Singapore Taxi
History of taxi in Singapore slowly started after World War II. Since the mid of the twentieth century, Singapore has rapidly increased the amount of taxis in the city. Because its fare is considered relatively low compared to those in most cities in developed countries, taxi has become the most popular form of public transport in the compact city state of Singapore. Currently, there is a total fleet of 22,305 taxis operated by seven taxi companies and independent drivers.
In 1960, Mercedes Benz 220S Ponton was first used as a taxi in Singapore and followed by Austin Cambridge A60. Until the early 1980s, Opel Rekord D, Peugeot 504, Morris Marina and Volga Gaz 24 were also adapted to use for this commercial vehicles. Later in the mid of 1980, the newer and cheaper cars like Toyota Crown, Nissan Cedric and Isuzu Florian were slowly replaced the older cars.
According to the Singaporean Taxi Academy, a driver who needs to become taxi driver in Singapore must occupy basic abilities and qualifications as follows, must be a Singapore citizen, must be at least 30 years of age, must have valid class 3 driving license, able to converse and write basic English and have at least 1 year’s driving experience with a clean driving record.
