Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines wider public and private transport issues including vehicle prices.
Podcaster: Lee Nian Tjoe
Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong
A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.
Will the recent changes to the preferential additional registration fee (PARF) rebate and the current COE prices turn away car buyers?
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in his Budget speech on Feb 12 that the PARF rebate will be lowered by 45 percentage points.
The maximum rebate a car owner can expect to receive will be halved from $60,000 to $30,000.
If you're looking to buy a car, should you go for a new car, a second-hand ICE vehicle, or just give up that dream altogether?
In this episode of The Usual Place, ST’s senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe and veteran automotive consultant Say Kwee Neng share their thoughts.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:21 What is the significance of the PARF?
4:21 Is the PARF rebate reduction a “stick” to get buyers to choose EVs?
8:56 A stealthy wealth tax?
14:53 The implications of older EVs on the road
19:11 The iPhone vs older EVs comparison
24:11 What’s happens to the used car market now?
27:06 Most cost-efficient option now
30:36 Are your dreams of owning a car over?
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi
Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis
Editorial producers: Elizabeth Law & Lynda Hong
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16 Dec 2025
Paying more for green travel: Are levies and carbon taxes enough?
Which means of various green transportation can decarbonise the most?
Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport.
From October 2026, travellers departing Singapore will contribute to the purchase of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). But is this levy enough to tackle aviation’s carbon problem?
Hosted by ST senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe, the panel - comprising Mr Andrey Berdichevskiy, partner and associate director of Boston Consulting Group and Professor S. Viswanathan from Nanyang Business School - discusses the hard-to-abate aviation sector, the true cost of green flying, and whether we should rethink that long-haul trip to visit the northern lights.
Back on the ground, the conversation shifts to the return of the Robo-taxi. Are autonomous vehicles the solution to our “last mile” woes in estates like Punggol?
Plus, the experts share practical advice on the “Avoid, Shift, Improve” framework, from taking the train to KL, to swapping a steak for a salad in helping commuters to keep it “wheel and green”.
This episode was recorded and filmed on Dec 2 at SPH Media’s revamped auditorium, in front of a live audience of 60 ST readers. It was the sixth and final ST Podcast Live! Session for 2025, capping a special series celebrating The Straits Times’ 180th anniversary.
Highlights (click/tap above):
01:43 The cost of greening skies in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and for flights out of SG
04:45 Why increasing ticket prices doesn’t dampen travelling
12:09 A practical framework for greener mobility choices, from Zoom calls to high-speed rail
19:47 The return of autonomous vehicles like the Robo-taxi
31:38 From giving up the car to adopting a "flexitarian" diet - what else can individuals?
Read Lee Nian Tjoe's articles: https://str.sg/wt8G (https://str.sg/wt8G)
Follow Lee Nian Tjoe on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/iqkJ (https://str.sg/iqkJ)
Read more COE articles: https://str.sg/iGKC (https://str.sg/iGKC)
Host: Lee Nian Tjoe (niantjoel@sph.com.sg (mailto:niantjoel@sph.com.sg))
Produced & edited by: Eden Soh
Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong
Follow Wheel Insights Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
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Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg (mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg)
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg (https://www.awedio.sg/)
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
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The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa (https://str.sg/4Vwsa)
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#wheelinsights
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18 Nov 2025
Parking.SG, the summons auntie is coming!
The popular Parking.SG app was supposed to help parking wardens issue summons. What happened?
Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport.
The Parking.SG app handles a million sessions a month, with under half of them being ended early and the motorist getting a refund. Half of them are Apple users, and the rest use Android smartphones. To think that it all began as a project to help the parking warden.
In this episode, host and senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with Ms Amelia Fong, the product manager for Parking.sg and a policy officer at Open Government Products (OGP), a division of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:21 The technology behind the original Parking.SG app
4:00 User statistics
8:00 Considerations to make the app senior-friendly
11:56 Annual hackathon for new technology solutions
19:00 Keeping the app working 24/7
20:57 Becoming a product manager at OGP
Learn more about Parking.SG: https://www.parking.sg/ (https://www.parking.sg/)
Read Lee Nian Tjoe's articles: https://str.sg/wt8G (https://str.sg/wt8G)
Follow Lee Nian Tjoe on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/iqkJ (https://str.sg/iqkJ)
Read more COE articles: https://str.sg/iGKC (https://str.sg/iGKC)
Host: Lee Nian Tjoe (niantjoel@sph.com.sg (mailto:niantjoel@sph.com.sg))
Produced & edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong
Follow Wheel Insights Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/iTtE (https://str.sg/iTtE)
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/iqW2 (https://str.sg/iqW2)
Spotify: https://str.sg/iqgB (https://str.sg/iqgB)
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg (mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg)
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg (https://www.awedio.sg/)
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 (https://str.sg/wvz7)
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts (http://str.sg/stpodcasts)
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa (https://str.sg/4Vwsa)
---
Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB (https://str.sg/icyB)
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX (https://str.sg/icyX)
---
#wheelinsights
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
459,929,262
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
14
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
60
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Guest appearances
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