21 January – Several plans were announced for transport, including dedicating express bus lanes for the North–South Expressway with cycling and walking paths aboveground, and a cycling lane for Bencoolen Street by 2017 with walking paths. More cycling paths will be built in estates like Bidadari, Tampines and Ang Mo Kio, along with better public transport. Eventually, a new target for 85 percent of commuters travelling by public transport by 2050s was set.[6]
11 March – After a voting exercise beginning on 8 January, Lush Green is selected as the new bus livery colour over Bright Red. At the same time, two concept buses with three doors, two staircases and USB charging ports are released.[17][18]
27 March – Shaw Theatres closes its Bugis Junction branch.
April
8 April – The Ministry of Education announced a new expanded Early Admission Exercise for admission to polytechnics, as well as an expanded Discretionary Admission Scheme for admission to universities. Also in, all Secondary 3 students will have a chance to experience five-day OBS camps from 2020, made possible with a new OBS campus in Coney Island.[25][26]
24 April - Punggol Safra Clubhouse opened its doors to the public and National Servicemen.
28 April – The Land Transport Authority announced a new North–South Corridor, which is a 21.5 km expressway which goes from the northern region to the city. It will be integrated with several bus and bicycle lanes, with completion by 2026.[34]
29 April – Phase 1 of the future Tuas Terminal starts construction, with the first caisson launched.[35]
13 May – As part of the 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic, the first case of Zika virus infection in Singapore is announced; a Singaporean man who had travelled to Brazil. He made a full recovery by 17 May.[42][43]
The smoking ban is extended to parks and reservoirs, as well as SAF and MHA camps.[47]
Plans are unveiled for the revamp of Mandai. Two new parks will be located, namely the Bird Park and Rainforest Park, as well as eco-accommodation. The project will be ready by 2020.[48]
2 June – The National Council of Social Service launches a five-year campaign called "See The True Me" to encourage inclusion for persons with disabilities.[49]
16 June – After a spate of lift accidents resulting in one fatality,[53][54] the Building and Construction Authority announced the tightening of lift maintenance, requiring lifts to display permits to operate, and mandatory reporting of incidents involving lifts.[55] More details are given for this, taking effect on 25 July.[56] Similar requirements for escalators are announced on 8 July, taking effect on 1 November.[57]
25 June – Minister for FinanceHeng Swee Keat is discharged from Tan Tock Seng Hospital after six weeks of stroke treatment, and announced that Heng was currently taking medical leave to focus on his rehabilitation.[59] It is also revealed that Heng will not be attending the 2016's National Day Parade (to be held on 9 August), citing that he would avoid further infection after revealing that he also suffered a lung infection during his intensive care.[60]
26 June –
Services 41, 49, 96, 98/98M, 183, 282, 284, 285, 333, 334 & 335 handed over to Tower Transit Singapore.
27 June – Singapore Airlines Flight 368's right wing engine #2 catches fire after takeoff from Singapore Changi Airport and makes emergency landing on the same airport it took off from. No injuries are reported.[62]
MINDEF announced that pre-enlistees entering National Service from 2017 can choose vocations (which is later revealed as 33 vocations), subject to operational needs.[64][65]
July
5 July – FactWire reports that several C151A trains are being secretly recalled.[66]
13 July – The Ministry of Education announced that the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) T-scores will be revamped into 8 Achievement Levels in a bid to reduce stress, taking effect from 2021. In addition, choice order will be a new tie-breaker for secondary school posting.[68][69]
26 August – During the 2016 Southeast Asian haze caused by Indonesia, Singapore's 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the 'unhealthy' range of above 100, while its 3-hour PSI reached 215.[91][92]
27–31 August – Over five days, the first 115 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection in Singapore are confirmed; 110 from the combined area of Aljunied Crescent, Kallang Way, Paya Lebar Way and Sims Drive. The remaining live at various areas: Bedok North Avenue 3, Joo Seng Road, and Punggol Way.[93][94]
September
4 September – Services 3, 34, 43/43M, 62, 82, 83, 84, 85, 118, 119, 136, 382 & 386 handed over to Go-Ahead Singapore.
7–18 September – 13 athletes from Singapore compete in six sports (archery, athletics, boccia, equestrian, swimming, and sailing) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[95] On 10 September, swimmer Yip Pin Xiu won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke, S2 finals with a world record of 2:07.09, with an additional world record for the 59.38 split for the first 50m of the race.[96] Yip won another gold medal on 16 September in the 50m backstroke, S2 finals with a time of 1:00.33, becoming the first Singaporean to win multiple gold medals at the Paralympics.[97] On 12 September, swimmer Theresa Goh won a bronze medal in the SB4 100m breaststroke final, with a time of 1:55.55.[98] While qualifying for the finals, she set a new Asian record in the heats at 1:54.50.[99]
7 September – Construction begins on Funan, a mixed-use development comprising offices, serviced residences and retail spaces, replacing Funan DigitaLife Mall. The mall will also feature sports, urban farming and collection of products ordered online.[100]
8 September – Plans for a new HDB town in Tengah are launched. It will be a town in a forest with a car-free town centre.[101][102] The first flats are launched in 2018.[103]
14 September – Total local Zika cases have reached 333;[104] with infected patients from previously affected areas, as well as Simei's Harvey Crescent, Upper Thomson's Tagore Avenue, Yishun Street 81,[105][106] Bishan Street 12, Elite Terrace and Ubi Crescent. A new cluster of Jalan Raya and Circuit Road formed, while Bedok North Avenue 3 formed a cluster with Bedok North Avenue 2 and Bedok North Street 3, and also the Aljunied Crescent cluster expanded to Circuit Road, Geylang East Central and Geylang East Avenue 1.[107]
15 September – CorpPass is officially launched for businesses to access secured Government transactions, which will be a requirement in 2018.[108]
16 September - The Building and Construction Authority announced eight recommendations to improve lift safety after several incidents involving lifts.[109][110] Three days later, the Housing and Development Board announced a new Lift Enhancement Programme to help town councils modernise lifts in HDB flats, funding 90 percent of total costs. The programme will cost S$450 million with 20,000 lifts eligible for the features.[111]
