Some turning to car rental firms, ride-hailing to send kids to school

Better pick-up and drop-off times among reasons cited; school bus fares also rising

- Lee Nian Tjoe

For the past year, Mr Gerald Lim, 37, has been ferrying pupils to their primary schools in his Toyota Prius every weekday morning.

The full-time private-hire car driver is among 60 to 70 drivers engaged by Lylo, a Singapore car rental and concierge company, for its school transport service.

It costs between $20 and $50 per trip for every child, depending on distance and the type of vehicle used.

If there are other children living close enough requesting the service to the same school, the company can carpool them. This brings the price down to between $8 and $15 a trip for each child.

This means parents could spend anywhere between $160 and $300 a month for one-way carpooled trips for their children to or from school. The monthly fee is paid in advance, after the route and rate have been confirmed with Lylo.

In comparison, school bus services can cost up to $240 a month for a one-way trip of no more than 4km from the school. Those living farther will be charged more if the bus operator can accommodate them.

About 300 students have signed up for Lylo's school transport service in 2025, the company's spokesman told The Straits Times. Around 40 per cent of them are primary school pupils, with the rest being students from international schools.

As far as possible, the firm assigns the same driver for the trips. Parents are kept updated via messaging service WhatsApp when their child has been picked up or has reached their destination.