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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/taxi-driver-given-warning-lta-after-failing-search-vehicle-personal-items-left-passenger-3060091 SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has agreed to review a rule where taxi drivers are required to search their vehicle for any items left behind by the passengers after a trip. The National Taxi Association (NTA) and National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) had reached out to LTA for an explanation and clarification after one taxi driver received a written warning by LTA for "having failed to search the vehicle for any property accidentally left behind by the hirer", said Yeo Wan Ling, Director of NTUC U SME and U Women and Family in a Facebook post on Friday (Nov 11). Ms Yeo, who is also adviser to NTA and NPHVA, added that the associations reached out to LTA after drivers gave feedback and expressed concerns about the incident. "Like our taxi and (private-hire vehicle) driving community, the NTA and NPHVA are concerned about the warning received by the driver and we reached out to the LTA for an explanation and clarifications on behalf of our P2P community," she said. LTA clarified that this is a long-standing rule and serves as a good practice on the part of the driver, she added. WARNING LETTER WITHDRAWN LTA has decided to withdraw the warning letter to the taxi driver and shared that its intent was to "remind the driver on such good practices", said Ms Yeo. An earlier Facebook post made by user Ong Boon showed a letter from LTA dated Oct 26 stating that the driver had made an appeal against the warning to the transport authority through Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling on Oct 11. According to the letter, an investigation by LTA showed that on Jul 9 at about 1.26pm, the driver had failed to search his taxi for any items left by the passenger after the trip. "Hence, our investigation finds you liable for the offence of 'Failing to search vehicle for any property accidentally left by the hirer' under rule 39(1) of the (Road Traffic Rules)," the letter stated. Ms Tin, who is MP for Macpherson, said in a Facebook post on Friday that she had made two appeals on behalf of Mr Ong, who was also a resident of her constituency. "Along with my second appeal days ago, I separately asked LTA based on what did they conclude that my resident didn’t search the vehicle," she said. Rule 39(1) of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Vocational Licences and Conduct of Drivers, Conductors, Trishaw Riders and Passengers) states that immediately or before the end of the journey, the driver of a vehicle should search his vehicle for any property left behind. The letter also noted that a written warning was issued to the driver on Sep 28. It stated that LTA was "satisfied" with the investigation findings that the driver was liable for the offence and was hence unable to rescind the warning. NO DRIVERS PROSECUTED Ms Yeo's post also said that LTA has never prosecuted any driver for such breaches. "Going forward, the LTA agreed to review the continued relevance of this rule together with stakeholders." The Associations and the National Trades Union Congress believe that the safety of our drivers must be a top priority, she said, adding that the drivers' work conditions often do not allow them to "search for items accidentally left behind by hirers" safety and effectively. "While it is a good practice to have, it should not be an obligation that attracts penalties. "We thank the LTA for withdrawing the letter of warning to our driver and will continue to work together with the LTA and other stakeholders to support our drivers." Ms Tin said she is glad that LTA has acceded to her appeal and will be withdrawing the warning to Mr Ong. "I appreciate LTA’s willingness to review the matter and thank NTUC & the Associations for championing this as well."

Taxis take up the most space on our tiny little island that is getting increasingly populated by cars. Of course taxis help to provide a convenient alternative to owning a car and saves the environment to a certain extent by lowering each individual's carbon footprint. It gives those who don't own a car a set of wheels to roam around Singapore. However, the downside is not the taxis themselves, but its drivers. There have been numerous campaigns in Singapore to promote courteous drivers, I mean even the driving schools 'promote' the idea of having a safe and courteous drive. So I'm wondering, has that all been forgotten? I'm sure there are many taxi drivers out there who do their utmost best to serve their passengers, some who go the extra mile to make a passenger feel comfortable or even those who are honest and return the items that have been lost in their taxis. However, there are just some of them who spoil the whole profession of being a taxi driver. They drive recklessly at speeds that are way over the speed limit, cut into lanes abruptly, swear behind the wheel constantly and even show the finger to other drivers who, to them, piss them off. I have even witnessed two taxi drivers attempting to fight albeit with their cabs and it wasn't a pleasant sight with screeching tires and hands flailing inside the cabin. The main question now is why these things happen. Why do taxi drivers behave in such a manner that allows the general public to label them as 'bad' drivers? Well it could be that they spend the whole day sitting in one position driving people around and of course there will be instances where passengers become unreasonable and just run off and not paying, that kind of stuff. But for the majority of the time, they are ruthless on the road. Even one taxi driver who I was talking to said that taxi drivers now a days don't care much for the rules on the road or the safety of the passengers. That particular taxi driver was one of the safest and most courteous drivers I've ever known and I even tipped him at the end of my journey. The whole purpose of this article is to find out your opinion on cabbies these days, do you think that they should improve their style of driving?