18 September – Services 2, 6, 12, 15, 17/17A, 36, 354, 358, 359, 403 & 518/518A handed over to Go-Ahead Singapore.
19–23 September – City Harvest Church Criminal Breach of Trust Case: A five-day appeal lodged by the six convicted City Harvest Church pastors over an alleged S$50 million fund misuse, who at the time were serving their jail sentences, is held, concluding on 7 April 2017 with their jail sentences shortened.[112]
24 September – SGSecure is launched to prepare for emergencies.[113][114]
Yang Yin is jailed 6 years for misappropriation in a saga that made the headlines. A subsequent appeal by the prosecution resulted in a 9-year jail term in 2017.[117][118][119]
7 October – Singaporean singer Nathan Hartono finishes second in the inaugural season of Sing! China, after a controversial final episode that saw 92 votes cast among 81 judges due to a technical glitch.[122]
12 October - The Ministry of Education announced that SIM University (UniSIM) will become Singapore's sixth autonomous university.[123] The proposal is eventually approved by UniSIM's board of directors on 11 November.[124]
AETOS is acquired by Surbana Jurong, a Singaporean government-owned consultancy company focusing on infrastructure and urban development. This will help boost AETOS's expertise in security, especially in buildings.[126][127]
The Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that all industrial land and properties, as well as industrial functions under the Housing and Development Board will be transferred to JTC Corporation by the first quarter of 2018. This will help support SMEs better as they only need to approach one agency, as well as allow effective planning of industry estates in future.[131][132]
21–26 October – The Singapore national culinary team won the Culinary Olympics for the first time with one gold for the Cold Display category and one gold for the Hot Cooking category. The team consisted of six male chefs: Louis Tay, Teo Yeow Siang, Alan Wong, Triston Fang, Roy Lim and Alex Chong.[133]
21 October –
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that Singapore entities will be exempted from applying permits for sponsoring events at Speakers' Corner, while non-Singapore entities must apply for permits before sponsoring such events. These changes have taken effect on 1 November. Rules for indoor assemblies will reflect these changes too.[134][135]
27 October - The Public Transport Council allows a fare reduction of 4.2% thanks to lower energy costs. At the same time, all fares will be calculated based on distance travelled instead of the fastest route, with transport fares for underground MRT lines reduced to match fares for above-ground options. These changes started on 30 December.[137]
November
1 November – Singaporean cars to pay new RM20 (S$6.60) Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) charge to enter mainland Johor, Malaysia.[138]
3 November – Super Group, a local coffee company, will be acquired by Jacobs Douwe Egberts, a Dutch coffee firm. The acquisition is completed in 2017.[140]
4 November –
The Ministry of Education announced that the Compulsory Education Act will be extended to special needs children from 2019, encouraging a more inclusive environment.[141]
9 November – Changes to the Elected Presidency are passed in Parliament. Among them are a threshold of S$500 million, increasing the Council of Presidential Advisors (CPA) to eight members and reserving the election for races if no member from a particular race is elected for the past five terms.[146]
10 November – Laws are passed to allow iris scanning at checkpoints as an alternative to fingerprint scanning, as well as the collection of iris images. In addition, people from private entities can be appointed registration officers, and inappropriate names can be refused registration. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers will be able to investigate offences like suspicious identity cards.[147]
11 November – It is concluded that recent signal interferences on the Circle MRT line are caused by rouge train PV46.[148]
14 November - The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority announced that re-registration of NRICs will be required for those aged 55 and above from 1 January 2017.[149]
15 November – All new prepaid SIM cards issued will no longer support 2G phones as part of the shutdown the following year.[150]
16 November – Reclamation works on a new section of Pulau Tekong have officially started. Done by the Housing and Development Board, the project uses the polder method, helping to reduce the amount of sand required for reclamation. This makes it the first project in Singapore to be reclaimed in this manner, which will be finished by 2022.[151]
21 November – A new anti-scam helpline becomes operational to tackle the rise in scams, after being launched a day earlier.[152]
Lee Sze Yong was convicted of kidnapping Ng Lye Poh (mother of Sheng Siong's CEO Lim Hock Chee) on 9 January 2014. Lee was given life imprisonment and three strokes of cane instead of death penalty, in a letter approved by Justice Chan Seng Onn.[164] Lee later appealed for a lighter sentence in March 2017 but to no success.[165]
4 December - The PAssion Silver Concession Card is launched for Singaporeans aged 60 and above, merging the existing senior citizen concession card and PAssion card into one.[168]
13 December – Singapore and Malaysia sign an agreement for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, targeted to start operations by 31 December 2026. The HSR will link both countries by a 25-metre high bridge over the Straits of Johor.[169] Separately, the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System will be linked via a high bridge across the Straits of Johor, as well as adopt systems used on the Thomson–East Coast MRT line. There will be triennial cultural showcases for artists from both countries to showcase their work.[170]
14 December – TPG Telecom wins the auction to become Singapore's fourth telco, beating 2 other contenders including MyRepublic.[171]