A blue end for Yellow-Top cabs
A nostalgic brand reaches
the end of the road on Monday
FROM Monday, the Yellow-Top taxis, long a familiar sight on
Singapore roads, will disappear into history.
At its peak, in 2004, there were close to 1,400 Yellow-Tops but
today, the number has dwindled to 200, and these will be repainted
the ubiquitous Comfort blue, a company spokesperson told
Today.
Many will be saddened by the demise of the brand, which has been
around for decades.
"The first time I rode one of these taxis was on my first date when
I was taking my girlfriend home after a late movie. It cost me all
of $10, a huge sum in the 60s," said Mr Anthony Yeo, now a retiree
in his late 50s.
Business consultant Lim Chiang sees the passing of the Yellow-Top
as the end of the era of the financially independent taxi
driver.
"In the past, taxi drivers, who owned their taxis, could send their
children to university on what they earned and saved. Under the
scheme of daily hire taxis today, drivers find themselves
hard-pressed to be able to do the same for their children," said Mr
Lim, who remembers pirate taxis operating in his neighbourhood when
he was a young boy.
A man who believes in entrepreneurship, Mr Lim said he was sad to
see big business corporations take over what was once the realm of
the small-time individual operator.
Yellow-Top cabs used to operate on a private basis until 1996 when
the licences were acquired from the taxi owners at $10,000 each and
operations were managed by Yellow-Top Cab Pte Ltd, under the
umbrella of ComfortDelGro.
.
The decision to discontinue the Yellow-Top brand is in line with
the company's move to improve the overall operating efficiency of
its taxi business arm, the spokesperson said.
.
Even as the Yellow-Tops reach the end of the road, ComfortDelGro's
fleet of 400 Mercedes limousine taxis operating under the brand
name Sovereign will retain their sleek look.
.
Expat engineer Ronald Simon was equivocal about the changes. "All I
care about is that when I need a taxi, I would like to be able to
get one," he said, expressing the common complaint of many of not
being to get a taxi at certain peak periods.
.
ComfortDelGro currently operates 15,000 taxis under the Comfort and
CityCab brands.
Source: http://www.todayonline.com
