Taxis

[redstone]

Last Sunday had very bad encounter with taxis.

Me and a friend were trying to hail taxis at Battery Road in Raffles Place at around 9:30pm. At that time the place was quite "dead", hardly anyone around. We saw 2 taxis with the green "TAXI" light on and driving pass us, refusing to stop, and immediately cutting to the opposite lane (Battery Road is 2 lane road). After they drove pass, one went hiding in a side road and one hid inside a building's driveway. :thumbsd:

Expecting us to call for taxi, then "ZOOM!" instant arrival of instant taxis?
Then I tried something after the first empty, I hailed with my friend, to test if 2 people hailing ("many customers") will cause the taxi to stop. No, it didn't stop.

We gave up, he decided to catch a taxi from Chinatown and I took a bus home instead.
Some standard.
Have no problems hailing taxis around 6:30am. Some drivers are very friendly though, but it's the black sheeps that spoil everything.

 

[Fok Weng Wai]

Had many frustrating encounters when out for drinking sessions. Very difficult to stop a taxi before 12mn. Empty taxis will be at outer lanes or 'on call'. One even switched to 'busy' when I approached it at a filter lane. Latest encounter was last Sunday after The PumpRoom official opening at Clark Quay. The queue was long and many stationary taxis on both side of the road were not picking up pax.
Cab drivers are 'forcing' us to call for a booking. They are waiting near notoriously known taxi stands or circling nearby to receive a booking. LTA is unable to solve this problem. ;(

 

[wrx_sti_22b]

I guess, cannot be helped. Those cunning ones might be very lao jiao taxi drivers. :bsmilie:

 

[deckard]

taxi drivers are cunning people, we will never win ;(

 

[Lmodel]

Maybe organise an outing with the title "Hunt That Errant Taxi" Outing?

 

[topster]

simple lah, buy a car. I can lend you one of my BMW M3s to drive first if you dont mind lousy car. Just let me know what colour you prefer.

Need ahmad also?

 

[zcf]

I would say, stop/lower the call cab charges, but increase the base charge fare a bit more on before 9-11pm.

 

[blazer_workz]

Calling and cancel no charge right..haha

 

[ndroo]

taxi drivers are cunning people, we will never win ;(

Just snap photos of them in hiding and go complain la :sweatsm:

 

[Lmodel]

I would say, stop/lower the call cab charges, but increase the base charge fare a bit more on before 9-11pm.

Lowering the charges is alright but not stopping coz you will still not get any cab as everyone else will be calling cab (coz its FREE!)

Think the survey conducted by the authorities hasnt been very accurate as well. Perhaps those Premas/ CISCO traffic wardens should include catching errant taxi drivers as well :bsmilie: :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

 

[blazer_workz]

Just snap photos of them in hiding and go complain la :sweatsm:

Taxi drivers are the customers to Taxi companies not us..imagine u go complain to a Taxi company..then what can the Taxi company do? Stop giving him a Taxi to drive? Unlikely, the biggest Taxi company still has many taxi onhand not rented out..

 

[sbs99]

Last Sunday had very bad encounter with taxis.

Next time along those roads, u see empty cabs running past you with driver while u flag..try raising your handphone camera facing the road. Somehow this trick will work. Haahaha...they scared kena complained with photo/video evidence.

Another ploy by errant taxi drivers is going a longer route on purpose if you don't mention your preferred route. Nowadays i do so, to prevent squabbling.
Example of my encounter,
from Newton to Woodlands, faster route would be to bukit timah, bke, woodlands
the taxi driver try stunt, go ang mo kio, cte, sle, woodlands, obviously longer route
I confronted him, whip out my phone and kept quiet. The indian driver mumble something about customers complaining over 10 cents, 20 cents, then he drove fast all the way to my destination. Haaa (think he just wanna get rid of me fast...he also gave me $2 discount...the fare was $16...usual fare would be around $14-15) :bsmilie:

If you do go to Vivocity or Harbourfront taxi stand at night after 8.30pm...be prepared for a frustrating 1 hour to 2hours wait for taxi....taxi after taxi showing "on call" sign running pass the taxi stand. There are also taxi pimps there trying to hustle foreigners into taking those bigger sized cabs. Heard a complain story of those pimps offering $15 a ride to destination for 7-8 people, after reaching, he demanded for $15 per person. Crazy extortion. Being foreigners, they got no choice but to pay up.

Are "changing shift" taxi actually allowed to pick up passengers at taxi stand? Thought that there's a rule that taxi who pick up passengers at taxi stand supposed to go anywhere the customer wants, and not choose?

I saw one more case, of the taxi driver showing "changing shift" sign, going to East Coast....came into the taxi stand at Sim Lim Square...shouting for passengers (long queue)...rejecting those not on his route. Then he asked a group of foreigners, they were going to clementi, he beckon them to come aboard his cab. I was like....HUH!??
:dunno:

I know there are many taxi drivers out there earning an honest living, but there are also alot of errant drivers. I do hope all these problematic situation changes soon. And good drivers not be tempted to switch over to the dark side.... :sweatsm:

 

[redstone]

I thinking of doing something evil. Me and friend stand on both sides of the road, if taxi cuts to other lane refusing to pick up friend, I hail from my lane, see if it'll pick me up. :devil:

I ever fell asleep in a taxi once, and who knows where the driver went, charge came to $20 when normal is only $10. :complain:

 

[Paul_Yeo]

I thinking of doing something evil. Me and friend stand on both sides of the road, if taxi cuts to other lane refusing to pick up friend, I hail from my lane, see if it'll pick me up. :devil:

I ever fell asleep in a taxi once, and who knows where the driver went, charge came to $20 when normal is only $10. :complain:

think maybe he will just ignore u and your fren on both sides :bsmilie:

 

[Jerry Chan]

Let's face reality, there will always be black sheeps around, its been a norm during weekends, peak periods and especially busy locations. We can't help it. Just say a prayer and hope yr taxi will appear asap before u, willing to pick u up the next time u need one.

My two cents worth.

"For every minute u get angry, u lost 60 seconds of happiness"


PS - i did encounter what u guys went thru too many times to even bother to count liao.