bottled water are easily available. Tipping F&B establishments typically 1. Bukit Timah Hill 10. Chinatown add a standard 10% gratuity to 2. River Safari 11. Clarke Quay your bill. However, if you experience exceptionally good 3. Singapore Zoo 12. Orchard Road service, feel free to tip on top 4. Night Safari 13. Little India of the standard service charge. 5. Singapore Botanic Gardens 14. Merlion Useful Numbers 6. Holland Village 15. Gardens by the Bay 7. Jurong Bird Park 16. East Coast Park Police 999 Ambulance & Fire Brigade 8. Dempsey Hill 17. Changi Airport 995 (Emergency) 9. Sentosa 18. Coney Island 1777 (Non-emergency) 7 Origins The rst botanical garden in Singapore was set up on Government Hill, currently known as Fort Canning Hill where founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raes once lived. Shortly after his arrival in 1819, Stamford Raes had a garden set up beside his home where spices and trees he had brought along with him were planted. He eventually proposed to allocate a 19-hectare site Government Hill for the establishment of a botanic garden. Besides being a keen naturalist, Stamford Raes’ interest to set up a botanical garden in Singapore was tied to the colonial Singapore tradition of developing such gardens for cultivation of economic crops, as well as for the research and preservation of native plants. Within 3 years, expansion Botanic Gardens plans for the garden led to the rise of spice industry in Singapore, making it the backbone of economy during that Horticultural Society in 1859. The time. Unfortunately after its peak, the government acquired the 23- By Koh Han Jun Photography by Timothy Yeung, Koh Han Jun gardens became unsustainable and had hectares plot of land in Tanglin to be closed in 1829. from businessman Hoo Ah Kay, A glimpse into the Gardens’ legacy known as Whampoa, to develop Established in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is the SBG at Tanglin the Gardens, and repositioned it as oldest garden in Singapore. Besides being an ornamental The present location of the Singapore a landscape ornamental garden and recreational garden, it was also a scientic garden in its Botanic Gardens is established when and leisure park. early years. interest in setting up a botanic garden sprang up for the third time by an Agri The Gardens’ initial development Over 150 years old and spread across 82-hectares, the was spearheaded by the rst Gardens possess an array of botanical and horticultural superintendent, Lawrence Niven. attractions with a rich history and a wonderful plant He adopted English garden as the collection of worldwide signicance. As of January 2014, standard gardening style, and the Gardens has 36,400 living plant accessions, 6,544 many distinctive features and species and 44 heritage trees, some of which are more than landmarks still remains today were a hundred years old. The herbarium contains 750,000 created during his tenure. specimens, which includes 8,000 are type specimens, and a library that holds over 28,500 volumes that include books, In 1874, the colonial government journals and unpublished materials. took over the management of the Gardens, and conceded a more Today, the Gardens is considered one of the most scientic and economic role for it. important centres for plant taxonomy and biodiversity research in the region, apart from being a recreational and Towards the end of the 19th educational attraction. It is also the rst UNESCO (United century, the Gardens even had a Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization) miniature zoo that housed around World Heritage Site in Singapore.