To own a car in Singapore, a buyer must bid for a certificate that now costs $106,000, equivalent to four Toyota Camry Hybrids in the U.S., as a post-pandemic recovery has driven up the cost of the city-state's vehicle quota system to all-time highs.
  •  Thelsim   ( @Thelsim@beehaw.org ) 
    16•1 year ago

    Not a resident but my partner is from SG. One of the reasons I often hear is that families(mom, dad, kids, grandparents) like to travel together, and the elderly are not always mobile enough for public transport. Public transport is really fantastic, but it doesn’t cover every single need.
    And of course it’s a status symbol, some feel the need to show they’ve got the wealth to own a car.
    Again, I hear these things second hand and am colored by my partner’s beliefs :) Maybe a SG resident has a better (or different) explanation.
    edit:
    In my eagerness to share, I realize this doesn’t really answer your question. Sorry about that :)

    •  edric   ( @scytale@lemm.ee ) English
      7•1 year ago

      Nah you’re good. I was actually thinking of a similar scenario, like for musicians who need to lug their gear around. They don’t exactly fit into the category of a business that transports goods, but they can’t exactly walk, ride a bus, then a train, with all that gear in tow. I’ve been to SG several times myself and I love how easy it is to get around, as someone who prefers urban living.

    •  prodigalsorcerer   ( @prodigalsorcerer@lemmy.ca ) 
      7•1 year ago

      My mother was born in Singapore and we’ve been to visit many times. There are a lot of taxis, and they are quite cheap. As a tourist it was cheaper to take a taxi than public transit when we were a group of 3 or 4 people. 2 people was pretty close either way. I’m sure public transit is cheaper when you’re a full time resident, but my grandparents just use taxis all the time due to their mobility issues.