Debated in Parliament on 3 Nov 2020.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Transport (a) over the last three years, what is the monthly utilisation rate of private hire cars versus taxis; and (b) whether the Ministry has plans to regulate the private hire car and taxi population to be in line with Singapore's vision to be car-lite.
Between 2018 and September 2020, the average monthly hired rates for taxis and private hire cars (PHCs) are about 90% and 79% respectively.
There is a limit to the growth of taxi and PHC populations. For taxis, LTA only allows taxi operators to grow their fleets by up to 2% annually. As for PHCs, they are part of the COE system. Within these limits, the vehicle populations adjust according to the market. Hence, since January 2020, the population of taxis reduced by about 13% while that for PHCs fell by 9%.
The Government's policy is to encourage mass public transport. Notwithstanding, point to point services such as taxis and PHCs have a place in the land transport system. They provide jobs to many drivers and offer commuters a convenient service at a higher price point. It was not too long ago when taxis were in shortage, which frustrates many commuters. Today, with the advent of PHCs complementing taxi services, this is no longer an issue.
PAPERCUTS