July 30, 2006
THURSDAY NIGHT, NGEE ANN CITY TAXI STAND
Where are all the
cabs?
With more taxis now, it's not a supply issue. Blame it on various
factors from uneven demand to, yes, errant cabbies
By Jeremy Au Yong
ABOUT 40 people are standing in a queue at the
Ngee Ann City taxi stand, staring at cabs that pass by without
stopping, each flashing its red 'on call' sign.
After a few minutes, people in the line get fidgety. Some wander
off to take the bus. Others try their luck by the roadside, or
simply give in and call for a cab.
After 30 minutes in the queue, at least half of the original number
have given up.
Those who stay - most of them tourists - end up waiting more than
an hour for a ride.
This frustrating scene last Thursday evening has been replaying
nightly around Orchard Road and much of the city centre for years
now.
Mr Bahar Buasan, a 42-year-old Indonesian businessman on holiday
with his family who waited 1 1/2 hours for a taxi because he did
not know how to call for one, asked: 'Why is Singapore like
this?'
That question, it seems, is on everyone's lips.
No one can blame the city for lack of effort, but no matter what it
does, Singapore cannot seem to resolve its cab woes.
Over the last 10 years, the industry has been deregulated, more
cabs have been added to the roads, satellite dispatch systems
installed, peak hours tweaked, fares raised and checks conducted to
catch errant drivers.
But still the age-old complaints persist.
'Forget about getting cabs in town at night. It would be faster to
take the MRT,' said accounts manager Wendy Tan, 36.
Asked financial planner Jacob Goh, 45: 'I keep seeing empty taxis
circling the roads. Where are they headed to?'
Others talk about cabbies who pick and choose customers, or those
that seem to be perpetually changing shift, or hiding in back
roads, only to reappear magically after the midnight surcharge
kicks in.
A Sunday Times test showed that these are not idle
complaints.
Last week, reporters tested waiting times at Ngee Ann City, Raffles
City and Bugis Junction at around 9.30pm and found that the wait
can be formidable.
At Bugis Junction, it took 20 minutes. Over at Ngee Ann City, it
took one hour and two minutes.
Flagging for a cab by the road was quicker, with the fastest
pick-up timed at 11 minutes.
The quickest method, of course, was to call. Two out of three
showed up in less than 10 minutes.
So, to paraphrase Mr Buasan's question: Why are we waiting?
Supply is not the problem. Cab numbers have jumped from around
18,000 in 2000 to more than 22,000 today. Singapore has long had
one of the highest ratios of cabs to commuters.
In 2003, even before the number of cabs ballooned, Singapore had
4.8 taxis for every 1,000 people, compared with 2.8 in Hong Kong,
2.9 in New York, 2.6 in London and 2.3 in Tokyo.
The problem - according to cabbies and transport experts - comes in
many parts.
First is the uneven distribution of demand. The need for a cab far
outstrips supply during peak times, but drops drastically at other
times. To make matters worse, cabbies sometimes cruise the
neighbourhoods after leaving town rather than drive back empty to
the city, where they are most needed.
To balance demand, Associate Professor K. Raguraman, who is
co-chairman of the Physical Development Feedback Group, suggests
taking another look at the fare structure.
'Peak fares have already been raised, maybe we should lower
off-peak fares to encourage more usage outside peak hours.
'But we would also need to extend the peak hours to counter those
who might be waiting at work till peak hour ends to get a cab,' he
said.
He also proposed setting up an expert focus group whose singular
aim would be to study taxi policy issues.
Then there is the problem of how to tackle errant drivers.
Public Transport Council chairman Gerard Ee wants more enforcement,
with commuters playing a role: 'We all have phones with cameras
now. We can take a picture of those who don't play ball and report
them.'
For its part, ComfortDelGro has been monitoring picky drivers, and
a recent check of 7,400 cabs netted 50 who were either refusing to
pick up passengers or hiding in backstreets.
To hear cabbies tell it though, they have no choice but to resort
to sneaky tactics to make a living. For them, the solution is
straightforward: lower rental prices.
'Certificate of entitlement prices have been going down for years,
but rental still stays the same,' said cabby B.C. Goh, 69.
Fair comment, say experts.
Said Dr Paul Barter, of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy:
'There is one dominant player in the market and maybe that is the
problem. Companies should be competing for drivers but the
competition does not seem very fierce.'
One industry observer said competition has had some benefits for
drivers.
Prior to the deregulation of the industry in 2003, drivers received
$900 a year in rebates and incentives from the operators. Now they
are getting $5,000.
And what of fares?
Some blame poor service on the fact that cab fares here are too
low. Yet, any significant raise would have to be dealt with
cautiously in case it becomes a cure that kills the patient.
In 1985, an increase in flag-down rates from $1.20 to $2 resulted
in boycotts that saw cab takings drop by up to 80 per cent. Two
months later, the fare was reduced to $1.60.
Indeed, a straw poll of 60 commuters by The Sunday Times last week
found that half were unwilling to pay a cent more for a cab.
Additional reporting by Nur Dianah Suhaimi, Sarah Ng, Rachel Lim,
Reema Jagtiani and Nur Amira Abdul Karim.
[email protected]
Copyright © 2006 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
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