Let's BOYCOTT Taxis!
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The reason why the greedy cab companies and The Govt can continue to raise prices is because we allow them to by making demand for taxis inelastic.
I say boycott taxis and let the invisible hand do the work to drive prices down again. -
already done that
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won't work... I think... easier to support Dr Chee Soon Juan for change in Singapore...Originally posted by faroukalhadad:The reason why the greedy cab companies and The Govt can continue to raise prices is because we allow them to by making demand for taxis inelastic.
I say boycott taxis and let the invisible hand do the work to drive prices down again. -
U know what's the best part?
Passengers now still paying more, up to 49% more
BUT
still damn long queue at town areas!! 20 ppl in taxi queue but EMPTY taxis still cruise by BO CHAP. cos they want more money from taxi bookings! -
FARES UP, BUT WAITING TIME STILL a bother
Leong Wee Keat and Ansley Ng
[email protected]
BLAME it on the rain or the festive rush.
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But even as new taxi charges by market-leader ComfortDelGro kicked in yesterday, aimed in part at driving up the supply of cabs during peak hours in the city area, some commuters found themselves having to pay 10 to 49 per cent more — while still having to wait in frustration for an elusive ride.
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At about 10.30pm, queues of at least 20 people formed at taxi stands in front of Centrepoint and the Meritus Mandarin. Vacant taxis without on-call signs, meanwhile, were spotted cruising the streets without stopping for passengers.
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Among the 25 people at the Ngee Ann City taxi stand was English tourist Jean Collier, who was fed up after having waited an hour. "I would have made other arrangements had I known," she said.
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The situation was better at Paragon, where Ms Joyce Ang got a cab after waiting for 20 minutes, a little quicker than previously. "But I thought given the new fare structure it would be faster. And I don't see why there should be empty cabs cruising," she told Today.
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Earlier in the evening, taxi stands in the Shenton Way and Orchard areas sported a steady stream of commuters who clearly were not ready to abandon the idea of travelling in comfort. Despite having to pay $30.55 for the trip from Ngee Ann City to her Pasir Ris home, Mdm Patricia Chan — who had three bags of Christmas shopping and two children in tow — the convenience was "still worth it".
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After-office-hours commuters said waiting times were about the same as — or in some cases, slightly faster than — before the fare hike. Two commuters who had joined the queue at International Plaza along Anson Road after 6.30pm said the 15-minute average waiting time was "normal".
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Sales executive Serene Tay, who works at Lucky Plaza, said: "It felt like the queue moved faster. Perhaps taxis were eager to cash in on the new fares and the festive crowd."
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ComfortDelGro, which operates 65 per cent of the 23,000 taxis in Singapore, yesterday became the first taxi company here to raise flag-down rates and meter fares. It also tripled the city area surcharge and introduced a 35-per-cent peak period premium.
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The hike did seem to give some taxi drivers added incentive to pick up passengers in the crowded city area.
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Between 5pm and 6pm at Lucky Plaza (picture), Today observed that passengers got a taxi within an average of eight minutes — slightly faster than last month's average waiting time of 10 minutes, as recorded by the Land Transport Authority.
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Ironically, about 150m away at Far East Plaza — located just outside the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) zone — at least seven taxis waited without a passenger in sight. This might explain why some taxi drivers in vacant cabs were willing to incur the $2 charge of entering the ERP zone.
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Taxi driver Akman Marmin explained: "You pay $2, but if I pick up a passenger, I stand to get back $3, which means a profit for me." Another driver, Mr Neo, said there were "a lot more" passengers waiting in the city than on the fringes.
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In fact, ComfortDelGro's offer of full ERP rebates — to drivers who do not manage to pick up passengers within 15 minutes of entering the zone during evening prime hours — was incidental to them.
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So, have the revised fares helped to up cabbies' takings, as they were meant to do?
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Reactions were mixed. Mr Tan Meng How, who has been driving for 15 years, said he made only six passenger trips yesterday, down from the usual 10.
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And despite the appearance of business as usual at taxi stands yesterday, drivers feared the "crunch" could come after Chinese New Year in February.
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"Commuters are now in the festive mood and many will be armed with bonuses, so, they will be more willing to spend," said Comfort taxi driver T C Looi. "After the Chinese New Year, people would tighten their purse strings."
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Meanwhile, ComfortDelGro — which cut current call booking fees by 50 cents to $2.50 — saw a drop in bookings during the morning peak hours, which it called an expected "knee-jerk" reaction. There were 20 per cent fewer call bookings compared to last Monday.
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Interestingly, the higher fees have also affected other taxi operators yet to raise their fares. The second-largest operator, SMRT, reported getting 200 fewer calls between 7am and 9am, compared to last Monday.
