Bring in foreign cabbies
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REPORTS on recent discussions of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) with the public on a review of land transport did not bring out any plausible solutions likely to be acceptable to the LTA or transport operators.
Bold steps are needed.
As a senior citizen who travels on a concession pass, I find our public transport system good, comparable to the First World.
The only thing I wish to see removed is restricted hours so the elderly do not have to watch the clock and remember the concession window.
I am sure more bus operators competing for the same customers will further improve the service level.
Taxi service is part and parcel of public transport in any city. It is not a private chauffeured service but rather a better version of the minibuses in Hong Kong.
Conveniences carry a premium, and the efficient management of the taxi fleet in the land transport system makes the difference.
To solve the perennial problem of taxi shortage requires political will from the LTA to try new approaches with boldness.
Fair benefits for cabbies, operators and commuters should be in the equation. Perhaps the following drastic changes will ease the problems:
Abolish all surcharges and make phone booking a means to direct cabs where they are needed most. This will eliminate negative incentives to cabbies and increase passenger-carrying capacity of every cab on the road.
Increasing surcharges will only exacerbate the problem. The recent increases did not improve the situation. The crux is imbalance of supply and demand due to unavailability of drivers and not cabs.
By all means increase the flag-down rate and charge more for extra distance travelled.
Don't blame lack of cab drivers for inability to cope during peak hours. Allow foreign drivers to fill the gap. If Singaporeans don't want the job, let foreign workers keep the cabs moving and be productive. Don't let lack of cab drivers hold us hostage.
Let cabbies earn more with higher productivity and hard work. Waiting for phone bookings for extra money is counter-productive and nurtures a bad work attitude.
If cabbies can earn decent fares without coerced incentives, why should they wait for phone bookings and resort to 'hiding'? Instead, they will be hunting passengers so they can earn more income.
Paul Chan Poh Hoi
(Straits Times 4 June 2007) -
Aiya the regime has started liao ... That day i even saw an angmo driving one...
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There are quite a no of hk cabbies driver around...
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Bring in cabbies from Indonesia, Bangladesh and China...that will solve the shortage of drivers.Originally posted by soulwinner:There are quite a no of hk cabbies driver around... -
Who says there's a shortage of drivers ?Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Bring in cabbies from Indonesia, Bangladesh and China...that will solve the shortage of drivers. -
Taxi companies said that recently in a Straits Times report. The buoyant economy has meant fewer applicants for the job.Originally posted by Trump_Card:Who says there's a shortage of drivers ? -
Bring in foreign politicians...
They cost much less and are more bang for the buck... -
why sia? den all the uncles here no job liao
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No, their jobs are secure as long as they work harder instead of disappearing to get the midnight charge avoiding CBD etc....Originally posted by DjMatrix:why sia? den all the uncles here no job liao
Now they want to increase CBD surcharge further:
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I REFER to the report, 'Tough to get a cab? Upping surcharges may work: Minister' (ST, May 31).
Minister of State for Transport, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, rightly pointed out that as the taxi service operates like a private, chauffeured service, more price differentiation is appropriate.
Demand for taxis in the city area is usually greater from Monday to Friday between 8pm and 11pm when most people rush home from work and shopping.
During this period, cabbies driving passengers from the city to the outskirts may find it is not financially viable to drive back to town. Instead, they prefer to cruise around the neighbourhood, even though the chances of picking up passengers are slim.
To encourage and compensate cabbies for the time and diesel lost driving to town, perhaps the Land Transport Authority could implement a CBD surcharge of $4 from Monday to Friday between 8pm and 11pm.
The $5 airport surcharge from Friday to Sunday from 5pm to midnight has seen long queues of taxis at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Because of the surcharge, I was told some cabbies even drive all the way from Jurong.
With the new surcharge, passengers need not call for taxis and the problem of cabbies going into 'hiding' to wait for calls will disappear. The surcharge should be implemented on a six-month trial basis and scrapped if it does not work.
Poh Soon Leong "
There is no need to increasing surcharge to solve the shortage of cab drivers if we bring in foreign drivers from the Philippines, Sri Lanka and China. The government has been protecting local cabbies for too long. It's time they face up to the pressures of competition from globalisation like everyone else. -
Trust me, Perth needs more foreign cabbies than Singapore. The lack of taxis in the sWAn Valley was embarrassingly revealed on The Amazing Race some time back.
At the same time, LTA should consider issuing peak period taxi licences if they feel that there is a shortage of taxis during these times. -
U guys can dream on .
Taxi driving is for those age 50+ senior citizen who could not find a job .
Taxi not meant for foreigners .
Singaporeans will forever be held ransom whenever they need taxis most .
Those who hope that must really eat vegetarians and pray hard to get those Indonesians and foreign workers to drive a Singapore taxis .
I will be worried if my girlfriend was driven home by a Bangedeshi .....
Bangedeshi and Indonesians does posed a social problems in Singapore , anyway , Garmen never will allow foreign muslims to pose more security problems . They had enough problems .....
well , u hopeful can go on dreaming for the day .... take my words , hahahaha.... dream on !! -
Taxi was set-up by a foundation called : Singapore Labour Foundation , not Singapore Foreign Labour Foundation !
