Commentary: Why I will probably never own a car – not even an eco-friendly one
SINGAPORE: Similar many other young adults in the noughties, I got my driver'south licence while I was in university.
Back in those days, it was assumed that many of us would somewhen own a car when nosotros started working total-time, so getting that licence was practically a rite of passage.
As information technology turned out, I never got around to ownership a auto. For starters, I accept never been thrilled at the thought of having to spend such an exorbitant amount of coin on a depreciating asset similar a vehicle.
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And then, there were the day-to-24-hour interval realities of driving that ultimately deterred me from taking the plunge.
From having to deal with bad traffic and parking nightmares to an e'er growing list of car-related expenses that included road tax, Electronic Route Pricing (ERP), insurance, maintenance and petrol, the hassle and cost of driving accept always outweighed the benefits of auto buying for me.
Instead, like many others in Singapore, I turned to the state's ever improving public transport system as my principal method of getting effectually, pleased that I was saving coin and being eco-friendly at the same time.
I am aware that for thousands of people, this isn't even about choice. With express means, they merely have to rely on public transport to get to work, get their children to school and tuition or go out every bit a family.
This is exactly why our well-oiled ship network is such a boon.
Commentary: What will information technology take to brand Singapore truly car-lite?
OUR Automobile-Light SYSTEM WORKS WELL
Over the years, with the widespread adoption of technology and the Government'south push towards a car-lite system, I have never felt similar I was compromising on my quality of life by not owning a machine.
The ongoing improvements to the public transport organisation such every bit enhanced bus frequencies are paying off large time. Additionally, bus road and timing apps have fabricated information technology a breeze to plot ane'due south journeying while minimising waiting fourth dimension.
The spotlessly clean trains are a joy to ride too. From simply two MRT lines, there are now half dozen lines – with more lines and extensions slated to open over the next decade to comprehend a altitude of 360km, a significant increment from the current 230km. The goal is for eight in x Singaporeans to be within a 10 minute walk of an MRT station by 2030.
In reality, the network of buses and trains already brings u.s. very close to a 10-minute (or less) walk to just most any destination on this isle so these developments will merely get in even easier to get around.
These days, my public transport commutes are by and large seamless enough that I always look forward to bus rides. They are a "daily luxury" where I can enjoy 20 to 30 minutes of uninterrupted me-time while enjoying the view from the window.
As for times when I simply demand to get somewhere fast or if the destination is not serviced by public transport, there are plenty of ride-hailing apps to employ.
Long gone are the days when we had to stand by the kerbside in the hopes of flagging downward an empty taxi. Or worse, having to suffer the indignity of a taxi driver rudely speeding off when he decides one's destination is somehow likewise inconvenient for him to exercise his job.
At present, with a few taps on my smartphone, a car pulls upwardly at my doorstep within a matter of minutes.
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FINALLY WELCOMING Electric CARS TO OUR ROADS
In Tuesday'southward Budget voice communication, Deputy Prime Government minister and Finance Government minister Heng Swee Keat announced a slew of incentives to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), while at the same time phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
From lowering the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) floor to zero for electric cars to revising route tax bands, the measures certainly help to get in more affordable to own an EV.
These financial measures, in tandem with the immediate increase in petrol duty rates, will probable spur an increasing number of drivers to switch to an EV in due course.
Information technology certainly is about fourth dimension that electric vehicle usage is existence encouraged. Recollect how back in 2022 the owner of Singapore's first Tesla Model S, a car which does not produce direct carbon emissions, was slapped with a inexplainable S$xv,000 carbon revenue enhancement?
Now, the Government is dedicating S$30 million to various EV initiatives, including building charging points at public carparks and private premises.
Plus, at that place are and so many more choices when it comes to purchasing an EV. Besides Tesla, many car brands ranging from the high terminate such as Audi and BMW, to more affordable names including Hyundai and Toyota, at present offering their ain versions of green wheels.
It's most enough to make one head to the car showrooms over the weekend to bank check out what's new – but not quite.
READ: Commentary: Electric vehicles in Singapore – how much is simply hype?
(With new green targets announced by the Singapore Government, when will we exist seeing more electric vehicles on our roads? And will town council and condominium committees get involved? The author and a business professor weigh in on CNA's Middle of the Thing:)
IS EV SHARING THE NEXT Large Affair?
While the EV initiatives are a bully eco-friendly option for those who wish to continue owning cars, I am still non well-nigh to leap on the car ownership bandwagon.
Maybe it is a millennial affair. After all, our generation is the one that has made the sharing economy a norm, from co-working spaces and staying at Airbnbs on vacations to reselling unwanted possessions on apps like Carousell.
And so I am certainly not opposed to car-sharing too – a potentially affordable alternative to car ownership that hopefully could be the next public good to come out of the Budget initiatives.
READ: Commentary: Don't exist too quick to write off the sharing economy, even with COVID-19
For a while at present, I take been curious about EV rental service BlueSG, every bit information technology has fix a charging station within my HDB estate. Even so, I take noticed that cars are not e'er bachelor there when I need i.
And since parking spots with charging points are not even so widely installed islandwide, it is by and large that I would have to park the auto at a significant distance from my destination, hence leading me to cull a bus, train or Grab instead.
With the Government committing to building more charging points, information technology is possible that EV sharing could get more than commonplace and widely adopted. It is also a practical solution to a potential shortage of EV charging points.
Government minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung previously said that the erstwhile target of 28,000 charging points to be congenital by 2030 might not be able to back up the expected growth in EVs. This target has since been increased to lx,000 charging points by 2030, as appear by Minister Heng in his Budget speech.
Auto sharing could nonetheless help to ease the burden on charging points and smooth the transition to EVs, while still adhering to the nation's car-lite ethos.
READ: Obstacles remain in electrical vehicle adoption despite incentives, say ship experts and drivers
I for one would certainly welcome this as another viable transport pick to my already decent basket of choices.
But truth be told, I am in no bustle to put that driver's licence to employ. Rather, I am perfectly happy to spend the residual of my life being "chauffeured" from one identify to another via public transport instead.
Karen is a freelance lifestyle and travel journalist, and a graduate of Columbia Academy'south School of Journalism in New York City.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/commentary-why-i-will-probably-never-own-car-not-even-eco-friendly-one-294581
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