Cars losing shine in city-state

Popular option: The survey showed that more people are cycling now and more households had bicycles. — The Straits Times/ANN

The proportion of young Singaporeans who aspire to own a car has shrunk substantially from six years ago.

According to a face-to-face survey commissioned by The Straits Times and carried out by Nexus Link in April, 50.4% of just over 500 respondents said they aspire to own a car within the next few years – down from 65.5% when the same poll was done in 2016.

The top reason given by those who do not aspire to own a car was ready accessibility to public transport. This is affirmed by findings that 89.1% of respondents lived within 10 minutes’ walk of a bus stop and 44.3% lived within 10 minutes’ walk of a train station.

In fact, 50.6% of respondents indicated that they would need a car if they lived more than 10 minutes’ walk from a bus stop, and 44.3% indicated the same for access to a train station.

Pollution, which cars contribute to, and the high prices of cars were the other main reasons given by respondents who did not aspire to own a car.

One of them, university student Raelein Airish Mohammed Rudy, 21, said he has been using public transport for many years, adding: “I’m quite comfortable to continue doing so.

“Electric cars sound like a good idea, but the electricity still comes from a fossil fuel source. So I’m still more inclined to use public transport. I think sharing a train with a few hundred people is more efficient.”

Convenience and mobility were the main reasons cited by those who want a car. Compared with 2016, however, respondents were less fixated with brand or status – values with higher scores among aspiring car owners six years ago.

Instead, pragmatic considerations such as maintenance, fuel efficiency and family needs grew in importance. Price was still a top priority, although it scored lower than in 2016.

Polytechnic student Jasmine Chan, 18, said: “A car offers ease of transport, especially for someone like me who lives in Jurong. Although I have public transport options, the travelling time is quite long.”

Dr Jack Loo, Nexus Link chief methodologist, said: “With certificate of entitlement (COE) prices skyrocketing in recent months, the cost of owning a car has risen dramatically. Youth are likely to think twice before making the financial commitment.”

Just over one-third of respondents said they would buy an electric car. Respondents were more knowledgeable about the technical aspects of electric cars such as performance and comfort than they were about ownership aspects such as price and running cost.

As for private-hire cars, less than a quarter of respondents were open to driving them. Among the 24.3% who would consider it, 71.2% said the main attraction was being able to earn extra income.

Reflecting a trend which started during the Covid-19 pandemic, more people are cycling now and more households had bicycles. Also, cyclists were riding more often and using their bikes more frequently for non-leisure purposes.

Dr Zafar Momin, a former automotive expert at Boston Consulting Group who has since retired, said: “The survey results indicate the overall attitude of Singapore’s youth towards car ownership has shifted significantly from aspirational in 2016 to functional in 2022.”

He said the starkest sign was that only 19% of respondents said having a car was important to their personal life, compared with more than 37% in 2016.

“Singapore’s public transport infrastructure has increasingly provided more convenient and reliable access for commuters. Before the pandemic, bus and train ridership was rising steadily,” said Dr Momin, who also sits on the Petronas Chemicals Group board.

“The growth of point-to-point ride-hailing trips by private-hire vehicles was about four times the number of street-hailing taxi rides in the same period,” he added.

“The proliferation of such convenient and economical options has reduced the need for Singapore youth to buy a car for personal use.” — The Straits Times/ANN