There are only 5 yellow-top taxis left in S'pore

Singapore's yellow-top taxis are nearing the end of the road, with reportedly only five remaining today.

These taxis have disappeared steadily over the past few decades.

In 2017, about 100 yellow-top taxis were still operating here.

However, the number fell sharply to 32 by 2023, a decline suspected to be due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

What are yellow-top taxis?

Unlike most taxi drivers today, who rent their vehicles from operators such as ComfortDelGro or Strides Premier, yellow-top taxi drivers own their vehicles outright.

They bear the full cost of the vehicle's Certificate of Entitlement (COE), road tax, insurance, as well as maintenance, and are not subject to conditions set by fleet operators.

Yellow-top taxis were first introduced into Singapore in the 1930s by Wearne Brothers, the predecessor of Wearnes Automotive Singapore, and became a defining feature of the local transport landscape.

They reached their peak in the 1960s, when about 3,800 yellow-tops were on the roads.

Policy changes

The gradual disappearance of yellow-top taxis can be traced back to policy changes introduced in the 1970s, when taxi licences began to be issued exclusively to taxi companies rather than individual drivers.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, from 1974, yellow-top taxi licences were also made non-transferable and would be cancelled once the licence holder reached the age of 75.

As veteran drivers retired, fewer yellow-top taxis remained on the roads.

Cross-border services

One of the remaining drivers is Chamkour Singh, who turns 75 this year.

In an interview with Zaobao, Chamkour shared that he began his taxi career in 1978.

With a bank loan and financial support from his family, he bought a new Nissan Datsun for S$30,000 and secured a yellow-top taxi licence.

He recalled that driving taxis was lucrative at the time due to the limited number of cabs on the road.

Two years later, he began offering cross-border passenger services between Singapore and Malaysia through a friend’s introduction.

"In the past, the border crossings weren't as congested as they are today," he said. "Back then, I could make five or six round trips a day."

Today, the Singapore-Malaysia border crossing ranks among the busiest in the world.

Chamkour noted that heavy traffic congestion and the risk of returning without passengers have made such cross-border trips far less viable.

Only 5 left

As of December 2025, there are only five yellow-top taxi drivers remaining in Singapore, Zaobao reported.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) revealed that the average age of these drivers is 72.

With the remaining drivers approaching retirement age, the last yellow-top taxi is expected to disappear from Singapore’s streets around 2030.

Having driven five vehicles over his career, from his first Nissan Datsun to his current Toyota Wish, Chamkour said he is preparing to retire.

"My children have their own families, and I can retire and enjoy family life with my wife," he said. "I’m very happy to have driven this yellow-top taxi, and grateful it has been with me for so many years."

Top photos from Taxi Singapore