Grab/Ryde issues and charges

[Pinobii]

Grab taxi works really well compare the comfort's booking system

[Penknife]

our generation is much smarter than the previous generation.

 

we all know the risk of walking into a tiger's den.

 

more risk = more rewards.

[Zaxx]

I would think that more rice bowls are created instead of being shattered.

More taxi drivers jobs available hence employment for people?

[Soya]

Comfort still sleeping.

many taxi driver already reflected to comfort that their booking app is out-dated.

Comfort just ignored. their driver have no worry to use other app

if get caught so what ? there are other taxi company welcome to take them

 

 

That cabby was saying that once his contract wif comfort is up, he's gonna ask them to stuff it and he gonna sign up wif a cheaper teksi rental company since he doesn't need the comfort booking system anymore.

 

Nowadays I oso dun bother to call comfort anymore, juz use grabtaxi. Get better access to all the different cab companies and much faster respond too.

 

Only downside is that some cabbies seem to hv trouble reading their smartfone or GPS as u can track them on the grabtaxi app making wrong turns or overshooting the address. A couple of times had to call the cabby and ask him to gostan & turn left ahead, etc. They sounded beri surprised when I say I know where they are. Some even try to BS me say they reaching the guardhouse liao when I can see they still 5-8 mins away. LOL!

[Andyngps]

 

Don't bluff. PRC lady driver you sure "enter"

Depending also...

[Jman888]

Two caught in LTA crackdown on unlicensed private car services

TODAY reports: The two unlicensed services were netted in the past seven months, LTA says. Third-party booking service providers add that there are rules in place to prevent rules being flouted.

By Ng Jing Yng, TODAY

POSTED: 20 May 2015 07:33 UPDATED: 20 May 2015 08:11

PHOTOS: A person in Singapore using a smartphone to order a ride. AFP/Roslan Rahman

SINGAPORE: Amid the concerns raised by some Members of Parliament (MPs) last week about private cars being used as chauffeured vehicles, enforcement action by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has netted only two such cases in the past seven months.

The two unlicensed services emerged from 15 sting operations conducted, the LTA said, in response to TODAY’s queries. It added that it will continue active enforcement.

Under existing regulations, only those holding commercial licences can offer chauffeur services using private cars, though they must be pre-booked and cannot be hailed on the streets. Those found flouting these rules are liable to a maximum punishment of a S$3,000 fine and a six-month jail term, while the vehicle may also be forfeited.

TODAY understands the LTA’s enforcement operations involve undercover officers staking out at taxi stands, or booking private-car services through the third-party mobile booking apps. They also investigate complaints made by the public.

The issue of private chauffeured services was raised in Parliament last week during the debate on the Third-Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Bill. At that time, MPs called for more regulation of these private services.

They cited concerns over commuters being caught unaware by expensive charges for these services and taxi drivers complaining about private drivers at taxi stands.

Contacted by TODAY, third-party booking service providers did not give the number of private-car drivers under their charge, but said there are rules in place to regulate the conduct of these drivers.

For instance, GrabCar Singapore, the private arm of GrabTaxi, only works with licensed vehicles and drivers, said Ms See Ee Ling, head of GrabCar Singapore. Drivers being investigated for offences can be suspended, she added. The number of rides under GrabCar has leapt 10 times since it was launched last year.

Easy Taxi’s private-car service, Easy Taxi Premium, primarily works with private-car service companies using Toyota or Mercedes brand cars, said EasyTaxi’s regional managing director Li Jianggan. Easy Taxi Premium also accepts only mobile bookings, and there has not been any issues regarding this rule since the launch of this service in April last year, he said.

MP Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who is executive adviser of the National Taxi Association and was one of the MPs who spoke during the parliamentary debate, said on Tuesday (May 19) that beyond the enforcement actions by the authorities, there should also be public education efforts to guide commuters on what to look out for when they use chauffeured private-car services.

