Cabbies who swerve in and out
of traffic, speed and use their mobile phones while on the
road.
These are the top peeves of
taxi commuters, according to a recent My Paper poll of 40 commuters
and 40 taxi drivers.
However, taxi drivers My Paper
spoke to said that passengers sometimes urge them to flout traffic
rules.
Mr Leun Chi Keung, 58, said
that when passengers tell him that they are in a hurry, he will
propose a route to them, instead of speeding.
"It is all about
communication," said Mr Leun, who has been a taxi driver for six
years.
In the poll, 13 of the 40
commuters, or 32.5 per cent, listed unsafe driving as their No. 1
peeve.
PR and marketing consultant
Torie Lee recounted an incident last year when she told a taxi
driver that she was in a hurry because he drove very slowly along
an expressway.
The driver responded by
speeding and weaving in and out of traffic, nearly colliding with
another car.
Ms Lee, 36, said: "I felt it
was unnecessary. I told him off, but he scolded me and dared me to
complain." Of the taxi drivers polled, 17 of them, or 42.5 per
cent, listed drunk passengers as their top peeve.
They said that they tend to
pick up such passengers at nightspot areas such as Clarke Quay or
at hotels after wedding dinners.
Taxi driver Chew Ann Eng, 58,
who has been driving for eight years, said he encounters drunks who
vomit in his taxi about once or twice a month.
The hardest part, he said, is
the clean-up afterwards, which typically costs about $30 if it is
done at a petrol station.
Other peeves drivers cited
involve passengers who run off without paying at the end of a
journey, and those who book taxis but do not show up.
Cabby Lim Ghim Hu, 37, who has
been driving for the past five years, said he has become more wary
after he twice encountered passengers who did not pay
up.
He said: "It's impossible for
us to give chase."
Mr Lim explained that cabbies
need to consider which is more important - the fare owed or putting
their vehicles at risk of theft if they left their taxis unlocked
in the hurry to give chase.
Of no-shows, Mr Leun said that
it is not about the loss of income, but "a matter of integrity".
"By booking a taxi, you have made a commitment. By not showing up,
you are not honouring your end of the bargain," he
explained.
