Channel NewsAsia - 56 minutes
ago
LTA says demand
for taxis should be allowed to stabilise
SINGAPORE : The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has said that demand
for taxi services is dynamic and sensitive to pricing.
So this demand needs some time to stabilise, following the fare
revisions which kicked in last month.
Only then will LTA gauge its impact and effectiveness.
LTA added that it is monitoring the taxi situation closely.
A taxi driver who wants to be known only as Mr Lim said he gets
about 10 passengers in five hours, in one evening.
However, between the peak period of 5pm and 8pm, he would only pick
up three passengers.
Mr Lim claims he used to earn S$15 an hour, before taxi fares were
raised last month. But he now earns about S$10.
So that means that he has to drive for 12 hours to pay for his
rental and diesel fees which amount to about S$120 a day.
SMRT said it is still monitoring the situation and cannot give an
average earning of its taxi drivers.
Transcab said it has computer problems and cannot provide a
figure.
It also added that it is too early to conclude the effects of the
recent fare hikes.
As for Singapores largest taxi operator, ComfortDelGro, it said
the average driver is taking about S$9 more a day or S$270 more a
month.
However, ComfortDelgro cautioned that this is based only on the
first week since the new fares were implemented.
It said its figures are very preliminary.
As for commuters, not everyone is clear about how much more they
have to pay, and why.
One commuter said, "No, definitely not clear."
When asked why the commuter said, "Its after a while...it took
several taxi drivers to explain it to me."
Another said, "I know that it has increased a lot because I take
taxis quite frequently....I only have a brief idea that if I
actually (take) a taxi in the city area, I need to pay S$3 more and
even a 35 percent surcharge."
However one commuter noted, "(I am) rather clear (about the new
fares) because I take a taxi almost everyday. But I will avoid
taking taxis during peak hours."
On the recent concern that Comfort taxi drivers were still
displaying the old fares, the company has printed a reply in a
newspaper.
\The corporate communications department said there was a delay in
printing but now all of its taxis are displaying the new decals.
CNA/ms