Leong Wee Keat and Ansley Ng
[email protected] -
dont need to boycott taxis...some people are already thinking twice before flagging down a taxi.
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i also say i also say...Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:won't work... I think... easier to support Dr Chee Soon Juan for change in Singapore... -
Been doing that all along.....
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Since you think that it's good money to be a taxi driver, then join them!Originally posted by faroukalhadad:The reason why the greedy cab companies and The Govt can continue to raise prices is because we allow them to by making demand for taxis inelastic.
I say boycott taxis and let the invisible hand do the work to drive prices down again. -
do you even know how the invisible hand works?Originally posted by faroukalhadad:The reason why the greedy cab companies and The Govt can continue to raise prices is because we allow them to by making demand for taxis inelastic.
I say boycott taxis and let the invisible hand do the work to drive prices down again.
demand was high, so prices were raised->invisible hand
there is nothing wrong with the fare hikes if ppl are willing to pay for the service.
The irony of this is of course that the taxi companies probably support your boycott because they are still understaffed. Taking a few of you out of circulation helps. -
Easier said than done. Esp when you've just finished shopping and are really unwilling to take a bus home. There will always be demand for taxis. Period.
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Aiyo.... it is not like we cant survive without taxi!!!! It is not a necessity!!!! So, if u can pay then be my guest and use taxi, else use the public transport. Taxi is a money generating business, so cant blame them if they wanna earn!
It is the hike of public transport that is too much. The main purpose of it is to provide a mean of transportation, and not to earn money out of the common folk...... Too bad that is just too idealist to be true. -
That's what a boycott is.Originally posted by avgquan:Easier said than done. Esp when you've just finished shopping and are really unwilling to take a bus home. There will always be demand for taxis. Period.
It's when you choose not to take the cab even when things are tough.
It's when you prefer to walk 2 hours home after midnight simply because you refuse to take a cab.
That's what a boycott is.
Refusing to take a cab when alternatives are abound? That's not boycotting. -
Hey you have got the wrong idea about this whole thing .. no offence..Originally posted by the Bare:Since you think that it's good money to be a taxi driver, then join them!
it is not about good money or not .. it is the cab companies have been using the drivers as a "REASON" to increase the cab fare ... but in fact this is not the case ..
I think in order to convince all of us (The customers - SG, PR, tourists) that this is the real reason, the cab companies have to show us that their profit margin is very low or none !! This is obvously not the case.. their management and the staff are getting high increase in salaries and big bonus ..
Another point is why why why the Govenrment is keeping quiet about all this !! High cab companies' profit = High Tax by Government !!!!!!!!! ?? (Not sure this assumption make sense) - but i believe the govenment should control this ..
Boycott .. we all like to do this .. but the real fact is after a while .. this will be forgotten and everyone lan lan got to take the cab despite the high fare and making private complaints.. that's all ..
We must speak up !! now or during the most sensitive period .. that's GE ?? -
I believe the problem we are seeing today is because there are too many part-time taxi drivers on the road. For them, they usually appear during peak hours and their objectives is always to make as much money as possible during that limited period.
IMO, I think taxi companies should
a) Encourage more full-time taxi drivers either by reducing the rental charges or increasing the fare, or they consider recruiting indians and pakistani drivers like what we see in Middle East and USA
b) Banned taxi drivers from using walkie-talkie to prevent them from recommending each other "lobang" get calls. -
Sorry, but be fair. You want to earn as much money as possible too, don't you?Originally posted by Gazelle:I believe the problem we are seeing today is because there are too many part-time taxi drivers on the road. For them, they usually appear during peak hours and their objectives is always to make as much money as possible during that limited period.
IMO, I think taxi companies should
a) Encourage more full-time taxi drivers either by reducing the rental charges or increasing the fare, or they consider recruiting indians and pakistani drivers like what we see in Middle East and USA
b) Banned taxi drivers from using walkie-talkie to prevent them from recommending each other "lobang" get calls.
What's there to deny them of the same decision?
i like point a) though. To reduce the rental charges
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Singaporean very forgetful 1, and also kasu and kasi.
Boycott? BohC0ck! -
Double post.
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If you are driven by short-term gain, you will most likely end up breaking the law.Originally posted by extrinsic:Sorry, but be fair. You want to earn as much money as possible too, don't you?
What's there to deny them of the same decision?
I think the quickest way to get rich is probably robbing the bank. -
i think most of you are under the delusion that the government is supposed to intervene in this situation.
this is a decision made by a company. It does it for profit, pure and simple. There is nothing wrong wtih raising prices if it does not violate their agreement with any shareholders.
What, you're gonna insist the government intervene when another company raises prices on say...computer parts?