S1E61: Can Singapore ever stop being a ’Fine City’? The psychology of etiquette on public transport

2025-12-09

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New laws were passed to penalise littering, eating and drinking, as well as playing loud music or videos on public transport. Is legislation effective in regulating inconsiderate behaviour? Synopsis: Every second Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Behaviours of inconsiderate commuters on public transport and interchanges are set to be regulated under new laws passed in Parliament in Oct 2025. Examples of inconsiderate behaviour include...

New laws were passed to penalise littering, eating and drinking, as well as playing loud music or videos on public transport. Is legislation effective in regulating inconsiderate behaviour?

Synopsis: Every second Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Behaviours of inconsiderate commuters on public transport and interchanges are set to be regulated under new laws passed in Parliament in Oct 2025.

Examples of inconsiderate behaviour include littering, eating and drinking, as well as playing loud music and videos on mobile phones.

The latest legislation follows a slew of laws that regulate behaviours in Singapore, raising the question if we can ever shake off Singapore’s reputation of being a ‘fine’ city.

To find out more, ST assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong speaks to two sociologists.

They are Assistant Professor of Sociology (Education) at the School of Social Sciences at the Singapore Management University, George Wong; and Research Assistant Professor and head of the Urban Psychology Lab in the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, Samuel Chng.

Highlights (click/tap above):

11:24 How people demonstrated civic behaviour during the Covid pandemic

18:25 The technological reason for seniors blasting videos and music

22:28 Empowering bus drivers to deal with inconsiderate commuters

26:10 How other countries regulate civil behaviours in public transport

29:46 The lady commuter that ‘broke’ the system

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

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Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt