In the early-1990s, Singapore had about 13,000-plus taxis (similar to today), each of which clocked more than 150,000km – or nearly four times round the globe – a year. That was the time when street-hailing was the predominant way of getting a taxi. Even though commuter grouses existed, the relatively small number of cabs were largely able to cater to all the point-to-point transportation needs of around 3.3 million people, with a ratio of four taxis per 1,000 population.

Over time, the taxi population grew, reaching a record of nearly 29,000 in 2014. By then, Singapore had the highest taxi per capita in the world, with 5.3 cabs per 1,000 residents. In comparison, Hong Kong has 2.4 cabs per 1,000 people.