Action should also be taken against third-party taxi booking service providers found to have partnered with unauthorised private-car drivers, he added. “There should be responsibility on (the providers’) part to ensure that their drivers are above board.”

MP Seng Han Thong went one step further to suggest the third-party taxi booking service providers recruit drivers who are holding valid taxi vocational licences. This would ensure the drivers are well-trained and give cabbies an alternative job as private chauffeured drivers.

Read the original TODAY report here.

 

 

 

[Hamburger]

i am confused.....

 

one hand say can while the other say cannot..how how how

[Ingenius]

Is Uber licensed by the authority to provide taxi service ? If not, then why private drivers cannot provide taxi service like Uber can ?

[Jman888]

Uber offers car rentals in S'pore - with a twist

Christopher Tan My Paper Friday, May 29, 2015

Uber, the transport app provider, has set up its own fully owned car rental company here, a world's first for the San Francisco-based company.

Lion City Rentals has been running for three months now, drawing a steady stream of customers. But it is not targeting the typical individual who wants to rent a car for the weekend.

The Straits Times understands that it is a new way for Uber to recruit drivers and, in turn, give people an affordable way to own a car. With high certificate of entitlement (COE) prices and restrictive loan rules, a buyer has to pay tens of thousands in cash as downpayment to own a car.

Uber requires only a deposit of $1,000 and its rates are far below those of taxi rentals, which hover at around $130 a day.

With rates as low as $47 plus taxes per day, or nearly 20 per cent lower than the average market rate for car rentals, it has attracted users who want access to a car and extra income by offering paid rides.

Customers need to set up a company, should not have been in jail for more than seven days, and must undertake 40 Uber trips a week.

Uber spokesman Karun Arya said: "Uber carries out experiments around the world in our quest to create innovative solutions to specific market requirements." This is the first such exercise it has undertaken.

Lion City Rentals was set up in mid-February, with a paid-up capital of $100. So far, it has attracted scores of prospects, according to sources.

Uber is said to be exploring tie-ups with other rental firms to expand its search for drivers.

But the director of one leasing company, which also offers paid rides, questioned if Uber's operating model was legal.

Requesting anonymity, he said: "We hire all our drivers, we pay them a salary, CPF. What they (Uber) are doing may be considered as sub-renting. I'm not sure if it's allowed."

Asked if Uber's practice was legal, the Land Transport Authority would only say that "business entities who lease such cars must ensure that the leased vehicles are covered with adequate insurance for its intended purpose".

Transport industry watchers expect Uber's new strategy to heat up competition for taxi operators and even car dealers.

Park Byung Joon, an urban transport management expert at SIM University, said: "This is one step closer to a taxi operation, and with a very low entry barrier." Dr Park said the development creates an uneven playing field for the taxi industry.

"Uber has been very good at finding grey areas," he said, adding that the regulator should be "concerned".

But as far as Lion City customer Anesh Muniyandhi is concerned, the firm gives him access to wheels. "I just scrapped my car and I was looking for a cost-effective solution to have another car," said the 43-year-old, who is in the IT hardware business.

He rented a 2006 Honda Civic for $55 a day. "I save around $1,500 a month by not buying a car," he said. But the rental car was not well-maintained - it had a number of flaws, including worn brake pads. He had to take it to a workshop, which meant downtime and lost income.

"If the repair takes less than eight hours, they will not waive the rental," Mr Muniyandhi said. "And if I fail to do 40 trips a week, I've to pay a 15 per cent rental surcharge."

 

 

good or bad?

[L_club23]

 

 

good or bad?

 

 

Bloody brilliant if you ask me.

[Datsun366]

1. Who owns Uber?

2. Does the Owner(s) have their figurative 'fingers in other cheese pies?'

3. Are we wanting to be friends or already friends with the Uber owner(s)?

4. Are they useful to us?

5. Can we afford to blow Uber off?

6. Are Singaporeans that stupid?

7. We do recollect being a cab driver is hazardous to your health and well being...the poor multiple punctured city cab driver at Sungei Gedong...

