Singapore's taxi fleet has shrunk to its smallest size in more than a decade, with numbers of the blue Comfort-branded cabs tumbling below 10,000 for the first time since 2005. According to latest Land Transport Authority (LTA) statistics, the taxi fleet stood at 23,140 as of 31st December 2017 - 19 percent down from its 2014 peak of 28,736.
In contrast, the chauffeured private-hire car population stood at 46,903 - more than double the taxi numbers - at the end of last year, according to the LTA.
Uber, along with its Asian rival Grab, arrived in Singapore in 2013. Flush with billions in investors' funds, they have been growing the taxi-like service aggressively.
Most of the cars are owned by car rental firms or motor companies, but some 14,000 of these are estimated to be owned by Lion City Rentals, which is in turn owned by American ride-hailing firm Uber.
Mr. Ang Hin Kee, Executive Adviser to the National Taxi Association, as well as the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, said, "With the alliance of private-hire companies and traditional taxi operators in the works.
The labour MP, however, said he is concerned about the ballooning fleet size. "I think our market will need only an optimal number of vehicles."
He said that with 'too many drivers chasing after a finite number of commuters, it is unsustainable', adding that the earnings of drivers will eventually be affected.
Meanwhile, the Competition Commission of Singapore, in response to queries from The Straits Times, said it will complete the first phase of its review of the proposed Comfort-Uber alliance by 19th February. If there are concerns, the commission will go into a second phase of deliberations, which will be more extensive.
