Over the next few weeks, train commuters in Singapore will be able to charge their mobile devices for free at four MRT stations – City Hall, Orchard, Tanjong Pagar and Kent Ridge.
According to SMRT, these charging points, which are under a trial, is one of the new initiatives rolled out by the company to enhance commuters’ travel experiences. The four stations were chosen for the trial due to their high traffic flow.
“We would like to assure our commuters that even as we roll out these new service enhancement initiatives to improve commuter travel experience, we remain committed and focused on ensuring reliable train service through the procurement of new trains and ongoing asset renewal programmes,” said Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT’s vice-president for corporate information and communications.
Each MRT station however, only provides three charging outlets: two of which have USB ports that allow commuters to plug in their own adapters and cables. Commuters would still have to bring their own charging cable.
“A flat phone battery doesn’t quite help when you urgently need to make a call, and so we’ve installed several charging stations along the network so you can make a quick charge. The very first charging station is installed at the free concourse area at City Hall station, with Orchard, Tanjong Pagar and Kent Ridge stations to follow over the next few weeks. We hope this helps with your journey, and ask for responsible usage of these charging points.” – SMRT through its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Singaporeans might recall that just a few months ago, a student was allegedly fined $400 for using a power socket at an MRT station to charge her phone. Her battery phone was running low and she proceeded to charge her phone at an electric socket while waiting. However, she was fined instead over the usage of the power socket.
While the intention behind the new charging outlets is a good one, one might wonder it there will be people using the charging points? As commuters rush by, would they have to time to stand and wait for their mobile devices to be fully charged?
Depending on the phone settings, it takes anywhere between 2 hours to 5 hours to fully charge an iPhone 5S.
Would you use the charging outlets in these MRT stations?
Featured Image Credit: MediaCorp