Hop on and hop off the Makan Bus to indulge in Singapore’s favourite pastime: Eating. This newly-launched tour service brings you into the heartlands, where you can eat your fill of local hawker dishes like chicken rice, bak kut teh, nonya kueh, roti prata and bak chor mee. It’s obviously targeted at tourists, but locals can feel free to sign up and act like a tourist for a day.
Here, you won’t have to be bothered by tour guides herding you from place to place. You’ll be given maps and a brochure listing of more than 20 easily-accessible eateries, so you can plan out your own route to include whatever hawker centres and heritage landmarks you’re interested in.
But if you’re unsure of where to go, the guide on board the bus can introduce the culture and cuisine of each area, and offer tips on how to order or information on attractions along the route. With your own customised trail, you can do things at your own pace without having to endure things that don’t appeal to you.
Unfortunately, Makan Bus only offers one route so far. Starting from Orchard Gateway, the journey consists of 10 stops at local food hotspots, including Balestier, Thomson, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa Payoh. So you’re keen on exploring elsewhere, you’ll have to do it on your own for now (or wait till the bus tours launch in the East and West). Also, keep in mind that the fee doesn’t include food.
Makan Bus runs daily from 11am-7.30pm at 20-minute intervals. One-day pass $28.
