NUS study found enhancing surcharges encourage bad taxi driver's behaviour

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one National University of Singapore study supervised by transport economist Anthony Chin found, have a target take-home income. Once they have achieved it, they either call it a day, or take it easy. Enhancing surcharges will only help these cabbies reach their target earnings faster.

So it remains to be seen what effect the new surcharges will actually have on the ground.

In the meantime, however, the country will be left to deal - more than ever - with the distortionary economic effects of surcharges.

Whoever devised surcharges meant well. In theory, surcharges help to target specific areas or periods of time when supply does not meet demand adequately.

In the case of the Singapore taxi industry, however, the reality is that surcharges have only given rise to yield-maximising behaviour on the part of cabbies.

Better known distortions that customers know all too well include:

cabs disappearing before midnight,

taxi queues growing longer as empty cabs cruise in nearby lanes waiting for phone bookings, and

a supply void that materialises at the same time at dawn and dusk as every driver changes shift at the same time (to allow the next driver a fair shake of the next peak surcharge period).

And we have not even factored in the messy confusion that tourists are faced with every time they pay for a cab ride.

Is it time, therefore to 'reset' the system here?

 

[kiss]

what is the taxi charges like in HK ??

 

[Lestat]

The ONLY way to make taxis available at any point of time is to REMOVE ALL SURCHARGES, that includes the midnight charges. Make the cab drivers hungry and they will be willing to roam more to pick up passengers. It's already well known that cab drivers, once they reach their "target', will stop or selectively pick passengers at their will. This whole raising fare issue is simply just CDG's way of telling the public that they are going to raise the rental fares.

I'm expecting all the cab drivers to come in and rebutt my above statement.

 

[Cestbon]

Sinkie die die will take cab for those are regular commuter for taxi.

 

[shOUTloud]

The whole problem arises because the idiots in Ministry of Transport allowed Comfort to buy over Citycab and thus there are no real competition.

 

[I_Hate_Pappies]

Nabeh Chee Bye! Did they do a study on MIW's high pay?:oIo:

 

[krafty]

they expect all taxi drivers to be graduates and well brought up with good family background.

another word in my opinion, they want cheap, good, fresh and stay next door(convert to hokkien)

 

[erection2015]

bring back the pow hong chia.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

Sinkie die die will take cab for those are regular commuter for taxi.

I take at least two taxis everyday.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

he can do all the studies he wants and it will never change a thing.