TRY getting a taxi on Friday or Saturday within the city. The taxi queues are inevitably long and when one tries to call for a cab, the waiting time just to be connected to the operator is unbearably long and, frequently, you get the message that there are no cabs in the area to answer the call
Sunday nights are equally frustrating. I asked a cabby why this was so, and he replied that it was because taxi drivers preferred to be home with their families.
The problem extends to weekday afternoons in the Central Business District, where it is problematic getting a cab. Last week, I tried to hail a taxi at Raffles Place at 3.30pm to go for a business meeting, but finally gave up after waiting for 10 minutes and took the MRT instead.
A few days later, I needed to guide my colleagues from abroad to a meeting.
I decided to call for a taxi in advance, but it took 15 minutes of calling before I finally managed to book one, and another 10 minutes before the taxi arrived.
We cannot claim to have good public transport when residents who cannot - or choose not to - buy a car do not have a viable alternative.
Of course, one can take the bus instead of the MRT, but sometimes this isn't practical when travelling with the disabled or the elderly or children, and not all places are convenient to reach by bus.
Furthermore, one can be forced to wait for up to 20 minutes for a bus.
The erratic taxi service affects our reputation. It is embarrassing when overseas business travellers complain about how much more efficient Hong Kong's cab system is compared to Singapore.
Ng Keng Nam
day shift drivers , how much the ERP for 3.30pm ?
I wanna tell those complainants , pls looked at the root of the issue .
Not just cabby problems .
Pls looked at Supply & Demands issues
ERP cost issues , link >( http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/ERP_Rates.html )
Congestions issues
I thought ERP is the main reason for not easy to get a cab between 2pm to 4pm .
I heard from some friends , 2pm onwards $2 to get inot CBD ? Doesn't that sounds illogical enough to do business for us ?
Flag down only $3 , ERP charges ( we bore) $2 , nett profit $1 ? Instead of outside CBD , i can get nett profit $3 ? Sounds funny here ?
Originally posted by Poolman:I wanna tell those complainants , pls looked at the root of the issue .
Not just cabby problems .
Pls looked at Supply & Demands issues
ERP cost issues , link >( http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/ERP_Rates.html )
Congestions issues
I thought ERP is the main reason for not easy to get a cab between 2pm to 4pm .
I heard from some friends , 2pm onwards $2 to get inot CBD ? Doesn't that sounds illogical enough to do business for us ?
Flag down only $3 , ERP charges ( we bore) $2 , nett profit $1 ? Instead of outside CBD , i can get nett profit $3 ? Sounds funny here ?
Originally posted by Poolman:I wanna tell those complainants , pls looked at the root of the issue .
Not just cabby problems .
Pls looked at Supply & Demands issues
ERP cost issues , link >( http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/ERP_Rates.html )
Congestions issues
I thought ERP is the main reason for not easy to get a cab between 2pm to 4pm .
I heard from some friends , 2pm onwards $2 to get inot CBD ? Doesn't that sounds illogical enough to do business for us ?
Flag down only $3 , ERP charges ( we bore) $2 , nett profit $1 ? Instead of outside CBD , i can get nett profit $3 ? Sounds funny here ?
These complainants won't understand the root of the problem.
They just want a cab in the shortest possible time and get to their destination by the shortest time possible too.
Originally posted by Poolman:I wanna tell those complainants , pls looked at the root of the issue .
Not just cabby problems .
Pls looked at Supply & Demands issues
ERP cost issues , link >( http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/ERP_Rates.html )
Congestions issues
I thought ERP is the main reason for not easy to get a cab between 2pm to 4pm .
I heard from some friends , 2pm onwards $2 to get inot CBD ? Doesn't that sounds illogical enough to do business for us ?
Flag down only $3 , ERP charges ( we bore) $2 , nett profit $1 ? Instead of outside CBD , i can get nett profit $3 ? Sounds funny here ?
This is LTA's problem.
Now that diesel price has been going north, SMRT's disesel now cost $1.05, who would want to incur extra cost.
Originally posted by Poolman:I wanna tell those complainants , pls looked at the root of the issue .
Not just cabby problems .
Pls looked at Supply & Demands issues
ERP cost issues , link >( http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/ERP_Rates.html )
Congestions issues
I thought ERP is the main reason for not easy to get a cab between 2pm to 4pm .
I heard from some friends , 2pm onwards $2 to get inot CBD ? Doesn't that sounds illogical enough to do business for us ?
