Drivers' earnings up, cab waiting times down: Raymond Lim


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zcf

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Apr 10, 2005
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I do believe the waiting time is down, as less people taking taxi during peak hour in CBD, but regarding ComfortDelGro input about Taxi driver earning has gone up.....???

Probably we may see taxi rental increase soon???
Drivers' earnings up, cab waiting times down: Raymond Lim
By Jermyn Chow
THE recent taxi fare hike may have just put a lid on a cab crunch which was threatening to boil over.
If preliminary findings are anything to go by, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the fare revision last month was 'effective' in meeting the increasing demand of taxis in the Central Business District (CBD).
Based on figures taken four weeks after the Dec 18 fare hike, Mr Lim said waiting times in the city area during peak hours have 'gone down substantially'.
Mr Lim revealed that commuters in the city only have to wait for up to 6 minutes for a cab, significantly less than the 5 to 22 minutes before the fare hike.
Waiting times at the Suntec City taxi stands - said to be the worst performing of the lot - have been cut drastically from 22 minutes to 4 minutes.
While some cabbies have complained that passengers are not flagging taxis, Mr Lim said their earnings have however gone up.
Based on figures provided by ComfortDelGro, Singapore's biggest taxi operator, cabbies are pocketing about $11 more a day, earning about $318.
Mr Lim was responding to questions from MP for Tampines GRC Ms Irene Ng and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Mr Baey Yam Keng in Parliament. Mr Lim also allayed Ms Ng's fears, saying that the extra surcharges for cabs plying the city areas would not pinch the supply in the suburbs. The Transport Minister assured the House that the Land Transport Authority would continue to monitor the situation over the next 3 to 4 months and work with taxi operators and associations.
 

absolute BS.

EVERY cabby i spoke to since the increase have reported a loss of at least 30% (conservatively speaking)
 

Fares went up 50% (it's now 20 cents per jump vs 10 cents) + 35% peak surcharge, while earnings went up less than 5%? Even if you believe those figures, would you consider that a success?

And this is the funniest thing. If the market is "liberalised" (ie open to anyone who wants to start a taxi company), why should the Minister be answering such questions? Surely it's the taxi companies who came up with the idea of raising fares, not the govt? The Govt's role, then, is only to approve or not approve the fee changes under the legislative framework. Why should MP's be questioning the Minister about whether taxi drivers make more money or less? Shouldn't they question the taxi companies?

Suppose the taxi drivers make less money? Would MP's then pressure the Govt to force the taxi companies to reduce tariffs? Would the govt have the power to do so? And if it did have the power, then there's no market economy any more, is there?
 

"Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the fare revision last month was 'effective' in meeting the increasing demand of taxis in the Central Business District (CBD)."

A misleading statement. He probably means that the fare revision was effective in reducing the demand of taxis in the CBD, and not that it was effective in meeting the increasing demand of taxis.

Word convolution to give an wrong impression to the less discerning reader.
 

We all have eyes and ears, just look around and the answers are there.
 

One positive note I hear from a cab driver that I took yesterday is he is less stressfull and more relax in his driving now because he "overclock" less and earn as much as before....besides....the Comfort upgraded their old Toyota Crown to a diesel turbo Hyundai Sonata with auto transmission....it helps a lot in their driving and I felt it immediately because he was so cheerful and helpful....at the end service improved....so judge yourself whether the hike is positive or negative :thumbsup:
 

the rental will be going up soon, as they have rise the fare to make sure the cabby have enough to pay rental only.
 

"Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the fare revision last month was 'effective' in meeting the increasing demand of taxis in the Central Business District (CBD)."

A misleading statement. He probably means that the fare revision was effective in reducing the demand of taxis in the CBD, and not that it was effective in meeting the increasing demand of taxis.

Word convolution to give an wrong impression to the less discerning reader.
you can say a cup is half filled or half empty :bsmilie: it means the same thing.
 

In this case, it is not really the same as half full or half empty.

you can say a cup is half filled or half empty :bsmilie: it means the same thing.
 

Well it is not rocket science.
Same applies to buying air tickets during peak holiday season or any other thing.

If you increase the price of an air ticket, say from Singapore to Vietnam from what it is, to an extreme high price.
Then the air tickets will also be easy to buy. Even during the peak holiday season. Who does not know that.

There is existing poor service by taxis and artificial lack of supply created by taxi drivers purposely refusing fares and waiting for On-Call or for midnight hour.

The logic of:
[we must pay taxi drivers more to get them to give good service. And then pay even more if what we increased recently was not enough.]
is mis-guided and foolish.
 

nx time i take trishaw in CBD. gantry proof wan! :bsmilie:
 

There is existing poor service by taxis and artificial lack of supply created by taxi drivers purposely refusing fares and waiting for On-Call or for midnight hour.

The logic of:
[we must pay taxi drivers more to get them to give good service. And then pay even more if what we increased recently was not enough.]
is mis-guided and foolish.

selectively quoting...

i think many service staff will be v happy if thatz how things work in Sg! :bsmilie:
 

The problem in the first place is that there is no cab when you need one. Then comes some black sheep taxi drivers trying to make more money by touting or waiting for call.

All the above happened because demand far exceed supply. Raising cab fare suppresses the demand so that the problems listed above are solved. Raising cab fare is never meant to increase cab driver's pay.

Of course you can increase the supply side of the equation but cab is never meant to be used to transport the mass. It is terribly ineffective. 3 cabs can occupy the same area as a bus but it can ferry much lesser passengers. To increase the supply to satisfy the demand is not practical. The current network of roads will not be able to support the load.

Those interviewed who said they are switching to cars because the cost for taking cab and car is almost the same cannot think far. Ultimately, if the traffic crawls because of heavy usage, the way to bring it down is to increase ERP until the desired traffic speed is reached. Then they will start to blame the govt for being blood suckers instead of their own failure to think.

The key thing is that road area is limited. Limited resource has to be prioritised. What better way than to use money to determine who can use the roads and in what comfort level?

In case someone starts to label me as an elitist, I'll let you know I take MRT and bus to work everyday. I'm just being realistic and practical.
 

nx time i take trishaw in CBD. gantry proof wan! :bsmilie:
most of those guys are illegal... I believe STB licences the trishaws only to run certain routes and at certain pickup points only, like those trishaw convoys you see, not any route and roadside pickups... ;p
 

in Sg, car ownership is a status symbol. the ugly side of affluence, e "i-can-afford-it" mentality. thatz y cars r paid mostly in installments. in a small densely populated country like Sg, such mentality can b counter-productive (more pollution, less efficient use of precious land & $$ to build roads & carparks, slower flow of traffic, etc).

not that our boss's boss is going to sell their cars & take public transport tomorrow rite?
 

most of those guys are illegal... I believe STB licences the trishaws only to run certain routes and at certain pickup points only, like those trishaw convoys you see, not any route and roadside pickups... ;p

Such a joke isn't it. You need a licence to ride a bicycle? And even when you get the licence, you are only allowed to ride certain routes, and not allowed to engage in any marketing to get passengers?

Only people who have been psycho-ed here accept that this is just.
 

in Sg, car ownership is a status symbol. the ugly side of affluence, e "i-can-afford-it" mentality. thatz y cars r paid mostly in installments. in a small densely populated country like Sg, such mentality can b counter-productive (more pollution, less efficient use of precious land & $$ to build roads & carparks, slower flow of traffic, etc).

not that our boss's boss is going to sell their cars & take public transport tomorrow rite?

I only got a licence when I needed a car...:(
 

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