Lower flag-down fares for taxis

[Jacf]

http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Story...205-119761.html

 

 

By Christopher Tan, Senioir Correspondent

 

SMALLER taxi operators want taxi fares lowered amid the deepening economic slowdown that has already seen a number of cabbies giving up driving.

 

Following last week's news that bus and train operators will lower fares, Mr Lim Chong Boo, managing director of Premier Taxis, suggests lowering the $2.80 flag-down fare during non-peak hours.

 

Mr Johnny Harjantho, managing director of Smart Taxis, however, reckoned that peak-hour fares - where a 35 per cent surcharge applies - should also be reviewed. Peak hours are from 7am to 9.30am on weekdays and 5pm to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays.

 

"But it is difficult for a small company like us to move prices," Mr Harjantho said. "We have to wait for Comfort."

 

ComfortDelGro, which has 15,000 of the 24,300 cabs in Singapore, was mum when approached. "We never comment on fares until we have an announcement to make," its spokesman said.

 

The smaller players had other suggestions to lower costs for cabbies, including getting a tax disparity fixed.

 

"Today, a two-litre diesel passenger car attracts far lower tax than a taxi of the same engine capacity," Premier's Mr Lim said of the $2,400 difference in taxes. "If the diesel tax can be lowered, we can pass the cost savings to our drivers."

 

Another idea from Mr Neo Nam Heng, head of Prime Taxis, was to allow firms to use second-hand cars as taxis.

 

Two years ago, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) allowed used car dealers to convert unsold stock to private hire vehicles. Mr Neo argued that the same principle could apply for taxis.

 

Such vehicles will cost less to buy than brand new taxis. Cab operators could then charge cabbies lower rentals, which now range from $65 to $120 a day. In turn, fares can be lowered for passengers.

 

According to the LTA, taxi ridership between July and November last year averaged 900,420 a day, 4.1 per cent lower than the same period in 2007.

 

Fewer taxis are being rented out to drivers as well. Between July and November last year, unhired taxis averaged 1,377 a month, nearly 30 per cent more than the same period in 2007.

 

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see the enlarge fonts - seem that even though we have quite a no of taxi operators around to prevent monopoly of taxi trade... seems that the small fishes still must wait for the big fish to act first.. so much for free market!

[Boyboy]

taxis are all about creating profits for the taxi companies and the gahmen. the drivers and passengers are simply cash cows to be milked.

 

if diesel taxi is so pollutive, must tax so high, just ban diesel taxis la.

 

no, no. cannot. must tax so that pple can get their million dollar salary.. hmmm...

 

[Silver_blade]

Actually, I still prefer taxi to be owned and run by individual + unionized (real one...not wayang)...rather then by big companies.

[Silver_blade]

Actually, I still prefer taxi to be owned and run by individual + unionized (real one...not wayang)...rather then by big companies.

[Picanto]

Actually, I still prefer taxi to be owned and run by individual + unionized (real one...not wayang)...rather then by big companies.

 

the govt can see that there is $$ to be made from the industry. that's why they step in and do not allow individuals to make profits of of taxi. if there is any $$ to be made, the govt will always want a pie of it.

 

[Rickster]

the govt can see that there is $$ to be made from the industry. that's why they step in and do not allow individuals to make profits of of taxi. if there is any $$ to be made, the govt will always want a pie of it.

 

Yes, thats y even in the business of selling coffins, the govt is involved.

[Strife]

taxis are all about creating profits for the taxi companies and the gahmen. the drivers and passengers are simply cash cows to be milked.

 

if diesel taxi is so pollutive, must tax so high, just ban diesel taxis la.

 

no, no. cannot. must tax so that pple can get their million dollar salary.. hmmm...

 

Taxi operators are obviously there for profits. And it is only reasonable that no one can argue otherwise.

 

High tax is to discourage but ban is an enforcement. The decision lies with the taxi operators as to why they insist on using diesel taxis. Obviously to do with cost-profits margin.

 

I noticed that putting the blame on the government for every possible link is a very prevailing sentiment.

[Doosan]

correct.......correct......correct, pal.

 

if u look back in e 7Os, when u r in city area, wanted song2 go Jurong/ Boonlay, in these case

u must "chartered" e taxi n to pay to/fro 2trips.

 

Y ? cos taxi bro said i cant go back to city "Khang-chea"=kosong.

 

more cute, many taxis were parked by side of kopitiam wit engine running, "kiau-kah" drinking kopi,

waiting chopping carrot heads.

 

some parked under trees, "cooling2" wit e "bar" girls friends...........

 

Those day, taxi = also known as "pakpau-chea", paid token sum as road tax,

even parking attend who issue parking notices won't wan 2kachio them.

 

so many compalins, up.....n........up, to a point some thing got to be done,

evolusion.............wat u r facing today.

 

good ? bad ? ta's e root cause !

[Acemundo]

agreed.....in taipei, a taxi driver told me he could never comprehend why singapore taxi drivers are so picky and refuse certain destinations. i asked them if it is true majority of their cabs are privately owned by individual taxi drivers......they said yes...

 

i feel the human and cab density in taipei is comparable to singapore but yet they don't have the problems with taxi we face in singapore.....problems of drivers choosy about destination, of taxi disappearing before midnight or not plying certain popular roads....i must admit never once in taipei city have i failed to hail a cab and that is even without booking in advance through phone.

