Taxicabs of Singapore - Vehicle Types

Vehicle Types

In 1966, the first diesel Yellow-Top taxi was the Mercedes Benz 180 followed by the Austin Cambridge A60, Morris Oxford and Wolseley 16/60 during of the era. In 1970's there was Mercedes Benz W114/W115. The Austin Cambridge A60 and Morris Oxford continued until the early 1980's followed by models of the Opel Rekord D, Peugeot 504, Morris Marina and the Russian made model Volga Gaz 24.

In the middle 1980's, the staple vehicles for all operators were the Toyota Crown, Nissan Cedric and Isuzu Florian. These were stripped-down versions of their Japanese luxury-car siblings, with an emphasis on operating costs over comfort. Cheap plastic fittings and PVC seats replaced materials such as wood and leather, insulation was removed to save weight, and early generation diesel engines replaced the original petrol units. The resulting vehicles were simple to maintain and extremely reliable, but were lacking in comfort, with very high levels of NVH.

The move by various operators to various makes and models of premium vehicles came largely as a result of Euro IV regulations, which came into effect in late 2006. The older diesel engines in the Crown and Cedric are unable to meet the new emissions standards, and these taxis will no longer be offered for sale.

The newer taxicabs benefit from vastly improved interiors and more advanced engines with lower emissions and noise levels, which used to be the preserve of the premium Mercedes-Benz "limousine" services.

ComfortDelgro announced it would acquire a fleet of 2,400 Hyundai Sonatas in November 2007 over the next 2 years for its subsidiaries Comfort and Citycab, during which period they will enjoy exclusive rights from the distributor for using the type as a taxicab.

All taxicabs in Singapore have to pay the much higher road tax applied to diesel-powered passenger cars, which was intended to deter people from using diesel-powered vehicles for private use. This road tax bill is footed by the taxi company (except for STTA taxis), and can be as high as S$6,300 annually. However, some operators are trialling vehicles powered by natural gas, which are not only exempted from diesel taxes, but are also given waivers on road tax intended to offset the higher cost of ownership and to make them more attractive for the early adoptors of the cleaner vehicles.

Currently, the following vehicle makes and models are in use:

ComfortDelgro Comfort Taxis (10984 cabs)

• Toyota Crown
• Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI (Sovereign)
• Hyundai Sonata CRDI
• Hyundai i40 CRDI (Sedan Version)

ComfortDelgro CityCab (3815 cabs)

• Toyota Crown
• Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI (Presido)
• Mercedes-Benz Vito 115 CDI (MaxiCab: 7-seater)
• Mercedes-Benz Viano (Maxicab: 7-seater)
• Hyundai Sonata CRDI

SMRT Taxis (3004 cabs)

• Nissan Cedric (5 Units)
• Toyota Crown
• Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI (Prestige)
• SsangYong Rodius SV270 XDI (Space: 7-seater)
• Hyundai Azera CNG
• Chrysler 300C
• Chevrolet Epica
• LTI London Cab (The old model is currently being phased out, to be replaced with a newer wheelchair accessible model)

Union Energy Corporation TransCab (2139 cabs)

• Toyota Crown
• Toyota Wish CNG
• Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI
• Chevrolet Epica

Premier Taxis SilverCab (2436 cabs)

• Toyota Crown
• Kia Magentis CRDI
• Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI (Silverstar)
• Škoda Superb 2.5 V6 TDI (SilverArrow)
• Kia Optima

Smart Automobile (781 cabs)

• Toyota Crown
• Mercedes-Benz E200 NGT, natural gas/petrol bi-fuel (Supreme)
• Volkswagen Touran 1.9 TDI PD (Supreme)
• Toyota Camry JDM, natural gas

Prime Taxis (198 cabs)

• Toyota Allion
• Toyota Axio CNG
• Toyota Camry CNG
• Toyota Fielder CNG
• Toyota Premio
• Totota Estima
• Toyota Prius
• Toyota Wish 5-Seater and 7-Seater CNG
• Honda Airwave CNG
• Honda Fit
• Honda Freed
• Honda Stream CNG
• Hyundai Avante

All of these vehicles (except for MPV taxis) seat 4 adult passengers unless otherwise stated. Passengers are required by law to wear seat belts, but this rule is rarely enforced.