The morning cuppa will soon be sweeter for senior citizens in Tampines North, with coffee shops in the area offering discounts on coffee and tea.

Starting next month, they can enjoy a cup of kopi, kopi-o, teh or teh-o at 50 cents each at nine coffee shops in Tampines North on Tuesday mornings. A cup of kopi-o normally costs around 90 cents.

All they have to do is flash their senior citizen travel concession pass or pioneer generation card when buying the drinks.

The six-month Senior Citizens' Tuesdays project, which will run until the end of April next year, was launched by Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng yesterday outside a Koufu food court in Tampines Street 44, which is one of the participating coffee shops.

Mr Baey, who is Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, said the idea was inspired by businesses such as NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, which offer discounts to senior citizens on Tuesdays.

"When I go around coffee shops, I usually see old people having their breakfast, it's... a daily routine for them and it's also good for them to mix around, make new friends, chat with people," said Mr Baey.

Seniors can enjoy more than one cup of tea or coffee as long as they have their drinks during the promotional period from 7am to 11am.

Retiree Mary Leong, 70, who was at the Koufu food court, said: "I am happy to have cheaper coffee because I come here every morning with my friends."

Mr Baey said the initiative, which is subsidised by the coffee shops, was about people caring for the seniors. "It's a sense of belonging and warmth in the community," he said.

He hopes coffee shop owners will continue the initiative on their own after the project ends.