I have mentioned before. The minister is not aware of what is
going on. Picture this scenario.
Minister: May I see the reports on the Taxi Availability
standards?
Perm Sec: I'm sorry sir, but it will take 2 man years to gather
that information.
Now if this can be done to the president, how much more the
minister? I don't think LTA has been very honest in their feedback
to the minister. Let me tell you why I think so. I remember when
the TA standardspercentage was raised, I received a letter which
showed a formula calculating our days off each month. You see LTA
is ver sly. They tell us we have to drive 28 days a mointh. But yet
they come up with some fancy formula to show that we are getting 5
of days a month.
Now, if we are getting 5 off days a month, and there are 30 days
a month even a primary school kid can tell you that you have to
drive 25 days. You see how sly they are? Why must use smlj formula
to tell us we get smlj days off? So they also tell the minister
that TD are getting 5 off days a month
Also every now and then, they get ST to publish that taxi
waiting times are improving every month. If that was true, why did
they suddenly and urgently allow PH cars to ferry passengers? It is
obvious their reports were just tales of fiction, because they
don't want to admit the failure of the TA standards, that it cause
many TDs to throw key and it resulted in an acute shortage of
taxis.
If the minister really wants to look at the true impactthe TA
standards has on TDs, don't need to take smlj man years. Some TCs
send a monthly sto their TDs about their monthly performance
regarding the TA. SMRT is one of them. All the minister has to do,
is get their representative to go down to SMRT, request for the
names of hirers, and then randomly pick a few hundred names. There
should be a mix of the different types of TD, those with relief,
OMO amd Limo drivers. Then they should take a look at these reports
and see for themselves how exactly TDs are being treated.
Especially they should request for the reports for the month of
February. Then see if this is what LTA has been telling them. And,
after examining these reports, if they still approve, then there
can be no doubt that they want us to up lorry.
