Singapore supermarket giant NTUC FairPrice has launched “FairPrice on Wheels”, a pilot community initiative to provide less privileged seniors access to groceries.
Under this new initiative which begins Thursday, April 23, trial mobile grocery vans will be deployed in mature estates with higher concentration of low-income seniors.
They will carry basic essential groceries and serve five locations daily from 9am to 2pm.
For the initial phase of this community initiative, “FairPrice on Wheels” will carry basic grocery essentials. These include a targeted range of rice, bread, instant noodles, cooking oil, canned food, toiletries, fruits and vegetables.
The van is open to all, NTUC Fairprice said in a press statement. Seniors who visit these vans will also be able to enjoy discounts from the Pioneer Generation (PG), Merdeka Generation (MG) and Senior Discounts schemes on its designated days.
“While we encourage everyone to stay home during the circuit breaker period, we also understand that there may be people who do not have the option to have their groceries purchased on their behalf," said Seah Kian Peng, Group CEO, FairPrice Group.
"Therefore, we aim to bring daily essentials closer to their homes, especially for seniors, so that they do not have to spend too much time away from home."
“FairPrice on Wheels” will serve the five locations:
- Commonwealth Link (Car park between Blk 109 and Blk 110)
- Telok Blangah Crescent (Loading/unloading bay between Blk 1 and Blk 4)
- Telok Blangah Rise (Car park between Blk 29 and Blk 32)
- Kampong Glam Community Club (Car park in front of Post Office at Blk 15)
- Jalan Kukoh (Car park in front of Blk 2)
These were selected based on demographic data where more than 30 per cent of residents are above the age of 60 years old and are living mostly in three-room HDB flats.
NTUC FairPrice has also put in place various precautionary measures to maintain safe distancing while shopping at “FairPrice on Wheels” vans. These include maintaining safe distancing through cone markings and crowd control measures. Staff will be on the ground to facilitate queue management.
All shoppers and staff are also required to put on a mask at all times when patronising the mobile store. Customers may also contact the van through a dedicated mobile number to check in real-time on the queue status before making their way down.
The purchase limits per customer that was implemented on March 27 across all FairPrice island-wide will also apply at “FairPrice on Wheels” vans.