Here's why longer taxi lifespans won't put more cabs on the road

A decade ago, Singapore’s taxi fleet was double its current size.

To curb the industry's shrinking numbers, the government eased regulations, extending the statutory lifespan of vehicles from eight years to ten and reducing mandatory inspections to once a year.

However, an expert told Singapore Business Review that these changes are insufficient — it is likely to halt the exit of existing taxi drivers, and not attract new transport service contractors.

“The main problem is that we cannot find enough Singaporeans who want to be a taxi driver and this is a cultural problem,” said Associate Professor Raymond Ong from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design and Engineering.

Whilst getting foreign workers to do the job is an option, Ong cited how the city state also subscribes to a quota system that limits the number of foreigners allowed in the labour workforce.