A third of households go car-free in Singapore, Govt aims for 75% public transport usage

Singapore has experienced a decrease in car ownership, with roughly one-third of households possessing vehicles in the city-state, down from 40 percent in 2013, as the government pushes forward in its mission to shape the country into a car-lite society, as per a senior minister's statement on Monday. The government's objective is to achieve 75 percent of peak-period travels through public transport by 2030, an increase from the current 64 percent, reported PTI, citing The Straits Times newspaper.

Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, addressing Parliament, emphasized the necessity to control the growth of Singapore's vehicle population, which currently surpasses one million, including over 650,000 cars on the roads. He reiterated the need for a zero-vehicle growth policy to manage traffic congestion in the limited land area.

Chee highlighted that approximately one-third of Singaporean and permanent resident households now own cars, down from 40 percent in 2013, as the government encourages the transition to a car-lite society. He underscored the government's focus on a mass public transport system and an accessible, inclusive, and sustainable land transport system as part of the car-lite strategy.

Furthermore, with about 12 percent of Singapore's total land occupied by roads and the land transport system accounting for approximately 15 percent of the country's total domestic carbon emissions, Chee stressed the government's efforts to increase the use of less carbon-intensive modes of transport.

To support this goal, the government provides over SGD 2 billion worth of annual public transport subsidies, equating to subsidies of over SGD 1 per journey. Additionally, there are plans for a 40 percent expansion of the public transport network, including a 100km increase in the rail network by 2035, to ensure that 80 percent of households will be within a 10-minute walk from an MRT or LRT station by the next decade, up from the current 70 percent, as stated by Chee.

Furthermore, efforts are being made to enhance first- and last-mile options such as walking and cycling, along with improved access to point-to-point services offered by taxis, private-hire vehicles, and car-sharing vehicles, to serve the needs of commuters who do not own cars.