COE

Jeff has been getting a lot of his information about Singapore from the taxi drivers.  This past weekend we learned about how difficult and pricey it is to own a car here.  In order to purchase a car in Singapore you must first obtain a Certificate of Entitlement (COE).  This certificate can cost upwards of 45,000 Singapore dollars, which is about 34k US dollars.  This certificate only entitles you to purchase a car.  A midsize car will then cost you about 90,000 (70k USD) to 110,000 (85k USD) Singapore dollars.  The main point of this is to limit the number of cars.  Additionally, the certificate is only good for 10 years and then you must get another one!

We now know why public transportation is so easy and affordable here.  Since the majority of people living here do not own a car, it is imperative that public transportation be readily available and easily accessible to/from anywhere in the country.  Today the kids and I took the bus for the first time and we were very pleased.  First of all, it was only 70 cents to ride, secondly, we were able to use the same card we use for the MRT (no cash necessary), and most importantly, we ended up above ground and knew exactly how to get where we wanted (what a bonus that was).