I remember discussing commutes with a developer in Singapore, she "had to" drive for an hour every day. We were looking at Google Maps to help me follow what she described, and I noticed a rail line. Was that an option? No! She couldn't be seen using the train.
Maybe among the very rich, but I worked with plenty of middle-upper class Singaporeans (~$100 to 150k SGD incomes) who spent money on cars.
Keep in mind despite the rail lines, it's much cheaper to own a place that isn't within easy walking distance. For the same amount of money you'd get a much bigger place.
But regardless, it was mostly just due to the demands of family. The train makes sense when it's you alone. When you're paying $20-30 per day for a family's transit costs (4 rides at $1.50 each times for 2 adults and 2 teens), then suddenly the $700-$1000/month to own a car doesn't seem so silly.
Yeah that’s also important math folks miss taking a family downtown it’s often cheaper to pay parking than bus fare both ways for a family of 4. Even at 2 it’s basically break even with 3$ fares
Yes and no. The cost savings from not using a car mostly is an all or nothing deal. You save a lot by not owning one all together but you don’t save much by not using one you already have
I remember discussing commutes with a developer in Singapore, she "had to" drive for an hour every day. We were looking at Google Maps to help me follow what she described, and I noticed a rail line. Was that an option? No! She couldn't be seen using the train.