Public officers in Singapore will have the opportunity to pay nothing for travelling to work as part of a scheme designed to ease congestion and allow for more flexible working practices.

Any of Singapore’s 14,000 public officers ending their journey before 7.45am on weekdays at one of 16 central Mass Rapid Transit stations will travel for free, while those ending before 8am will receive a discount of up to SGD$0.50 (£0.26)

Tan Hoe Soon, director for career development and management in the public service division of the prime minister’s office, says: “For this to work, we need to be more accepting of flexible work practices.

“Managers must be mindful that officers who start work earlier should, correspondingly, be able to leave the office earlier. Work routines, such as meetings, will also have to factor this in.”