MORE people have commuted in the cool comfort of a taxi this
year than last year, in a sign of an economy picking up.
On average, 911,318 passengers took a cab each day between
January and July, 5.8 per cent more than the figure in the
corresponding period last year, when ridership was 861,719. This
has translated into healthier earnings for the drivers of the
24,000 taxis here.
ComfortDelGro, which runs more than six in 10 cabs on the roads,
said its drivers are taking home 10 per cent more money - in fact,
more than what they earned before the 2008 recession hit.
SMRT declined to disclose figures and would say only that its
cabbies were earning more.
Last year, cabbies went through their worst period of business
since the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003. The
number of passengers they ferried languished at less than 900,000 a
day for most of the year.
Industry players have credited the improving economy and spike
in tourist arrivals for the rise in ridership.
-- ST