'Hey...want to take cab? No surcharge for peak hours'

[Ahyoo2002]

'Hey...want to take cab? No surcharge for peak hours'

 

Passenger drought after fare hike forcing cabbies to come up with strategies to draw customers. -ST

Mavis Toh

 

Sun, Jan 06, 2008

The Sunday Times

 

AS MR A.L. Tan's cab comes into sight, an A4-size handwritten sign on his dashboard is what a potential passenger will see first.

 

'Not 35% surcharge peak hour', it says.

 

He has resorted to waiving the surcharge after last month's cab fare hike.

 

'I used to make up to $130 during peak hours,' said the cabby of 15 years in Mandarin. 'Then the customers were scared off and I couldn't even make $10!'

 

Cabbies complain that passengers are disappearing during morning and evening rush hours. What used to be a $2 flat surcharge for travelling between 7am and 9.30am, or 5pm and 8pm, is now calculated as 35 per cent of the metered fare.

 

A passenger travelling from Ang Mo Kio MRT station to Choa Chu Kang's Lot 1 Shopping Centre pays about $14 outside peak periods. Slap on the surcharge during peak hours and the fare is now $19.

 

Although cab companies are optimistic that the recent fare changes will raise drivers' incomes, cabbies themselves are not so sanguine.

 

Most of the 20 cabbies The Sunday Times spoke to say that passengers are more receptive to the 30-cent higher flag-down fare, but baulk at paying the peak-hour surcharge.

 

Of the 10 passengers The Sunday Times spoke to, seven said they now avoid taking cabs whenever possible, especially during peak hours. The others said that they still take a cab at least once a day.

 

Property agent A.C. Yeo, 54, said she now takes the train to work instead. A cab ride from her Bishan flat to her office in Toa Payoh used to cost her $6.50 during peak hours. Now, it has gone up to about $8.

 

To encourage more passengers to catch taxis during peak hours, some cabbies such as Transcab's Mr Tan have come up with their own strategies.

 

Comfort cabby B.P. Pang, 52, is giving out discounts together with his business card in the hope of increasing his passenger base.

 

For a $27.40 trip from Tampines to Cecil Street, including peak-hour and Electronic Road Pricing surcharges, Mr Pang charges his passenger $21, giving him a 23 per cent discount.

 

He usually gives discounts only to customers whose fares exceed $20, in the hope that they will call for his cab in future.

 

'I used to get at least six customers during peak hours, now I don't even get two,' said the cabby of three years in Mandarin.

 

Comfort cabby Jack Ng, 47, admits to touting at bus stops for potential passengers. Down goes his windscreen as he drives by and yells out: 'Taxi, taxi, no surcharge.'

 

He said in Mandarin: 'Many people have turned to buses and trains since the fare hike. So I try my luck at bus stops and tempt them with my cheaper fare, without the surcharge.'

 

Even with his new tactic, Mr Ng says he takes home about $80 a day, a 30 per cent dip from before. But he is optimistic that business will pick up as more customers are asking for his phone number and calling him when they need rides.

 

Sales manager Maria Woo, 35, for example, has become Mr Ng's regular passenger, ringing him for a ride during peak hours. She takes a cab at least five times a day for business meetings.

 

'He doesn't charge me the 35 per cent and the on-call charges, saving me up to $65 a week!' she said.

 

Asked if it was legitimate for cabbies to offer customers discounts, a spokesman for Comfort, Singapore's largest taxi operator, said that cabbies are essentially their own businessmen.

 

She added: 'It is their prerogative to give discounts to their customers should they so desire.'

 

While some cabbies are fighting the passenger drought, others are using the lax period to take longer breaks at coffee shops.

 

SMRT cabby S.K. Tang, 50, said: 'Driving around looking for passengers is just costing me more diesel.'

 

Comfort cabby D. Ghing, 60, said cabbies are now trying to 'out-drive' each other for passengers.

 

'Customers are like Hollywood stars now - one passenger flags, four cabs will zoom in,' said the cabby of 25 years. 'It's a dog-eat-dog world here.'

