Transport Ministry open to considering more vehicles—Chee Hong Tat

SINGAPORE: In Parliament on Tuesday (March 5), Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that Singapore is open to the idea of a one-off increase in its vehicle population, though this would be spread over a number of years, and to prevent traffic, higher usage-based charges would be imposed.

He said this in answer to MP Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who asked if distance-based charging would be introduced in the country. This type of charging will let Singapore stick to the vision of going “car-lite,” even while permitting more vehicles.

Distance-based charging allows road users to pay for the total interval travelled on roads. At present, road users only pay a charge if they pass a certain point because of the zoned system.

A one-off increase in the number of vehicles, along with higher charges for users, could be considered by the Transport Ministry, but Mr Chee added that it would need to be “studied carefully before a decision is made.”

He also warned that it would not be feasible to rely only on usage-based charges to prevent traffic congestion, “as these would have to be set at very high rates, which might not be acceptable to many car owners.”

Mr Chee also said that due to their longer distances, taxis, private-hire cars, and delivery drivers would pay higher usage-based fees.

“We will need to examine the impact on these groups, though usage-based charging is, in principle, a fair approach,” he added.

To “achieve a more balanced and sustainable outcome for all stakeholders while ensuring smooth traffic on our roads,” Singapore would need to implement additional ownership controls and measures such as parking charges and usage-based charges.

Beginning from February 2018, there has been a zero vehicle population growth rate in Singapore, which is in place until Jan 31, 2025.

The only exception is commercial vehicles, the number of which is allowed to grow at a rate of 0.25 per cent annually. Singapore controls the number of vehicles plying its roads via the supply of Certificates of Entitlement (COE), the document allowing an individual to own a vehicle for 10 years.

”COEs are integral to the Vehicle Quota System (VQS), a landmark scheme implemented to regulate the growth of the vehicle population in Singapore, which is among the densest in the world,” says Singapore Infopedia.

In 2022 and 2023, due to the scarcity of COEs, their prices reached record highs. /TISG

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