 

our complicated list of taxi surcharges are also psychologically deterring people from taking taxi. whenever i want to take taxi, i always have to scratch my head to estimate what is the likely charge on that particular day and time.....at times, due to the uncertainty, i simply gave up idea of taking the taxi.

 

my belief is that the best system is a simple system. remove all the surcharges, let the taxi drivers run their own taxis instead.

[Picanto]

Taxi operators are obviously there for profits. And it is only reasonable that no one can argue otherwise.

 

High tax is to discourage but ban is an enforcement. The decision lies with the taxi operators as to why they insist on using diesel taxis. Obviously to do with cost-profits margin.

 

I noticed that putting the blame on the government for every possible link is a very prevailing sentiment.

 

one thing i dun like about the biggest govt controlled taxi operator is their reluctance to lower taxi fares. after all the tax rebates, they should still be able to afford giving $$ to their drivers and lower taxi fare at the same time.

[Kusje]

They should try to lower costs by avoiding expensive cars as taxis ...

[Silver_blade]

They should try to lower costs by avoiding expensive cars as taxis ...

I agree with you on this. I agree we should have limo taxi...but it' looks like there are more petrol MPVs eg. stream, wish, estima, etc... on the road. Do we really need that many MPV taxi?

[Boyboy]

Actually, I still prefer taxi to be owned and run by individual + unionized (real one...not wayang)...rather then by big companies.

 

doesn't matter what you (or me, or he, or she) prefer. gahmen prefer can liao.

 

they got dah MANDATE

 

but yeah, i heard stories of the old days where pple actually own their own taxi. i think those taxi drivers really have it much easier than today.

 

actually, if taxis are cheaper and more plentiful, pple would see them as alternatives to car ownership (some already take cab exclusively rather than drive) but no.. cash cow comes first

[Boyboy]

Taxi operators are obviously there for profits. And it is only reasonable that no one can argue otherwise.

 

High tax is to discourage but ban is an enforcement. The decision lies with the taxi operators as to why they insist on using diesel taxis. Obviously to do with cost-profits margin.

 

I noticed that putting the blame on the government for every possible link is a very prevailing sentiment.

 

when the gahmen sets the laws and has the power to change things but does not, who do we blame then?

 

the only alternative is to blame the 66% who give them the green light.

 

look at what the big taxi companies are using and what the smaller operators are using. yes, the big ones use almost exclusively diesel (notably the toyota clown, and the sonata, this one not so bad as it's euro IV), the smaller ones such as prime, smart cab etc are venturing into CNG. who indirectly OWNS the big companies?

 

there is another group of pple who champion the gahmen's cause la. to counter the pple who can see things for what they are.

[Boyboy]

They should try to lower costs by avoiding expensive cars as taxis ...

 

i support this notion also. i'd be very happy to have a toyota yaris, vios, honda jazz, even hyundai getz as taxi and take those. of course, taxi drivers will curse the getz for its poor FC. but jazz should perform quite decently on CNG/petrol. not quite as spacious as the clowns but far more economical and more refined and comfortable.

 

can't wait for clowns n cedric to be phased out. these buggers are road hazards man. give the taxi-men better cars, and they will probably be able to drive better due to reduced driver fatigue

[Drumstick]

i support this notion also. i'd be very happy to have a toyota yaris, vios, honda jazz, even hyundai getz as taxi and take those. of course, taxi drivers will curse the getz for its poor FC. but jazz should perform quite decently on CNG/petrol. not quite as spacious as the clowns but far more economical and more refined and comfortable.

 

can't wait for clowns n cedric to be phased out. these buggers are road hazards man. give the taxi-men better cars, and they will probably be able to drive better due to reduced driver fatigue

 

Give them better cars and u will see more Taxi cum F1 driver.

Now on the road see them chiong like nobody business already. From my personal point of view, I would say 70% does that.

That in turns create an even bigger hazard for the rest of the road users.

Better cars in terms of comfort ok...but performance is a big No.

Since taxi driver always says business bad...then they shouldn't always step hard on the pedal and see $$ becoming smokes faster.

 

Taxi company always says business very bad...but I'm surprise at how much bonous the management is having even in their "bad times"....

[Yoongf]

when the gahmen sets the laws and has the power to change things but does not, who do we blame then?

 

the only alternative is to blame the 66% who give them the green light.

 

look at what the big taxi companies are using and what the smaller operators are using. yes, the big ones use almost exclusively diesel (notably the toyota clown, and the sonata, this one not so bad as it's euro IV), the smaller ones such as prime, smart cab etc are venturing into CNG. who indirectly OWNS the big companies?

 

there is another group of pple who champion the gahmen's cause la. to counter the pple who can see things for what they are.

Taxi fares have been deregulated for a long time already. This has nothing to do with the govt.

 

Comfort taxi makes a huge profit from the sale of discounted Diesel to their taxi drivers. If they start to use petrol taxis, then there is no captive market. There is another taxi company which has it's background from the supply of LPG. Therefore, pls note. taxi rental is not their cash cow.

 

Taxi company has to incur huge fixed overheads to manage the call booking system, to comply with LTA standards. Last time, no call booking system, then independent taxi drivers can make more, but.. if got poor service.. LTA need to do investigation. Now... LTA outsource the complaints handling to the taxi operators.

Therefore... if want to see changes to this industry.. do not complain to taxi company. Refer all complaint direct to LTA. Put it this way.. taxi company behave like car rental company, and not so much like a public service company. Thus.. whoever is doing in the public service industry should rightfully handle the complaints.