IMPACT OF NIGHT BUS SERVICES ON THE POPULARITY OF TAXIS

Abstract

Taxis have always been one of the main modes of after-midnight travelling in Singapore. This is due to the fact that our public transportation services, e.g. buses and the MRT, only operate until or slightly past midnight daily. Unless one owns a form of private transport or is willing to go home on foot, taking a taxi is the only alternative available when travelling late at night or during the wee hours of the morning. With the implementation of night bus services by the various bus operators starting March 2000, this is no longer the case. There is now a choice between buses and taxis, and the decision to choose one over the other is undoubtedly influenced by several different factors. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation is to find out if the recent implementation of night bus services has affected the popularity of taxis as one of the main modes of travel around the island after midnight, and if so, which factors contribute most to this switch in travel preference. The analysis and conclusion will be based on the findings of a survey conducted by the author of this dissertation.