The Aporia · Going ‘car-lite’: why more Singaporeans are quitting driving

Singaporeans are increasingly choosing to give up car ownership due to high Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices, rising running costs, and traffic congestion, as public transport options improve. A business consultant exemplifies this trend by deciding to go without a car after two decades. Government data from July shows that the number of privately owned cars in Singapore has dropped to 516,237, the lowest since 2019, while the use of rental and ride-hailing services is on the rise.

Written by AI on 2026-10-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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More Singaporeans are choosing to quit driving due to high Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices, increasing running costs, and the inconvenience of parking and traffic congestion. The government’s Land Transport Authority reported in July that there were 516,237 privately owned cars in Singapore, marking the lowest number since 2019. Despite this decline, private cars still make up about 79% of all vehicles on the roads. As land becomes scarcer, public transportation and cycling infrastructure are expanding, making it easier for people to opt out of car ownership. For instance, a 49-year-old business consultant decided in May to go without a car after two decades, highlighting the shift towards a more "car-lite" society.

Written for “Singapore Car Ownership Decline” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Singapore Car Ownership Decline

Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Jean Iau

14 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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2026-10-03 · assertive framing · Going ‘car-lite’: why more Singaporeans are quitting driving

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High COE prices, rising running costs and the hassle of parking and congestion are prompting more Singaporeans to reconsider car ownership, as the land-scarce city state expands public transport, cycling infrastructure and other alternatives in a push for a more “car-lite” society.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-03

2026-10-03 · South China Morning Post

Going ‘car-lite’: why more Singaporeans are quitting driving · assertive framing

Going ‘car-lite’: why more Singaporeans are quitting driving asserted

Singaporeans → go → driving

Rail links and cycle routes make it easier for motorists to give up their cars as running costs and road charges rise Instead, the 49-year-old business consultant decided in May to go without a car for the first time in two decades. uncertain

consultant → make → decades

state → rise → society

Quarterly figures released by the government’s Land Transport Authority in July showed there were 516,237 privately owned cars in Singapore, the lowest number since 2019, even as the share of rental, ride-hailing and corporate cars had increased. asserted

share → release → cars

Privately owned cars still accounted for 79 per cent of all those on the roads, however. asserted

cars → own → roads

Going ‘car-lite’: why more Singaporeans are quitting driving

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