[Ahyoo2002]

Jan 8, 2008

 

Cabby who advertised discounts flouted rules

 

LTA backs cab firm and says such tactics may lead to soliciting, which is illegal

By Maria Almenoar

A CABBY'S attempts to get more passengers by advertising his discounted rates has been shot down by the authorities.

Trans-Cab driver A.L. Tan had placed a handwritten cardboard sign at his windscreen offering to waive the new peak hour surcharge, which is 35 per cent of the metered fare, compared to old rate of a $2 flat fee.

 

According to cabbies, since the fare increase last month, many passengers are avoiding taking cabs during the peak hours of 7am to 9.30am, and 5pm to 8pm.

 

Mr Tan's cab company has warned him that his marketing tactics run against Trans-Cab's company policy.

 

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday backed the taxi company.

 

'If these drivers advertise, there will be an increased tendency for them to solicit for customers based on lower fares advertised if no commuters board their taxis,' said the LTA spokesman.

 

On Sunday, The Sunday Times highlighted a few taxi drivers who had come up with their own ways to get more passengers after the recent fare hike.

 

Besides Mr Tan, another cabby was giving out discount cards with his business card with the hope of getting passengers to call him.

 

Another admitted to calling out from his cab to potential passengers at bus stops to offer them a ride without the peak hour surcharge.

 

According to LTA, cabbies caught calling out to passengers along the road are considered to be soliciting for passengers.

 

Under new stiffer penalties, cabbies can be fined $500, given 12 demerit points and have their licence suspended for four weeks for soliciting.

 

Taxi drivers are bound by Road Traffic rules on top of their company rules.

 

There is nothing in the company rules that prevents a cabby from giving a passenger a discount at the end of the journey if he so wishes. It only means he takes home less money after paying the cab company the fixed monthly rental, which ranges from $70 to $125.

 

According to ComfortDelgro's spokesman, Ms Tammy Tan, this is a 'private arrangement between a taxi driver and passenger'.

 

However, cab companies including ComfortDelgro, the largest taxi operator here with 23,000 taxis, draw the line at advertising such discounted fares.

 

Managing director Teo Kiang Ang of Union Energy - which owns Trans-Cab - said that while his company discourages drivers from giving discounts, it was difficult to enforce such a rule.

 

As to whether cabbies were resorting to such marketing tactics because their earnings had fallen after the fare hike, the LTA said it is monitoring the situation closely.

 

'Preliminary surveys conducted by Comfort Taxis of its drivers showed that their earnings have been better even though the number of taxi bookings has fallen,' said LTA.

 

According to Comfort, for the first week after the fare increase driver income, based on a sample of 1,500 meters, had risen by 10 per cent.

 

LTA added that waiting times for commuters have generally been reduced and commuters who need taxi service find it easier to get their taxis.

 

It also said that some time was needed for the new fare structure to stabilise and for commuters and drivers to adjust.

 

The Taxi Operators' Associations, which represents six taxi associations, said they were still monitoring the situation and also said it needed to give the new fare hikes some time before 'reaching any conclusions'.

[Miles]

Soliciting is an offence.

Offering discount is not.

The taxi drivers have to be innovative in how they market their services with discounts within the law.

 

Anyway, it is not uncommon for taxi drivers in HK to give 20% discounts to customers who call them. They are marketing their service by giving out name cards to customers.

 

In HK with 7mil population and 16000 taxis, the drivers are having a hard time getting customers.

What do you think about Singapore with 4-4.5mil population and 22000 taxis?

 

Its about time they trim down taxi population to 15000 and increase COE quota for passenger cars with the reduced taxis on the road.

 

 

[Ahyoo2002]

That is why I think it is funny that they said taxi not enough.

[RadX]

If this persists, you will see taxicos having cabbies tally their takings with the meter.... like those closing their shift at supermarkets...so if short, due to 'discounts, topup from own pokket

[Jayk]

My parents have a conspiracy theory and they are not a paranoid bunch. They feel that recently the bus frequency has decreased and when the buses come it is fully packed. Since the companies who own buses and mrt also own taxi, is this a tactic to get us to ride taxis?

