More cabbies
are throwing in the towel and exiting the taxi trade, underscoring
the stiff competition they are facing from private-hire services
like Uber and Grab.
Land Transport
Authority data revealed that in the first 11 months of last year,
the average rate of taxis that were unhired was 5.9 per cent, up
from 4.2 per cent in 2015.
More than
1,620 taxis are now sitting idle in the yards of taxi companies, up
from 1,190. This, even as the total fleet of taxis in Singapore has
shrunk, from 28,300 at the end of 2015 to 27,500 currently.
The rise in
the number of unhired taxis has prompted a second operator to slash
rentals. Premier, with over 1,900 cabs, has cut its net rentals to
mostly below $100 a day, a spokesman told The Straits Times.
In doing so,
it follows in the footsteps of Trans-Cab, the second biggest
operator here with 4,500 taxis, which has cut rental fees by
between 22 per cent and 34 per cent for drivers hiring without a
relief.
A Premier taxi
driver, who did not want to be named, said he signed an incentive
scheme starting last week that will allow him to earn incentives of
$300 a month, as well as a $1,000 bonus if he completes a
six-month-long contract.
Premier said
it is offering such schemes to "support our drivers whose incomes
have been affected by the sudden surge in the supply of taxis in
the form of private-hire vehicles". Its rate of unhired taxis was
"consistent" with the competition. Trans-Cab said last month that
11 per cent of its cabs were not hired out.
ComfortDelGro,
Singapore's largest operator with over 16,700 taxis, did not
respond when asked if it would be adjusting its rental rates.
The job of a
taxi driver has become increasingly unattractive since Uber and
Grab entered the market in 2013, say observers and drivers.
With no cap on
private-hire vehicles allowed to roam the roads, the number of
"taxi-like services" has boomed, said Dr Park Byung Joon, a
transport expert at SIM University. "This has created a negative
impact on the income potential, and becoming a taxi driver is less
attractive."
There are
about 25,000 Uber and Grab cars here. While private-hire operators
also have unhired cars - nearly 1,000 as The Sunday Times reported
yesterday - this is a matter of the market needing to reach
equilibrium point, said Dr Park.
The challenge
for taxi companies is more fundamental, he noted, adding that the
authorities need to rethink what a "taxi" is. In its traditional
form, taxis cannot compete with Uber-type businesses permitted to
operate in Singapore, he said.
Meanwhile,
taxi drivers said they are thinking of switching firms. Comfort
cabby K.Y. Yuen, 40, who pays a daily rent of $110, said: "I'm
hoping Comfort will cut the rental in time. If nothing happens
after one or two months, I will jump to another firm."
He said his
earnings are down by 20 per cent, especially at night when
passengers want to avoid taxis' midnight surcharge.
德士公司 交了保护费给政府 没受到保护。数量受限制。不交保护费的 却可以为所欲为。数量不受限 胡乱叫价。总理还赞有创意。德士太老实了
不乱砍价 维持社会秩序 没受表扬 还被这么攻击。这是什么社会? 比黑社会还不道德。