Netizens amused, impressed and annoyed by new walking scheme that offers $10 vouchers
Ivan Lim
TNP
August 22, 2025
A Redditor's tongue-in-cheek post about getting paid by the Government to walk has sparked laughs and curiosity online.
"I am so tickled that (the Government) is giving money to walk. I earned 10 sgd CDC voucher. 5 sgd for walking the beauty world trail, and 5 sgd for catching the "ollie" Pokémon-like creature along the way," wrote raytoei on Aug 20.
He was referring to Walking Trails@CDC, launched on Aug 16, which lets participants earn up to $10 RedeemSG vouchers after completing trails ranging from 4.35km to 5.5km.
Each trail features checkpoints, landmarks such as Little Guilin, Fort Canning Centre and Punggol Promenade Bridge, and "Ollies" - digital owl mascots representing community pillars.
The first 5,000 people to finish all checkpoints or collect Ollies can claim vouchers, which are accepted at supermarkets such as FairPrice, Cold Storage and Sheng Siong.
Mixed reactions from netizens
The post has since garnered more than 700 upvotes and over 100 comments. Most were positive about the initiative.
"I am not tickled but impressed by this initiative," said a user.
Another said: "I'm on the same trail right now! Hahaha, such a great way to explore different places all around. So looking forward to doing the Punggol trail in a few days!"
"Oh I'm already going on my daily walks. Might as well get some money for it lol," added one.
Others were more cynical.
"Govt pays you to exercise because the cost of you falling sick to society is crazy, and not treating sick people is politically unpalatable," commented a user.
"That's $10 saved from your future healthcare subsidy. Worth it!" quipped another.
"Limited redemptions per trail, don't complain when u don't get ah. At least you exercised," warned one.
Some found the Ollies a hassle. "Did you have to backtrack for Ollies? Happened couple times after middle checkpoints. Very annoying!"
One user said the scheme was "a fantastic way to encourage basic exercise and get people to explore SG more", but the mascot was another matter.
"The Ollie though, never have I felt a greater urge to throw my phone into the SG River. That is an obnoxious bird."
The original poster, who also found the bird distracting, shared his own tactic: "Next time if I do it again, I will quickly get the five birds to earn my $5 and then continue to walk without the phone distraction."
To join, visit Walking Trails @ CDC, log in with SingPass, then select your trail. Scroll to the bottom to see how many vouchers are remaining. The vouchers can be redeemed by Singapore citizens or permanent residents aged 15 and above.