 

Personally, I am very disappointed with the transport system in Singapore.

Increase the price of driving cars (ERP) --> push demand to taxi -->

Increase the price of taxi --> push demand to buses

Increase the price of bus fare + decrease bus frequency --> ???

 

Think the government is really overdoing it. Paying themselves well and collecting from all of us.

 

I still like my country. Not that I would definately migrate. But think I am seriously considering getting a overseas job now. How is the job market now? Heard not so good? Any good lobang for overseas assignment or not? Good ones lah...

[Jayk]

Actually I think taxi uncles very poor thing...

 

I am no minister. I do not have million dollar salary but to solve traffic jams, I say:

 

1) Increase price of cars till high high

 

This decrease pollution and also save land space. No need so many multi-story car park mah! Then the rich can drive in clear traffic also.

 

2) Increase # of taxi till high high. Make the fare super cheap.

 

3) Bus & MRT lower price

 

With taxi providing competition for MRT & Buses, it will serve as a check on the bus/train fares.

[Mzrmazda3]

Asked if it was legitimate for cabbies to offer customers discounts, a spokesman for Comfort, Singapore's largest taxi operator, said that cabbies are essentially their own businessmen.

 

She added: 'It is their prerogative to give discounts to their customers should they so desire.'

 

The cabbies si bey cham

 

Company doesn't give a clear cut answer while relevant authority say Ta Boleh

[Jayk]

All 1 kind one

[Miles]

I say,

 

1. COE quota system works. Stick to it. But tweak it by abolishing the category system. Disallow COE refund, and make it non transferable. This way, if you change car, you wont need to bid for COE but use back your existing one which last for 10 years... thereafter you need to bid for a new one. This way, gov will not lose out in case COE premium crash and fork out to refund, while new COE price will remain stable because not many people will bid for it since those who replace their cars already have COE. Only those 1st time buyer.... be it new or used. Also, this will discourage ppl to scrap their cars unnecessarily cause they will not get back much ... only PARF.

 

2. Adjust the no. of taxis on the road ... ban the errant cabbies and keep the good ones. While keep the fares competitive. Let tourist and those who can afford take cabs. Those who can't take public subsidized transport.

 

3. Delist Comfort Delgro from SGX. By being a PLC, they are have conflicting interest of having to keep cost low with subsidies to commuters while making share holders happy with profit pay them dividends. Temasek Holdings should take over the company and make it their pro bono to serve the nation.

 

4. Adjust and keep MRT, buses fares low/affordable, while improve service standard.

 

5. If 3 and 4 dont work, liberalise the bus sector like the way they liberalise taxis. Allow more privately owned bus companies to run and compete against TIBS and SBS to keep fares in check and improve service standard by introducing competition. Let the companies (SBS, SMRT, TIBS, etc...) bid for new routes to cover new town with PTC/LTA awarding wining bids.

 

6. Expand the MRT network (which will take time, like the new circle line) to cover the whole Singapore. Use the profit they get from ERPs and COEs (now that its stable) to fund this. I'm sure there are lots of profit from it.

 

7. Decentralize the CBD (which they are already doing it) to reduce clutter in the city. Create satellite township and build expressways (which might eventually turn into a ring road like those in Beijing and London surrounding the city) and MRT to link these townships.

 

Sounds ideal... but i guess its more difficult to implement.

[Freestylers09]

iirc,our public transport companies are the only one listed in the world or around the region

[Typhoonz]

Feel sad for these drivers... They are just victims of greed... Now that the plan has back fired so see what they'll do...

[Verve]

soon things becoming like jb where cabby quote flat rates and can bargain.

[Kb27]

One way to help taxi drivers is to increase mrt and bus fares jialat jialat. Then everybody dies.

Don't forget this on voting day.

[Ahyoo2002]

You call this help

[Destiny03]

the reason is taxi not enough is because they are hiding

[Ahyoo2002]

yah, serve them right.

 

I also always saw those Merc cab touting at tourist spot, which is unfair to those who queue.

[Zcold]

the rich get richer ... the poor get poorer