Sustainable Urban Transport Project

Our Articles

The Vehicle Quota System in Singapore

Singapores Vehicle Quota System (VQS), which came into effect in May 1990, is part of a series of measures to optimize traffic flow by managing the growth of vehicle ownership to acceptable levels. Under the VQS, motor vehicles are classified into several categories, with a separate licence quota for each category. For categories A, B, and D, the licence is non-transferable.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) determines the quota for each category every year. In order to register a new vehicle, the would-be-buyer must bid for and obtain a licence, referred to officially as a Certificate of Entitlement (COE). The COEs can be obtained through an auction, the COE electronic Open Bidding System, which is held twice a month (fortnightly). The Quota Premium (QP) represents the price for a COE. The QP is the price of the highest unsuccessful bid plus $1 for that category e.g, if there are 250 in the quota for a particular category for that fortnight, the QP is the bid price of the 251st ranked bid plus $1, which everyone whose bids rank from 1 to 250 pays. Bidders who successfully obtain a COE have to register the vehicle within 3 (for categories C and E) and 6 months (for categories A, B and D) respectively. The COE is valid for 10 years. After this period, the vehicle needs to be deregistered or the COE has to be renewed by paying a Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP), which is the 3 months moving average of the QP.

How can Sustainable Urban Transport contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions

How can Sustainable Urban Transport contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions

* this article is based on the recent module by GTZ titled "Transport and Climate Change"

Photo by Manfred Breithaupt
in Hanoi, 2006

Climate Change is currently a major challenge for most nations. Human activities such as excessive burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and waste generation exacerbate this situation.The effects of these actions can be seen in various forms around the globe. Melting of ice caps, raising sea levels, unpredictable rainfall patterns, heat waves are just a few to name. It has been found that future effects will be more frequent in developing countries. Most of these countries rapidly deplete their natural resources and are increasingly imitating the consumptive attitude of the west.

Changing the reigning paradigm

Changing the reigning paradigm*
*adapted by SUTP staff from an article published in GTZ-Akzente magazine, December 2006.

Car clogged streets, inadequate walking areas and unsafe roads are the common features of many developing cities.

Congestion in Bangkok
Source: Thirayoot Limanond, GTZ Photo CD/DVD

Various ventures have been undertaken to ameliorate the situation but the solutions developed in most cases have been either temporary or unsatisfactory. At the same time, some of these solutions were taken without knowledge of long-term impacts, resulting in further deterioration of the existing conditions. Some such solutions included e.g. increased investment in road widening projects which have failed to reduce congestion problems, while they have also increased the number of problems in the long run.