The Post Office became an independent department from the British Marine Office, financed by postal revenue, as mail volume increased. *Photo: Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

The first General Post Office (GPO) was built at the former Fort Fullerton and the first-ever pillar post box was installed at the corner of Orchard and Edinburgh Roads.
*Photo: Lim Kheng Chye Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

Spotted: The first-ever pillar post box was installed at the corner of Orchard and Edinburgh Roads.

The first sub-post offices were opened at Tanglin, Kandang Kerbau and Tanjong Pagar.

27 June 1928 marks the official opening of the new GPO at the Fullerton Building by Sir Hugh Clifford, the Governor of Singapore. Nicknamed the “Grand Old Dame”, the GPO was described as the most important post office in the East – Remembering Singapore.

A Soaring Start: 5 October marked the day that the first airmail was dispatched from Singapore - to Marseille by sea and then to London by air.

The GPO became a bustling centre of activity, accommodating the growing postal demands of the island. 24-hour telegraph service and international calls were also introduced.

Singapore’s first postal codes: A two-digit system was introduced, dividing the island into 28 postal districts.

Back then, 'milestones' were actual stone markers, spaced roughly 1.6km apart, guiding people along their journeys. The hub of all roads was The General Post Office, situated where the Fullerton Hotel stands today. Acting as point zero for measuring distances and milestones, it held its significance until the 1970s.

Mobile Post Offices, operating from vans, provided postal services to people in the rural areas.

Vending machines selling stamp booklets were installed to improve sales efficiency.

*Photo Courtesy of National Archives

The first postwomen were hired, a significant move towards a more inclusive workforce for the postal service sector.

Speedpost service was launched to provide a fast and reliable way to send documents domestically and internationally.

A four-digit postal code system was introduced, with Singapore now divided into 81 postal sectors.

Better Together: The early 80s marked the merger between the Postal Services Department and Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS).

First “open-concept” post office opened at World Trade Centre to provide integrated postal and telecommunication services under one roof.

Singapore Post Private Limited was incorporated as an entity of TAS. In 1992, the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore was divided into three entities:

1. The reconstituted Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS, now part of the Info-communications Media Development Authority)
2. Singapore Telecommunications Private Limited (SingTel), and
3. Singapore Post Private Limited, a subsidiary of SingTel

Postal codes were upgraded to a six-digit system that provided a unique code for each delivery point and enabled significantly greater automation of mail sorting.

A next-generation Self-service Automated Machine (SAM) was introduced to automatically weigh postal items, dispense postage labels and accept bill payments.

SingPost moved its sorting operations to a new facility at Paya Lebar, which automates the sorting of mail and parcels based on postal codes.

SingPost Centre was officially opened.

SingPost made its debut on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).

Philatelic Firsts: MyStamp, the world’s first stamp personalisation service was launched. On 8 Apr 2008, SingPost introduced the world’s first beaded stamps. Shaped like a handbag and intricately crafted with ‘caviar beads’, this collectable series fittingly celebrated the opening of the Peranakan Museum.

An innovative electronic lock system was added to improve security.

A fleet of 50 three-wheel delivery scooters was rolled out, with a carrying capacity that was 40% greater than that of traditional two-wheelers.

POPStation (Pick Own Parcel Station) was launched, providing eCommerce customers with the convenience of collecting parcels 24/7 from an automated kiosk.

Next-generation post offices featuring self-help lobbies were rolled out to provide 24/7 access to postal and other essential services.

SingPost achieved high-flying success, pioneering a trial parcel delivery that was piloted by an unmanned aerial vehicle.

SingPost’s Regional eCommerce Logistics Hub was officially opened.

SmartPost was initiated to digitise key postal processes such as collection, sorting, and delivery.

SmartPost is an integrated suite of digital solutions that combines near-field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), digital imaging, and electronic notifications. This empowers SingPost’s postal staff with new skills and tools, boosting their operational capability and efficiency cross collection, sorting, last mile delivery, and quality assurance processes.

Celebrated the launch of the new GPO @ SingPost Centre. 

The new GPO became SingPost’s first Smart Post Office, in which traditional brick-and-mortar outlets were augmented by a digital network that offered anytime and anywhere access to postal and other essential services.

Delivering amidst the pandemic, our postmen work tirelessly to deliver the essential masks, ART kits and hand sanitizers islandwide.

Piloted fully electric three-wheelers and deployed electric vans as part of a green plan to replace the current delivery fleet by 2026.

In face of rising demand for eCommerce deliveries, SingPost acquired Parcel Santa to enable a more sustainable resource growth.  Launched POPDrop, an automated self-service drop off box fitted with in-built trackability and RFID technology, enabling merchants to ship with end-to-end tracking capabilities.  ​​

Introduced POPStop, a dedicated shipping and returns counter at our Post Offices where individuals and businesses can have the added convenience of dropping off their parcels at a location near them.