Hahahaha...... -
I don't find a logic here ....
Employ foreigners to earn Singaporeans money , and bring back the money to their own country , what economy benefit does Singapore itself gets ?
Singaporean cabbies earn Singaporean cash , and spent in Singapore , so the economy is moving .....
Make no sense to make our neignbour country richer , at the expense of Singaporeans ....
Hahahah ... Uncle me make sense here ? Hahahaha....
Maid issues is different , Singapore garmen doesn not allow Singaporeans girls to become maids , just ask KY Lee . hahaha ....
Bangadeshi and Chinamen are meant for our construction business , cos Singaporeans do not want this jobs ..... -
Obviously those St Forumers do not know exactly the country's regulations to becoming a cabby ....
So hope they go LTA website For Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL]
For Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL), applicant must:
Be able to speak simple English and one other official language
Be a Singapore Citizen holding a pink NRIC.
Be at least 30 years old.
Possess a qualified Class 3 Singapore driving licence.
Have at least 1 year's driving experience with a clean driving record and
Be able to speak and read simple English.
Be able to speak one other official language besides English.
N.B: If you are able to produce documentary proof of your ability to speak English and one other official language, then you need not appear for a language assessment interview before your application can be considered. For this purpose,
we accept GCE 'O' or 'N' level pass in English and the other official language (Malay or Mandarin or Tamil). -
I am sorry for those Bangedeshi , i really don't think they speak any decent English ...... and here we are talking about at least "N" level english ....
So does those Indonesians ..... if those Indonesians can get N level equivalent academics , i really don't think they want to drive a taxi in S'pore .
They can get a good job in Indonesia i think ..... -
Furthermore ......... u need to "write" simple readable english , not i see down on Bangalas , if they can read or write , god sake , stay in Bangala and work in a bank !!
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So those who still think taxi-driving is for foreigners .... bless u , hahahah ....
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In order to change this regulations ..... i think the taxi companies must proposed to LTA , LTA then proposed to the Ministry , the Ministry will then go to discuss with Ng Eng Hen .... ManPower Chief , then he proposed to Parliament .... the he lose his job !!! Hahhahah .....
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If Poolman is right, then how do you explain the presence of PRC cabbies in SG? Some of our friends have run into them before.
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As far as i know , from my taxi company or from my counterparts .... there's non cabbies from PRC , i repeat - NON !Originally posted by iveco:If Poolman is right, then how do you explain the presence of PRC cabbies in SG? Some of our friends have run into them before.
But .... always a but .... i cannot count out if there were any who was born in mainland China , who has been living and working in Singapore for their last 10 years or so , thus qualified as so-called pink ic singaporean .... that is a possibilty , who still can't change their accents ....
If u are talking about Blue NRIC Singaporean taxi drivers , no chance !
I wondering ..... speaks good mandarin then u all say he/she a China's Products ???
Wondering u all got go Geylang and hear the china-girls' their slang ??? -
So Brian Richmond or Mark Richmond ang-mo ???Originally posted by Trump_Card:Aiya the regime has started liao ... That day i even saw an angmo driving one... -
Singaporean Hong Kee ????Originally posted by soulwinner:There are quite a no of hk cabbies driver around... -
getting foreigners to drive singapore cabs..i really don't think much people will be able to agree to this issue...when i take cabs..i often talk to the drivers and they would tell me that.. there are ALOT of taxi drivers on singapore road already..so earning money for them is a tough task..thus..i do not think that there is no shortage of drivers out there at the moment of time..well in the near future..if there is really a shortage of cab drivers..i dun mind foreigners driving cabs..
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No need .... in fact ... there's never a shortage of taxis in Spore .Originally posted by iveco:Trust me, Perth needs more foreign cabbies than Singapore. The lack of taxis in the sWAn Valley was embarrassingly revealed on The Amazing Race some time back.
At the same time, LTA should consider issuing peak period taxi licences if they feel that there is a shortage of taxis during these times.
The difference , at a certain time , like between 9pm to 11pm , there'a sudden surge of demand for taxis , cos taxi is cheap and convenience .....
To solve this problem , taxi basic fare must go up further , to make commuters think thrice before taking a taxi .
A slice of taxi commuters must go to other source of Public transports .
Then there's a balance between demand and supply .... -
ComfortDelgro make a mistake by telling Singaporeans there's a shortage of drivers ... there's actual fact not true !
The true fact , many of Comfort & CityCab drivers jump ship to other taxi companies , who gave better benefits ....
They ( comfort & citycab )were stuck with no takers for their taxis , that doesn't mean there's a shortage of drivers .
Just that the drivers change taxi company only , amount of drivers on the road roughly the same !
ComfortDelgro cannot admit that publicly , why ?
They are a Public Listed Company , if they admit , can u imagine ? ComfortDelgro share price will plunged overnight !!!!
Make sense here ?
Yes , Comfort has not got enough drivers , not Singapore has not got enough taxi drivers !