The fasting month, Ramadan, has begun and Muslims across Singapore will gather at mosques every night to pray.
While most mosques are conveniently located in the heartlands, some residents still have to travel a fair distance.
Travelling by public transport can be a hassle and add extra costs. With this in mind, a mosque in Jurong West and another in Bukit Panjang have decided to offer free transportation to anyone heading for nightly prayers there.
Al-Maarof Mosque in Jurong West has been providing free shuttle bus services in Ramadan since it first opened in 2017.
To assist even more congregants, they have managed to secure a wheelchair-accessible bus.
This is on top of the two 20-seat and six 40-seat buses available this year, according to an interview with the mosque’s corporate communications officer via Berita Mediacorp.
The aim of this initiative isn’t just to ease movement, but also bring people of all backgrounds together, so nobody gets left out.
The buses will make multiple stops along 5 designated routes around Boon Lay and Jurong West. Pick-up from the first point for each route begins at 7.50pm.
Route #1 starts from the bus stop at Block 263 Jalan Boon Lay.
Route #2 begins at the bus stop near Block 678D, Jurong West Street 64.
The pick-up point for route #3 is the bus stop at Block 641 Jurong West Street 61.
Buses will also pick passengers up from the bus stop at Block 745 Jurong West Street 72.
And lastly, the fifth route, which starts from the bus stop opposite Block 987A Jurong West Street 93. The wheelchair-accessible will only ply this route.
The buses can shuttle over 300 people to and from the mosque, which will definitely help with Boon Lay and Jurong West residents’ nightly commutes.
Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang meanwhile will continue providing free bus services for nightly Ramadan prayers for the 10th year running.
The services have been in place for the past decade to ease movement for elderly congregants and those with young children.
2 buses with a total capacity of 90 passengers will stop along 19 pick-up points including Bukit Panjang Ring Road (near Senja LRT station), Segar Gardens and Fajar Road.
Residents who are keen on hitching a ride are advised to wait at the pick-up points at 7.30pm.
The mosques’ inclusive efforts to bring the community together for such a significant ritual is very heartwarming.
We hope that these initiatives will continue and even inspire other mosques to do the same, making this annual affair an easy and fulfilling one for everyone.
Featured image from Facebook and Kahwin.sg.
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