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Commuters hit out at fare changes
PART-TIME teacher Chen Shao Fen takes a taxi at about 6am from her mother's home in Bedok to her school in Bukit Batok twice a week.
Each trip costs her about $18. She has tried taking the first MRT train at around 5.45am from Bedok, but stopped doing so as the 11/2-hour commute meant she would reach school with barely minutes to spare before assembly.
Ms Chen, 59, was among numerous commuters who voiced their displeasure at ComfortDelGro's announcement that it would revise its fare structure from next Monday.
The changes include increases and decreases in basic fares, call booking fees, peak period surcharge and city area surcharge. Most commuters are likely to end up paying more.
Her biggest complaint is that the morning peak period surcharge will start at 6am, compared to 7am now.
'It is a very big blow for me,' she said. She expects to pay more than $100 extra each month.
She also questioned ComfortDelGro's labelling of the 6am to 7am time slot as a 'peak' period, noting that she has seen many empty cabs at that time.
The plethora of surcharges is also very confusing, she said. 'I had to cut out today's papers and keep it in my bag.'
Design consultant Thomas Tan, 38, said Singapore is the only country he knows of with 'so many different surcharges'. He spends up to $400 a month on cabs and expects to pay about 20 to 30 per cent more.
The revision will also hurt the wallets of retirees such as his parents, who are in their early 70s, he said.
'They're older, so I hope they will take the cab instead of a bus, where they might have to stand. But they're going to have to pay a lot more,' he said.
Corporate communications executive Timothy Ouyang, 30, who spends up to $1,000 a month on cabs, called the latest fare hike 'totally unjustifiable'.
'Why are our taxi companies not increasing supply if demand is the issue here? Clearly, they are out to make a bigger profit, given that they're not reducing taxi rentals for cabbies,' he said.
He noted that under the revised fare structure, there would effectively be surcharges the entire week day apart from a window between 9.30am and 6pm.
He said: 'Someone has to put a stop to this when taxi companies in Singapore can't even be held accountable to service standards, which are shockingly poor.
'There's nothing stopping cabbies from picking and choosing who they wish to pick up on the roads. Increasingly, I'm finding that there are no taxis available whenever I put in a call for one.'
He said he was now better off getting a second-hand car, as the monthly cost would be about the same.
Others said they would simply take fewer cab rides, or none at all.
Ms Pearly Yong, 31, a medical technologist, said: 'I take the cab sometimes in the morning, when I am in a rush. But these changes will make me think twice about taking a taxi.'
She lives in in Ubi, near Eunos, and works in Outram Park.
'I spend about $300 a month on transport. I figure this will increase by 10 to 15 per cent if I take cabs. I will possibly go for other cab companies such as SMRT - though sometimes you really cannot help what you flag down.'
Housewife Serene Koh, 40, said she would avoid taking taxis now that the peak period will be extended.
She said: 'I'll just stop taking taxis altogether. The train is a much better option for me and now that the full Circle Line is running, it is more convenient, even if the trains are more crowded these days.'
However, for some, taking a cab is unavoidable.
Mr Ahmad Iskandar, 25, a freelance photographer, said: 'When I am doing photography shoots, I will need to take a cab because I lug around my equipment, which weighs close to 15kg.'
ROYSTON SIM & KEZIA TOH
PART-TIME teacher Chen Shao Fen takes a taxi at about 6am from her mother's home in Bedok to her school in Bukit Batok twice a week.
Each trip costs her about $18. She has tried taking the first MRT train at around 5.45am from Bedok, but stopped doing so as the 11/2-hour commute meant she would reach school with barely minutes to spare before assembly.
Ms Chen, 59, was among numerous commuters who voiced their displeasure at ComfortDelGro's announcement that it would revise its fare structure from next Monday.
The changes include increases and decreases in basic fares, call booking fees, peak period surcharge and city area surcharge. Most commuters are likely to end up paying more.
Her biggest complaint is that the morning peak period surcharge will start at 6am, compared to 7am now.
'It is a very big blow for me,' she said. She expects to pay more than $100 extra each month.
She also questioned ComfortDelGro's labelling of the 6am to 7am time slot as a 'peak' period, noting that she has seen many empty cabs at that time.
The plethora of surcharges is also very confusing, she said. 'I had to cut out today's papers and keep it in my bag.'
Design consultant Thomas Tan, 38, said Singapore is the only country he knows of with 'so many different surcharges'. He spends up to $400 a month on cabs and expects to pay about 20 to 30 per cent more.
The revision will also hurt the wallets of retirees such as his parents, who are in their early 70s, he said.
'They're older, so I hope they will take the cab instead of a bus, where they might have to stand. But they're going to have to pay a lot more,' he said.
Corporate communications executive Timothy Ouyang, 30, who spends up to $1,000 a month on cabs, called the latest fare hike 'totally unjustifiable'.
'Why are our taxi companies not increasing supply if demand is the issue here? Clearly, they are out to make a bigger profit, given that they're not reducing taxi rentals for cabbies,' he said.
He noted that under the revised fare structure, there would effectively be surcharges the entire week day apart from a window between 9.30am and 6pm.
He said: 'Someone has to put a stop to this when taxi companies in Singapore can't even be held accountable to service standards, which are shockingly poor.
'There's nothing stopping cabbies from picking and choosing who they wish to pick up on the roads. Increasingly, I'm finding that there are no taxis available whenever I put in a call for one.'
He said he was now better off getting a second-hand car, as the monthly cost would be about the same.
Others said they would simply take fewer cab rides, or none at all.
Ms Pearly Yong, 31, a medical technologist, said: 'I take the cab sometimes in the morning, when I am in a rush. But these changes will make me think twice about taking a taxi.'
She lives in in Ubi, near Eunos, and works in Outram Park.
'I spend about $300 a month on transport. I figure this will increase by 10 to 15 per cent if I take cabs. I will possibly go for other cab companies such as SMRT - though sometimes you really cannot help what you flag down.'
Housewife Serene Koh, 40, said she would avoid taking taxis now that the peak period will be extended.
She said: 'I'll just stop taking taxis altogether. The train is a much better option for me and now that the full Circle Line is running, it is more convenient, even if the trains are more crowded these days.'
However, for some, taking a cab is unavoidable.
Mr Ahmad Iskandar, 25, a freelance photographer, said: 'When I am doing photography shoots, I will need to take a cab because I lug around my equipment, which weighs close to 15kg.'
ROYSTON SIM & KEZIA TOH