8. Personally, I won't get Uber cabs, when I am worried about regulated cab service.

9. Let the market decide.

10. Singapore sell safety and organization. Think Uber is not a threat, only a small section of clients and service providers.

11. Think those hot chicks that go to posh hotels.....

12. Wifey and me do go out to posh hotel lobbies and sit. And observe. Cool date trip.

[Jman888]

I think they should.

Uber, GrabTaxi drivers may need vocational licence

10/06/2015 on mypaper

By ADRIAN LIM

Drivers who run chauffeur services under ride-booking apps such as Uber could be required to obtain a vocational licence in the future.

While they are currently free from this requirement, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday that it is looking into removing this exemption, as a way to ensure the safety of passengers taking private-hire rides.

In a forum letter published in The Straits Times, LTA noted that chauffeured vehicle services have become more accessible to the public with technology and given the industry's recent growth, it is studying possible measures to safeguard commuter interest.

The cab community has cried foul recently, following news of ride-matching apps and rental companies working together to run their own fleet of "taxis".

The rental firms lease out cars to drivers at a rate cheaper than taxis. The drivers then use the vehicles to fulfil bookings from apps like Uber and GrabTaxi.

These companies and drivers, however, do not have to meet the stringent requirements imposed on the taxi industry, such as vocational training.

In its forum letter, LTA did not elaborate if a licensing requirement would apply only to drivers who do chauffeuring via apps or to the entire industry, which also includes corporate charters and limousine services.

Meanwhile, Uber drivers have told The Straits Times that the time and money required to take a vocational course will be an extra burden for them.

One driver, Yu Kim Reed, 30, asked why vocational licences have to be implemented now, given that chauffeur services have been around for so long.

"The only difference is that a (car hire) call centre has been replaced by the Internet," Mr Yu said.

National Taxi Association executive adviser Ang Hin Kee said a driver rating system cannot fully replace vocational training, refresher courses and medical examinations which taxi drivers currently have to undergo.

Mandating vocational licences will be a "welcome start", but he said that rental car companies and transport apps should also abide by other requirements that taxi companies are subject to by LTA, such as ensuring their fleets are regularly maintained and serviced.

App companies said they are willing to work with LTA should vocational licences become required.

Uber's Singapore general manager Yaniv Goder said it hopes to be "included in the consultation process".

[email protected]

 

 

 

[flashbang]

Government thinking of ways to dip their hands into the pie now...

[SuPerBoRed]

Government thinking of ways to dip their hands into the pie now...

SLF main owner of comfortdelgro yes??

 

uber won't last la... its uber thats eating ah gong $$ now

[Angcheek]

Tiang mm chai .... hhahaha

 

Government thinking of ways to dip their hands into the pie now...

[Forte3737]

No. They thinking of ways of how not to let the taxi industry suffer. It seems to be a protected area.

Government thinking of ways to dip their hands into the pie now...

 

[Lala81]

good or bad?

 

As i said before, i believe this low entry to being a taxi-like driver can only bring harm.

 

I'm perfectly ok with grabtaxi etc as these are apps that are bringing licenced drivers to customers who are looking for taxis.

 

I really wonder whether they will set up their own motor insurance company as well.

No. They thinking of ways of how not to let the taxi industry suffer. It seems to be a protected area.

 

 

One anti-govt taxi driver can influence many people heh.

 

A lot of taxi drivers can't really get better jobs if they are affected. And these are people without CPF/medisave etc. To protect them would be better than helping someone who's doing Uber as a 2nd income.

[flashbang]

Taxi drivers could switch over to Uber if it's able to offer them a better deal. That would mean the government's taxi industry will suffer. Hence government has to step in. Taxi drivers are employees and they will join whatever company gives them the best offer.