SMRT to change entire taxi fleet to electric vehicles in 5 years

SINGAPORE – SMRT aims to change all its taxis to 100 per cent electric vehicles within five years as part of efforts to go green.

The first batch of 300 electric taxis will arrive progressively in Singapore from July, the transport operator announced in a statement on Tuesday (April 20).

The electric vehicles could include sedans, station wagons and multi-purpose vehicles.

SMRT has 1,796 taxis in its fleet, according to the Land Transport Authority in February.

SMRT said: “The electrification of the entire taxi fleet is part of SMRT’s growth strategy in green businesses under its sustainable urban mobility services arm, Strides Mobility.”

Besides taxis, other mobility services using electric vehicles such as vans, limousines and buses will also be rolled out.

SMRT’s transition to cleaner-energy taxis began in 2013, when more than 600 Toyota Prius Hybrid cabs were added to its fleet. Last year, SMRT’s fleet became 100 per cent hybrid.

SMRT Road Holdings president Tan Kian Heong said: “In line with Singapore’s Green Plan, we are excited to be among the first point-to-point transport operators to commit to the deployment of electric taxis on a large scale.

“This is a key part of our plan to incorporate principles of sustainability into each of our businesses to bring sustainable urban mobility services to our customers. Going green is an integral part of how we operate our business.”

On Monday, SMRT-owned Strides Transportation also signed a memorandum of understanding with electric motorcycle-maker EuroSports Technologies. Strides will be appointed as the sole distributor of commercial electric motorcycles in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific.

This range of two- and three-wheelers will be separate from EuroSports’ Scorpio brand of premium electric motorbikes. It will be targeted for food delivery and logistics applications.