Expat says S'pore has world's worst cabbies
Singapore has the worst taxi drivers in the world, said Chris Reed, an expatriate who has been living here for the past three years.
The 42-year-old director of a marketing firm wrote a commentary in Singapore Business Review on July 23 about the incompetence of a small group of cabbies. He said that 25 per cent of his taxi experiences in Singapore were less than ideal.
Reed's main gripe is that cab drivers here do not know their way around the city. He believes that there is no excuse for this, since all taxi drivers here have to be Singaporean. He also blamed cab companies for not training their drivers.
In his commentary, Reed, who takes between two and six taxi rides a day, listed examples of the many incorrect routes that he was taken on: He ended up in Little India when he wanted to go to Marina Square, a cabby did not know his way to Nicoll Highway from Bugis, he had to ask three taxi drivers before someone knew how to get to Rochester Mall, and was taken to Suntec when he had said Novena Square.
Comparing local taxi drivers' knowledge to London black cab drivers, Reed said that London drivers must know every street, hotel and landmark before they are issued a license.
Reed argued that the Government has a part to play in the taxi industry and that if the jobs of cabbies are opened to non-Singaporean Asians, it would make current drivers "more competitive, less ignorant and complacent".
"Getting cab drivers to take personal responsibility to know their own city streets, being properly trained by companies and creating a competitive market place with non-Singaporean rivals for their jobs is the only way forward for Singaporean cab drivers.
"If nothing changes they will continue to be the world's worst taxi drivers and continue to be the black mark on the tourism and business marketing of our otherwise amazingly run city state," he wrote.
In an update on Aug 3, Reed explained why he made his initial post. He said that he cares about the subject and thinks that a minority of taxi drivers let down the Singaporean business, tourism brand, as well as majority of the drivers.
He was also quick to point out that the local taxi service is the only thing in Singapore which he gives the thumbs down to.
RazorTV spoke to some local cab drivers who agreed that new drivers, and even seasoned ones, do not know 100 per cent of the roads.
"When you are new on the job, you have to start from scratch and learn along the way. But it's different in other countries, where you have to master all the roads to qualify as a cab driver.
"In Singapore, you get the vocational license first, and then you learn on the job," said a male cab driver to RazorTV.
Why are there no cabs when it rains?
Another gripe that Reed has is that cabs disappear when it rains.
"Where you normally, reliably have been able to get a cab, suddenly you can't get a cab because they were all waiting around the corner to get the [call booking] message."
When asked if this is true, a cab driver told RazorTV that it depends on the taxi company.
"Comfort and CityCab get more calls. But for others like mine, we would starve to death if we just wait for calls to get through," said one cabby.
Another cabby replied that some drivers do not want to drive when it is raining because it is dangerous on the road. He also said that it is common for all taxis to be occupied when it rains due to higher demand.
