Ditch all surcharges, impose all-day levies at far-flung places
or introduce even more surcharges to solve the longstanding problem
of disappearing taxis just before the peak period.
These are some of the
solutions that experts, industry players and taxi drivers have
suggested, after the issue resurfaced recently.
The Straits Times reported on
Sept 8 that cabs at Changi Airport seemed to have gone missing just
before peak-hour surcharges kicked in, leaving travellers waiting
for more than 30 minutes for a cab.
The Straits Times received
more than 10 forum letters on the issue of how best to solve this
problem.
Surcharges were meant to
better match supply and demand. But many, like cabby Colin Wong,
have called for peak-hour and location levies to be
axed.
Their rationale? Cabbies
already know where and when passengers need cabs most, so there is
no need to incentivise them. "We know where and when passengers
need cabs... We will still go to where there will be demand and
business," said Mr Wong, 53.
Removing all surcharges will
placate commuters unhappy about the current fare structure, which
they say is confusing.
There are close to 10 different flag-down
fares, three metered-fare structures, more than 10 kinds of
surcharges and eight types of phone-booking
fees.
Senior Minister of State for
Transport Josephine Teo said last November that the Government is
looking at simplifying the current taxi-fare structure to make it
less confusing.
But earlier this year, she
said this might lead to higher taxi rentals and fares - a possible
result of covering the shortfall that drivers face when the
surcharges are removed, experts explained.
When contacted, the Transport
Ministry said it is still "studying this carefully to ensure that
taxi commuters and drivers are not worse off if any changes are
made".
SIM University urban transport
management expert Park Byung Joon backed the idea of simplifying
the fare structure but keeping the airport levy.
"Unlike shopping centres in
the middle of city, the airport is away from the city centre...
There must be an incentive for taxi drivers to go to the
airport."
Dr Park said the airport
surcharge could be tiered according to plane-arrival schedules to
give cabbies more incentive to go when cabs are needed.
Transport economist Michael Li
from Nanyang Business School said the difficulty is deciding on a
surcharge amount that does not result in a cab crunch
elsewhere.
"It's a basic service
standard, but it should not make it a disincentive for those plying
in the city," he said.
Experts noted that removing
surcharges would be a massive exercise. In the interim, companies
could add more surcharges to fix the current problem.
However, Ang Hin Kee (MP for
Ang Mo Kio GRC), who is also an adviser to the National Taxi
Association, said this was a multi-faceted problem.
"Cab operators and taxi
drivers are operating within the tight parameters of a competitive
fare and revenue environment, and there is not much room for
adjustment," he said.
