SINGAPORE: The Motor Traders Association of Singapore (MTA) has written to Transport Minister Raymond Lim, offering some suggestions to fine-tune the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system.
In a release issued on Wednesday, the MTA suggested the removal of taxis from the Category A COE quota, and doing away with Category E (open category) COEs.
It said COE premiums are now among the highest since the COE system was started in 1990.
These high prices come on the back of sharp cuts in the COE quota over the last 12 months.
The cuts coupled with the high COE premium have had an adverse impact on both the motor industry and car buyers.
It added that under current rules, the situation is expected to worsen this year.
On the removal of taxis from the Category A COE quota, it said over the last 20 years, the taxi population has more than doubled.
With the liberalisation of taxi supply in 2003, there is now no cap on the taxi population.
MTA said taxi operators currently compete with the private car buyer for a COE as they are required to bid for a Category A COE to register their new taxis.
This puts additional pressure on the Category A COE premiums.
And because they are business enterprises, taxi operators are in a better position to bid more for COEs.
The MTA said higher COE premium for taxis translates to higher cost for taxi operators and this higher cost would inevitably be passed to the commuter in the form of higher transport fees.
Higher transport costs would lead to higher inflation which will affect everyone.
As to doing away with Category E COEs, it said this category can be used to register any vehicle.
The MTA has suggested that Category E COEs be removed in order to allow for a more equitable spread of the COE quota and to prevent possible speculation of category E COEs.
At the first place , taxis shouldn't be there at Cat A .
This is one of those Cock ups from our PAP government .
Don't know what they thinking ?
Paid millions of dollars each month to come out with such craps ?
Originally posted by Poolman:At the first place , taxis shouldn't be there at Cat A .
Ya do away with COE and lower our rental!!!!
Originally posted by ALN:i prefer taxi companies to bankrupt leh… more fun…
back to good old yellow-top days ah heheh
Originally posted by ALN:i prefer taxi companies to bankrupt leh… more fun…
Then u take over as ALN taxi transpotation PLE LTD...come out all model of taxi from mini to 4 wheels drive..
Originally posted by hammerhammer8888:Ya do away with COE and lower our rental!!!!
Taxi is also part of the car population to be control under the COE, perhap it will be better for Taxi to be categorise on its own, like Taxi COE, that can change as per demand of taxi on the road, and our rental will also change with it, because COE was low, people gain from buying car, but taxi hirers still paid the fix amount, that is not flexible. For today, COE is high, as a taxi driver, I gained because people will forgo car and take public transport that include Taxis.
And in the news you heard that less and less L learners are taking up driving licence, and those driving instructors are looking to change jobs, so are those new car salesmen, some will loose job soon, and most properly, become TD, cos they hardly can go on with another similar job at mid age, nor does other companies want them since our govt love young foreigners so much.
I believe there will be a surge in hiring market for taxis, firstly, there will be more and more new intake, secondly, as the population age, more will come in to take up this trade, thirdly, the outlook for taxi driving is attractive and good provided you work hard, cos we have a good economy and improvement in tourism. You can even sense it, after so much advices from us to tell newbies not to take up as hirer, they still go ahead and be one, cos they want to secure it and think that relief is not stable.
For 25,000 taxis, we will hv 50,000 active drivers including the reliefs, and if 100.000 are preying to become one, all taxis will be out, and taxi companies will be very happy, they will start to apply for more taxis. For us, already a taxi drivers, be it relief or hirer, we may need to beef up our discipline and hold on to our trade more firmly, cos if you have a few thousands on the waiting list, any wrongdoing, the taxi companies will not hesitate to terminate us to get a nice young newbie.
as per the parliament discussion last night .
same answer : no !
they have their reasons .
my life lives one .
Originally posted by FT:
Then u take over as ALN taxi transpotation PLE LTD...come out all model of taxi from mini to 4 wheels drive..
he wont come out all model of taxi.. only one model. guess what it is.. hhahahaha