Channel NewsAsia - Thursday,
January 3
Problem with CNG
refuelling station leaves taxi drivers stuck in long
queues
SINGAPORE: It was not a good start to the New Year for many Prime
taxi drivers.
Many were stuck in long queues because there was a problem with the
only compressed natural gas or CNG refuelling station, located on
Jurong Island.
A dissatisfied group of taxi drivers gathered outside the Prime
Taxis office on 2 Jan to meet their management.
Prime Taxis is one of the smallest and newest players in the taxi
market, with just under 100 cabs using Compressed Natural gas or
CNG.
The drivers said that on New Years Eve, a problem developed with
the pumps at the only CNG refuelling station on Jurong
Island.
So a usually10minute wait to fill their CNG tanks with gas,
became a two to three hour affair.
Taxidriver Charan Singh, said: Problem is that (when the) gas
pump station breaks down, we cannot get gas (and) have to queue for
2 to 3 hours. One day too times how many hours I lose? How to
continue driving like this? Now the fares are so bad and business
is dull how to manage the rental?"
Another taxidriver, Tan Ah Kin, said:"We used to drive 1012 hours
one day now at the very most you can drive 45 hours. So the
waiting time is going to kill us."
What is worse is that the company has not raised its metered fares
and wont do so for at least three months.
The company has only imposed the city surcharge from 1 Jan 2008 but
most passengers dont know this.
So the drivers are suffering the same drop in business as other cab
drivers by as much as 30 per cent.
In a statement, SembCorp Industries, which runs the CNG station,
said one of its two compressors had an unusual malfunction and the
spare part that is needed should arrive within a week.
In the meantime, the company is exploring all possible solutions
and has advised some users to switch to petrol for now.
Prime Taxi management said it is still working out solutions to
alleviate the taxi drivers woes.
This includes possible rental rebates and petrol vouchers.
Mr Tan Soon Chye, General Manager of the Taxi Division for Prime
Car Rental and Taxi Services, said: While the gas company is doing
their best to rectify the situation, we at Prime Taxis had a
dialogue with taxi masters and we have worked out a package to
alleviate their problems at this time while the pump is undergoing
repair."
One of the main problems that has left taxis idling is that there
is only one CNG refuelling station in Singapore which is located on
Jurong Island.
However, three more such refuelling stations are expected to open
throughout the rest of the year with the next one expected to open
in about two weeks time. CNA/vm