Taxis must ply 250km daily from 2013

[Cestbon]

bus/mrt too crowded? walk home, can?
Then complain need to walk very far. So buy house within CBD so no need take transport home.
But house in CBD too expensive. Then how? Look for job in suburbs.
But no jobs in suburbs ... so don't work.
There is always a solution, isn't it?

If you said work in CDB. Then home in CDB is expensive.
Many work in TUAS stay in East, Punggol/SengKang. Just see every day car traffic.
Why they dont buy house in West??? Always think how stupid they are. Wasting fuel and time!

 

[hairylee]

bus/mrt too crowded? walk home, can?
Then complain need to walk very far. So buy house within CBD so no need take transport home.
But house in CBD too expensive. Then how? Look for job in suburbs.
But no jobs in suburbs ... so don't work.
There is always a solution, isn't it?

Bro, you also have a point but the nature of the complain we were discussing about people renting cabs for private use is totally different.

 

[watchman8]

If you said work in CDB. Then home in CDB is expensive.
Many work in TUAS stay in East, Punggol/SengKang. Just see every day car traffic.
Why they dont buy house in West??? Always think how stupid they are. Wasting fuel and time!

I guess you don't chit chat with normal people much. There could be many factors, like parents in that vicinity, so for convenience of taking care of young kids, they prefer to live in a particular town. Another possibility is the 5-year HDB lockup.

The spouse job may be another issue. Other consideration is whether they can last that long in a particular company, given the frequent retrenchments going on. Buying and selling house is not cheap and a huge hassle.

Then you say why not rent, but this is a problem created by PAP, in locking up CPF money. So people would rather use the locked up CPF money to buy house.

Try talking to people, it helps in understanding.

 

[sleaguepunter]

those that complain cabbies hide during rain should consider from the cabbies viewpoint.

first, most customers wont flag taxi from roadside during heavy rain, so what the point of cabbies driving along empty with no customer in sight.
it also more dangerous to drive in heavy rain, so what wrong with cabbies taking a rest at some backroads.
what wrong with waiting for a booking worth their while so as to drive in heavy rain.
and what wrong with taxi drivers in making a buck?

 

[Cestbon]

I guess you don't chit chat with normal people much. There could be many factors, like parents in that vicinity, so for convenience of taking care of young kids, they prefer to live in a particular town. Another possibility is the 5-year HDB lockup.

The spouse job may be another issue. Other consideration is whether they can last that long in a particular company, given the frequent retrenchments going on. Buying and selling house is not cheap and a huge hassle.

Then you say why not rent, but this is a problem created by PAP, in locking up CPF money. So people would rather use the locked up CPF money to buy house.

Try talking to people, it helps in understanding.

Understood there are many issue need to be consider buying home. Near parent easy for children and have extra grant. Punggol/Sengkang all are new town no job/no parent nearby.
Let not talk about housing anymore.
Go back to original thread.

 

[cass888]

Your two trips already 60 km. That is probably extreme. Average taxi trip should be 10 km (some about 15 km and others 5 km). So if taxi drivers pick up 25 fares they should make the 250 km.

SGP so small where the heck can you drive 250km per day to?

I only drive around 60km per day to work and home.

Go round and round like a merry go round? LOL!

 

[cass888]

You didn't read the news. Those cabbies are not available for booking as they do not want to ply the roads during the rain.

those that complain cabbies hide during rain should consider from the cabbies viewpoint.

first, most customers wont flag taxi from roadside during heavy rain, so what the point of cabbies driving along empty with no customer in sight.
it also more dangerous to drive in heavy rain, so what wrong with cabbies taking a rest at some backroads.
what wrong with waiting for a booking worth their while so as to drive in heavy rain.
and what wrong with taxi drivers in making a buck?

 

[watchman8]

those that complain cabbies hide during rain should consider from the cabbies viewpoint.

first, most customers wont flag taxi from roadside during heavy rain, so what the point of cabbies driving along empty with no customer in sight.
it also more dangerous to drive in heavy rain, so what wrong with cabbies taking a rest at some backroads.
what wrong with waiting for a booking worth their while so as to drive in heavy rain.
and what wrong with taxi drivers in making a buck?

taxis are not even "hiding" at taxi stands where there is usually a queue during rain. And try calling a cab when it rains at peak hours. Most frustrating is when it start drizzling, and you are on road side, you will see almost all empty taxis suddenly becoming "busy".

But the govt should allow small bus companies to pick up passengers for trip between suburb centers and CBD. That would solve many of traffice woes. But PAP seem to be beholden to the 2 bus duopoly. A relic of old man's fear from the 50s and 60s.

 

[Cestbon]

Your two trips already 60 km. That is probably extreme. Average taxi trip should be 10 km (some about 15 km and others 5 km). So if taxi drivers pick up 25 fares they should make the 250 km.

Those 5 km/less are those that MRT and then taxi mostly.
From CDB to Jurong/Sengkang is about 20~30km.

 

[rusty]

I for one have no love for singapore taxi drivers due to the Cinderella syndrome etc,,but the system is made worse by PAP crap and pricing to squeeze every cent for themselves.

