Dear The Real Singapore,
I refer to the article: "TAXI FARES IN SINGAPORE WILL BE INCREASED AGAIN TO $3.80"
I am a taxi driver and I hope to explain the new fare change to help commuters better understand the reasons for it.
Why did LTA wanna standardise taxi fare?
The current fare system is too confusing for anyone to understand especially people who has not attended TDVL ( Taxi driving vocational license) before, mainly almost all commuters.
Trust me, most passengers including Singaporeans don't know what they are paying for exactly.
I have heard tourists telling me they actually paid $28 from MBS to Paragon!!!
Unethical drivers are making use of the extras to cheat unsuspecting tourists. And why did tourists believe that driver? Because that amount the tourist paid is almost what they would pay in another first world city!
Meaning to say, SINGAPORE taxi fare is currently one of the cheapest among all first world cities but with the highest rental rates.
Is the new fare structure more expensive than the current one?
A resounding YES!!! But why?
I had just changed my taxi from transcab Toyota Wish ($93 rental daily) to new Renault Latitude ( $133.75 )!!! That's a whopping 40% higher rental!!! And sooner or later, all the existing cheaper rental taxi will have to go through this change,
OUCH!
Well, all thanks to the increment of COE. So, it's pretty obvious who is the ultimate winner of the increment huh. Don't even attempt envy the drivers, we are in the same shoe just like other commuters. We collect more but we are paying much much more.
Commuters are also complaining the service standards of drivers since the increment of fare is coming yet service has not increased. Well, at the first place, it's just like when you open a new box of mangoes, most of them taste pretty okay but there are bound to have some extremely tasty and sweet ones and of course some sour ones. You can't always get all the best deals in life. It does consist of ups and downs.
Taxi drivers criteria are purely based on driving license and a D7 English O level standard. There is totally no experience needed in a service industry to be qualify as a cabby. And come on, lots of cabbies are above 50's or have some injury, can't expect them to carry heavy loads for passengers right?
I am no siding with taxi drivers fully but these are what we are experiencing.
Most drivers are excited about the new change as it will ease some of our heavy rentals and the new fare system will indeed simplify the fare not only for singapore residents but also for travellers. So long, COE keeps going up, you can be sure there will be future adjustments again.
And this is what we call, INFLATION.
Altitude Wish
TRS reader