November 25, 2015
And he's not talking about penalising Uber or
Grabcar drivers.
Tan Xing
Qi
So earlier this month, National Taxi Association (NTA) adviser Ang
Hin Kee said something about a âlevel playing fieldâ for cab
drivers.
Which got people riled up because why regulate something that
brings unbridled joy to consumers?
Except he didnât.
His comments are instead targeted at, believe it or not, the
current rules governing the taxi industry. Describing the rules as
âa narrow and straight pathâ and âa stark contrastâ to what the
private car hire drivers have to follow, the Ang Mo Kio Member of
Parliament explained to Mothership.sg why cabbies feel a little
angsty with the whole situation.
The bane of âthe narrow
and straight pathâ
Taxi drivers are told to maintain a professional image, understand
English, pass a tough Taxi Driver Vocational Licence course
(ok, tough for this 61-year-old) and go for a
refresher course every six years, said Ang.
âIn the regime of all the rules and regulations, it was conveyed to
them that this has been designed so that commuters can feel
assured,â he added.
And with the current âstickâ approach of demerit points
and revocation of licence, the cabbies follow âthe narrow and
straight pathâ, said Ang.
Thus the fact that their competition doesnât need to follow these
rules has got the cabbies scratching their heads.
Voicing cabbiesâ displeasure, Ang said: âYou mean consumerâs peace
of mind is not important any more? Safety and security not
important any more? No, no, now thereâs user reviews and can get
rid of undesirable drivers. In that case, why did that rule not
apply to me? Why do I have to follow all these other things that
apply to me? If the users donât want to stick to this set of rules
and are happy with the other set but taxi drivers still have to
follow the old rules, you can see where the sentiment is coming
from.â
The current rules
are âcostly, not quite reflective and a bit
onerousâ
While Uber, Grabcar drivers cannot do street pickups, they also do
not have to meet the Land Transport Authorityâs taxi availability
(TA) standards implemented in 2013.
Taxi companies have to meet two standards: Ensuring that 85 per
cent and 75 per cent of their fleet clock a daily mileage of 250km
on weekdays and weekends respectively and ensuring that the bulk of
their fleet ply the roads during peak hours.
According to The Straits Times, only Comfort
consistently met all the taxi availability standards so far in
2015.
Ang continued, citing feedback from taxi drivers: âSo they are
thinking: âI still need to comply with TA, drive 250km a day. Why
do I need to meet 250km a day? Since you want me to hit 250km, I
drive lor, empty cruising.â But the most efficient way is not to
drive around but rather on a demand basis.â
A taxi driverâs
analogy
Being a story on taxis, there has got to be one story from a taxi
driver.
Ang recounted this hawker centre story told to him by a cabby,
which parallels the predicament faced by most taxi drivers.
âThereâs a very rigorous way of checking hygiene level for hawkers.
But if a push cart appears at the hawker centre with no
licence. It can be cheaper because thereâs no compliance cost and
no rental. Say the push cartâs food is cheaper and better and it
only comes during peak hour. Then why would the hawkers want to
follow these rules? Thereâs a reason for the rules and they were
told that rules are important. So if the rules are not relevant
anymore or if thereâs a new set of rules, then make them applicable
to all.â
So I ask them: âIn that case, do you mean that all these rules
youâd like to see removed so that thereâs a fairer competition?â
No, itâs not the rules, they say. Itâs the fact that over the
years, yes there are some black sheep, but the image and
professionalism have gone up. The safety and assurance from the
comfortable point of view have gone up. Please donât reduce us from
dressing and operating properly to a free for all operation.
Because you are literally throwing away years of investment into
making consumers a bit more familiar with what is the right way and
professionally good way of driving a taxi. Donât throw away the
baby out with the bathwater you know?
Thereâs a minimum standard called âevery morning must change
underwearâ. Donât throw away that good hygiene.â
That said, private car
hire drivers deserve more protection
Competition aside, Ang also acknowledged that more must be done to
protect private car hire drivers, citing the rental rates of
private cars as example.
Drivers are more likely to sign on a longer car lease, as compared
to a daily or weekly term, for better value. However, if you score
enough bad reviews, drivers will be out of the game with a car
lease in tow, Ang added.
âThat way of penalising or disciplining their business partners is
a very cruel approach. You donât give the person a chance to make
restitution and you immediately get rid of them.â
Taxi companies, on the other hand, offer a clear and calibrated
system to penalise errant drivers and even if licences are revoked,
drivers just need to return the car, he explained.
âThe driver must be given a chance to correct themselves and amend
their ways. Itâs rare in the commercial setting where the burden is
passed to the lowest denominator called the single driver and the
biggest player with the financial strength and profit margin
doesnât co-own the problem. That vulnerability of the driver is not
an ideal one when you donât have a co-ownership of the
responsibility.â
Top photo from Ang Hin Keeâs Facebook page.
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