However,,if the life of the taxi driver is soo tough, why are they not plying the roads to get more customers? 1 taxi driver told me, the more passenger he gets as in pick up and drop off, the better the profits.

So if these drivers are hiding, they must be making good profits by the limited customers they get,,I mean the rental and diesel etc is about 100++ per day right? So dont they need to earn that sort of money just to break even? if they dont ply the roads or business soo good,,that they can hide?

I agree with you taxis drivers here are a spoilt lot. They don't have to fight for survival because they are protected by the high pricing. They don't have to slog so hard to break even unlike those I've seen in Bangkok.

Over there you can get a cab within 1 minute anywhere most of the time.
There are no stupid charges like peak hour, midnight...etc.

Just to share, I have a few friends living in private houses discarding their cars and rent taxis for domestic uses. The beautiful part is, I was told, they ply the road to recover rental and occasionally profited from it.

Domestic Taxis - A whole new world PAP has created!

 

[sleaguepunter]

i repeat again, what wrong with taxi driver making a buck at your expense?

it dangerous to drive in the rain, especially taxing for a driver who may already been driving for a few hours. so nothing wrong in my view that customers pay extra to entice them to drive in the rain. bros, they are self employed, it during rain that they can earn bonus.

and i not a cab guy, i rather take mrt as it much faster than taxi.

 

[watchman8]

Those 5 km/less are those that MRT and then taxi mostly.
From CDB to Jurong/Sengkang is about 20~30km.

also need to add in empty cruising distances, probably 20 to 30% of total distance covered per day.

 

[LastTrainToLondon]

Take a train.

 

[lianbeng]

bus/mrt too crowded? walk home, can?
Then complain need to walk very far. So buy house within CBD so no need take transport home.
But house in CBD too expensive. Then how? Look for job in suburbs.
But no jobs in suburbs ... so don't work.
There is always a solution, isn't it?

lianbeng tells u go to hdb mrt stations and see for urself lah: yishun, amk, toa payoh, woodland, tampines, jurong east, etc... many people will take taxi home from those stations eg from bedok mrt take taxi to bedok reservoir, bedok north ave 1, etc... cannot walk lah!

 

[Cestbon]

Dont complain taxi fare expensive. Demand and supply.
Not happy can drive taxi/rent one!
As long as commuter willing to pay, price will increase until commuter reluctant to take taxi.
That business mind.
Even now fast food chain>> McD/KFC/BK/..............now fighting with the hawker price are par or even cheaper.
Just imagine McD french fried is even cheaper than hawker stall.
Many fast foot chain selling set meal about $5 with drink. No wonder now during lunch/diner all are pack.
Aircon,cleaner(no mess on table),...........all are better that hawker.
Consumer will choose.
Consumer/demand is the one will justify the price.
Just like COE as long as people willing to pay price will stay or up.

 

[krafty]

beri good! you still have faith in our mrt system, good indeed!:*::p

and i not a cab guy, i rather take mrt as it much faster than taxi.

 

[wMulew]

But the govt should allow small bus companies to pick up passengers for trip between suburb centers and CBD. That would solve many of traffice woes. But PAP seem to be beholden to the 2 bus duopoly. A relic of old man's fear from the 50s and 60s.

Joker talking through his ass. There are a number private bus services that pick up passengers along places like Robinson road to the suburbs.

 

[sleaguepunter]

beri good! you still have faith in our mrt system, good indeed!:*::p

not faith in mrt system but lan lan accept because alternative just as bad.

 

[rusty]

Taxis services have come to this stage because of too much controls in pricing and greed.
It is now serving only a specific segment of the general public...."the affordable"

During off peak hours, this "affordable" are working and the general public are not using the service because of high price...hence a lot of taxis are plying around empty.....unproductive.

During peak hours, the amount of taxis on the road are insufficient to meet the demand "the affordable" plus those in hurry. Demand & supply - unbalanced.

The transport minister is either stupid or sick to suspect taxis drivers are staying off road during peak hours in implementing minimum mileage when the demand is so overwhelming. It will only result more empty taxis on the road during off peak.

They are caught in a situation where pricing discourages taxis usage during non peak and supply cannot meet demand during peak because the "affordable" comes out in drove!

They should increase the taxis fleet by two fold the present and lower the price substantially to increase ridership during non peak and meeting demands throughout. This not only solve the supply problem, it also help to reduce overcrowding in buses and mrts.

Who knows...it may also reduce demand on car ownership if the price is right and thus reduce car population!

Come on, ministers, show us what you are worth...not some silly idea on minimum mileage

 

[groinroot]

Two taxi drivers whom I spoke to this morning at the Serangoon Gardens food centre, expressed fears that many of their colleagues will stop driving when the new measure comes into force. They reasoned that with the never ending traffic snarls during peak hours it is not that easy to clock 250km in a day as a lot of time is wasted in traffic jams. Taxi drivers also need coffee breaks and short naps to keep them alert. When many taxi drivers quit there will be a shortage in this sector and, eventually the government will use its famous excuse "we have to import foreign talent as locals don't want to do this job".