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Mobile phone flat? Charge here

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Commuters can now juice up their devices with a new charging point offered at City Hall MRT station.

The charging point, which is at the concourse level of the station, consists of three electrical ports positioned side by side on a small ledge.

With these ports, commuters whose mobile devices are running out of juice can charge their smartphones and laptops by plugging in their chargers and connecting the chargers to their devices.

There are also USB ports for those who prefer to charge their devices through USB cables.

The charging points, implemented by SMRT, come after a student was fined $400 for using an electrical socket at a station to charge her mobile phone last August.

Since then, SMRT has received requests from commuters for the train operator to set up charging points that commuters can use in case of an emergency, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Other details, like whether such charging points will also be available at other stations, whether a time limit on charging will be imposed, and whether users have to pay, will be confirmed next week, said SMRT.

In other cities like Seoul, subway stations provide charging services for free at station offices.

South Korean convenience stores also offer charging services, albeit for a small fee.

While charging points are less common in Singapore's public areas, they can still be found at the transit areas in Changi Airport, which provides the charging service for free.

Fashion retail brand Topshop had charging points in some outlets up until earlier this year. Charging services have been temporarily suspended in order to "improve them", said a retail assistant from the ION Orchard branch.

These charging points come in the form of lockers so that customers can charge their mobile phones in the locked cubbyholes for free while they shop.

MRT commuter Lim Zi Ai, 22, hailed the SMRT move, saying: "If a person is meeting a friend and his phone has run out of battery, the charging station would be useful to help them reach each other.

"However, during peak hours when the MRT station is crowded, I would be less inclined to use the charging point."

wtkoh@sph.com.sg


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Publication Date: 
Friday, Jul 18, 2014

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