2019. There are more than 365 scheduled bus services, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore. There are also around 5,800 buses, majority of which are single-deck and double-deck, and a minority of articulated buses currently in operation. Since 2016, the Land Transport Authority regulates the public bus service standards and owns relevant assets whereas bus operators bid for operating bus services via competitive tendering, under its Bus Contracting Model. Taxis and PHVs Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV) are a popular form of transport, with fares considered low compared to those in most cities in developed countries. Starting rates were $3.20 - $3.90. As of March 2019, the taxi and private hire car population has been increased to 83,037. Taxis may be flagged down at any time of the day along any public road outside of the Central Business District (CBD), while private hire cars may be booked via ridesharing apps. Private cars As of 2018, there was a total of 957,006 motor vehicles in Singapore, with 509,302 of them being private cars. Private transport (cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles) is less commonly used as due to limited land space of the country, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has limited and controlled the population of privately-owned vehicles in the country, through the Vehicle Quota System (VQS) ownership market-based license auctions since 1990. As a result, private vehicles are prohibitively expensive and Singapore is known to be most expensive country in the world to own a car.; prospective private vehicle owners are required to market bid on a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) sold under auction (valid for 10-years, as of January 2023 COEs are priced at more than S$100,000 for car owners, more than S$75,000 for commercial vehicle owners and more than S$10,000 for motorcycle owners) and pay the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) tax imposed at 100-320% of the open market value (OMV) of the vehicle, among other fees. As a result of the aforementioned taxes, on-the-road car prices in Singapore are approximately 5 times of the on-the-road car prices in Western countries. Roads and expressways Singapore pioneered congestion pricing (the market-based usage management of public roads to reduce congestion at specific times within the city centre and certain expressways), with the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, which has since been replaced with the Electronic Road Pricing, a form of electronic toll collection. Total length of expressways: