THE ROLE OF RIDESOURCING IN SINGAPORE'S URBAN TRANSPORTATION LANDSCAPE

Abstract

Ridesourcing is a new phenomenon and its emergence in various global markets has sparked several controversies regarding its business model. Some cities have been more welcoming towards ridesourcing while others have banned it entirely. In Singapore, ridesourcing has gained popularity over the years since its entrance in 2013. As an emerging transportation mode in Singapore, research on the impacts of ridesourcing on the transportation landscape is limited. Thus, this dissertation aims to address the research gap by exploring ridesourcing’s contributions toward the transportation landscape through studying users’ perceptions and commute behavior.

Results from the public survey revealed that there was a general positive and supportive attitude toward ridesourcing services, with convenience being the top reason for people to use the service. It was found that ridesourcing could potentially compete and complement the bus and rail systems in Singapore and it is a good substitute of taxis. Statistically significant results were found, showing that ridesourcing has induced greater car usage among some of the respondents, which contributes to traffic congestions, especially during peak hours. This would limit its contributions toward Singapore’s car lite vision. Despite this, statistically significant results showed that ridesourcing do have the potential to discourage car ownership among users who have their car travel needs served by ridesourcing and are generally satisfied with the service. This would in turn contribute to the car-lite vision in Singapore. Moving forward, data sharing between ridesourcing operators and local authorities would enhance the transportation planning process to help achieve the car-lite vision.