Are high COE prices making you rethink driving a car in S’pore? Here’s why it doesn’t have to.

COE prices have reached unprecedented levels.

Take for example:

• July 2019 1st Bidding Open Cat COE: S$36,901
• July 2022 1st Bidding Open Cat COE: S$110,524

In just two years, this massive jump has resulted in the ability to own a car slipping out of the grasp of many.

To pay S$110,000 for a COE - essentially, a permission slip to drive a car for 10 years on the road, may sound ludicrous to some.

But the fact that COE prices have been bid up to such dizzying levels indicates that there is demand.

For some, a car may not be a necessity, but for others, the daily drive means stops at multiple destinations - sending children to school, ferrying aged parents for medical appointments, rushing off to work at the other end of the island, picking up groceries and running an almost endless array of errands.

This is when car ownership offers more convenience and flexibility, over other forms of shared or public transport.

Owning a car in Singapore has, in the last two decades, become an expensive proposition.

Cars already have high duties and fees imposed on them.

Add to this the COE and car ownership becomes painful for almost everyone (except perhaps the very well-heeled).

So before you make plans to buy an electric tricycle with a side car (complete with wheelchair ramp and school bag storage) to ferry your kids and aged parents around, consider car-sharing.

What is car-sharing?

In essence, car-sharing gives you all the benefits of owning a car without the headaches.

If you’re wondering how to pick which car-sharing company to use, here are four basic things you should look for:

1) Serviceability of the car

To make sure it’s safe to use, that all things work as they should and it’s clean.

2) Suitability of the car

Does the car suit your needs? For example, if only hatchbacks were offered in the vehicle line-up, it wouldn’t be suitable for aged parents with wheelchairs.

3) Availability

How convenient is it for you to find the car you need, close to where you are.

4) Price

Who doesn’t love a great deal?

Car Club by Tribecar

Let’s look at these points in detail with Car Club by Tribecar, the pioneer and leader of Car-Sharing in Singapore who’s been in the business since 1997.

On August 17, 1997, before the era of apps and smartphones, Car Club by Tribecar was birthed as NTUC Income Car Cooperative.

With just four cars shared between 125 members, bookings were made by phone and car keys were accessed with a smart card and PIN.

Being on the cusp on new technologies and fleet management systems, Car Club grew and on April 1, 2022, merged with Tribecar to become Singapore’s #1 Car-Sharing provider.

Here’s how Car Club by Tribecar measures up in the four basic things you should look for when selecting a car-sharing provider.

Serviceability

Car Club by Tribecar GUARANTEES the following:

• No Warning Lights
• No Balding Tyres
• A Functional Aircon, IU, Radio, Exterior Lights

This means that your car will be safe for use on the road, whatever the weather.

Suitability and Availability

Car Club has recently merged with Tribecar. This means that they now have a fleet of 1300 cars and a wider range of services.

So, chances are, there will be a vehicle available closer to you, when you want it and that is suited for your purpose.

Price

Prices vary with different providers. But there’s good news for Car Club by Tribecar’s members.

Lucky Draws

Car Club’s 25th anniversary falls on August 17.

If you think this means heaps of goodies, you are absolutely right.

100 members and non-Car Club members can win S$25 driving vouchers in a lucky draw every Friday for four weeks.

The big draw on September 2 even has S$5,000 cash as the top prize.

The best part? Anyone can take part in the lucky draws, even if they’re with a different car-sharing provider.

To top this off, Car Club is also giving away free ice cream.

You can look out for the ice cream push cart at these locations below:

Saturday, August 20 2022

• Around Tampines MRT from 11:30am - 2:30pm
• Opposite Yishun bus interchange from 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Saturday, August 27 2022

• Around Punggol MRT from 11:30am - 2:30pm
• Around Jurong MRT from 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Locations and timings are accurate at time of publishing. You can check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on the push cart.

Good news! Non-members can sign up for a free trial account for one month with S$0 deposit.

If you want to have the benefits of car-ownership without the headaches, join the club.

This is a sponsored article by Car Club by Tribecar

Top Photo by Car Club by Tribecar