COE review: MOT considering a transport grant

The Government is studying the option of a transport grant with more details to be provided later, said Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow on Tuesday (Nov 3).

He was replying to 13 parliamentary questions from members of parliament on the ongoing Certificate of Entitlement (COE) review exercise , which just concluded its public consultation exercise on categorisation on Monday.

MPs Jessica Tan (East Coast GRC) and Tin Pei Ling (Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC) had raised questions about the affordability of car ownership for larger Singaporean families with transport needs, with Tin also suggesting for more to be done for large families with car needs.

In his reply, the transport minister said he recognises that larger families, especially those with young children, may find travelling together by public transport difficult.

But he also reminded the house that there would be those who do not plan to purchase a car.

"In supporting such families, we must consider not just those who plan to purchase a car, but also those who do not plan to do so, and who rely on public transport, taxis, private hire cars, or shared cars," Siow pointed out.

To this end, he announced that the Government is studying the option of a transport grant, with more details to be provided later.

Earlier in his response, Siow also put Singapore's car ownership situation in context, noting that there are about 660,000 cars and 1.5 million households in the country.

Meanwhile, roads already occupy more than 12 per cent of Singapore's land area, he said, adding that Singapore does not have enough land for every household to own a car.

Public transport first

Turning to public transportation, the minister explained that the Government has invested heavily to build up a system that is accessible, reliable and affordable because while not everyone can drive, or wants to own a car; everyone can take public transport.

He also pointed that COE revenues have averaged about $5 billion over the past decade, but the Government spends around $6 to 7 billion a year on public transport, including subsidies to keep fares affordable.

Meanwhile, recognising that car rides may be more convenient when bringing elderly parents to see the doctor, or when travelling with young children, the taxi and private hire car population has grown from 28,000 in 2013 to about 70,000 last year to meet growing commuter demands.

"These are more affordable options to enjoy the convenience of travelling by car, without the expense of owning one," he explained.

However, the COE system will still need to be refined due to market dynamics or technological change, the minister acknowledged.

On high COE prices, Siow said that he recognises Singaporeans' concerns.

"While we will try our best to refine the COE system for car buyers, my ultimate responsibility is to build a transport system that serves all Singaporeans," he added.

交通部长萧正明周二（11月3日）表示，政府正在研究提供交通补助金的方案，更多细节将在稍后公布。

他正在答复议员们就正在进行的“资格证书 (COE) 审查工作”提出的 13 个议会质询，该审查工作于周一刚刚结束了关于分类的公众咨询活动。

国会议员陈慧玲（东海岸集选区）和陈佩玲（马林百列-布莱德尔高地集选区）都对新加坡有交通需求的大家庭能否负担得起汽车提出了质疑，陈佩玲还建议为有汽车需求的大家庭做更多的事情。

交通部长在答复中表示，他理解大家庭，特别是那些有幼儿的家庭，可能会发现一起乘坐公共交通工具出行很困难。

但他也提醒大家，有些人并不打算买车。

“在支持这类家庭时，我们不仅要考虑那些计划购车的家庭，还要考虑那些不打算购车、依赖公共交通、出租车、私人租车或共享汽车的家庭，”萧指出。

为此，他宣布政府正在研究发放交通补贴的方案，更多细节将在稍后公布。

萧先生在之前的回应中也提到了新加坡的汽车拥有情况，指出该国约有 66 万辆汽车和 150 万户家庭。

他表示，与此同时，道路已经占用了新加坡超过 12% 的土地面积，并补充说，新加坡没有足够的土地让每个家庭都拥有一辆汽车。

公共交通优先

谈到公共交通，部长解释说，政府投入巨资建立了一个便捷、可靠且价格合理的系统，因为虽然不是每个人都会开车或想拥有汽车，但每个人都可以乘坐公共交通工具。

他还指出，过去十年拥车证收入平均约为 50 亿美元，但政府每年在公共交通上的支出约为 60 亿至 70 亿美元，其中包括为保持票价可负担而提供的补贴。

与此同时，人们认识到，带年迈的父母去看医生，或者带着年幼的孩子出行时，乘车可能更方便，因此出租车和私人租赁汽车的数量从 2013 年的 28,000 辆增加到去年的约 70,000 辆，以满足不断增长的通勤者需求。

他解释说：“这些都是更经济实惠的选择，让您可以享受驾车出行的便利，而无需承担拥有汽车的费用。”

部长承认，由于市场动态或技术变革，拥车证制度仍需完善。

对于拥车证价格高企的问题，萧先生表示他理解新加坡人的担忧。

“虽然我们会尽最大努力完善拥车证制度，但我最终的责任是建立一个服务于所有新加坡人的交通系统，”他补充道。