Flag down only $3 , ERP charges ( we bore) $2 , nett profit $1 ? Instead of outside CBD , i can get nett profit $3 ? Sounds funny here ?
this 2pm-3pm CBD problem has been going on for quite sometime. all taxi stands in city full of pax but no taxi,taxis are all cruising outside CBD area & queueing at sim lim sq,gateway & outram mrt.CDG taxis will be mostly in scheme B & will prefer not to accept calls in city area,this explain why Mr Ng has got the problem booking for a taxi.
who to blame? ERP $2 which cabby in the right mind will pay & go in empty?
whose fault? taxi drivers again?
just b4 8pm outside CBD,can u see all the private cars stopping there waiting for the ERP lights to goes off? even ferrari & lambo are doing tis,then why still blame us cabbies for trying to save the $2?
Originally posted by Teolk:this 2pm-3pm CBD problem has been going on for quite sometime. all taxi stands in city full of pax but no taxi,taxis are all cruising outside CBD area & queueing at sim lim sq,gateway & outram mrt.CDG taxis will be mostly in scheme B & will prefer not to accept calls in city area,this explain why Mr Ng has got the problem booking for a taxi.
who to blame? ERP $2 which cabby in the right mind will pay & go in empty?
whose fault? taxi drivers again?
just b4 8pm outside CBD,can u see all the private cars stopping there waiting for the ERP lights to goes off? even ferrari & lambo are doing tis,then why still blame us cabbies for trying to save the $2?
Morning 9.55-9.59am lagi better, ERP $0.50 but those nice cars waiting outside cbd. Outside Riverplace also, all slow down, hoping for red light, just to save 50 cents.
Yeah, so td should pay $2 out of his own pocket to go into cbd so that pax can get a cab. Meter start $3.00, meter stop $3.20. Thank you very much!!!
Want to solve problem, cbd surcharge start earlier (2pm?) OR abolish cbd surcharge. Take your pick, whichever is the lesser evil. Of course the associated problems will arise whichever way. Collateral damage, I call it. This one LTA scholars can solve lah, not tds' problem.
It's funny when i talked to some old timer drivers , they said : " If downtown line started , we can eat grass liao ( shaking their head ) .
Hey , TS said he has problems getting a cab , call also no cab . But hey we has got EW Line , NE Line , Circle Line , go fucking , get a train !
Which he just did .
That isn't what Singapore wanted those people to do ? Take a train ie , so let them go complaint to PAP lar ...... ST forum , no use one .
In here , i heard cabbies worry about first North East Line ..... then worst Circle Line .....
Why worry ?
U heard those complaints recently ?
F*ck la , MRT not a threat to us , no way .
Being like that for many years liao .
I have said THAT thousand times , MRT NEVER WILL BE A THREAT TO US , WE ARE A THREAT TO THEM .
Originally posted by KCTK:Morning 9.55-9.59am lagi better, ERP $0.50 but those nice cars waiting outside cbd. Outside Riverplace also, all slow down, hoping for red light, just to save 50 cents.
Yeah, so td should pay $2 out of his own pocket to go into cbd so that pax can get a cab. Meter start $3.00, meter stop $3.20. Thank you very much!!!
Want to solve problem, cbd surcharge start earlier (2pm?) OR abolish cbd surcharge. Take your pick, whichever is the lesser evil. Of course the associated problems will arise whichever way. Collateral damage, I call it. This one LTA scholars can solve lah, not tds' problem.
If $3 surcharge start earlier at 2pm,
Most commuter maybe willing to paid for it,
Otherwise if drag until 5pm more jialut, $3 + 35% + havey traffic.....
But, who will suffer?
Night TD sure kpkb,
5pm start town bo lang liao,wood/cck/soon mai zai?
u think those idle TD will still dare to interview?
LTA should implement surcharge start at 2pm,
This maybe solve some problems of havey traffic from 5-7pm...
Originally posted by Red5xx:If $3 surcharge start earlier at 2pm,
Most commuter maybe willing to paid for it,
Otherwise if drag until 5pm more jialut, $3 + 35% + havey traffic.....
But, who will suffer?
Night TD sure kpkb,
5pm start town bo lang liao,wood/cck/soon mai zai?
u think those idle TD will still dare to interview?
LTA should implement surcharge start at 2pm,
This maybe solve some problems of havey traffic from 5-7pm...
Not likely .... i mean not likely to have CDB $3 surchare anytime before 5pm .
The situation was like that long before your time , just that last time ERP from 2pm not $2 , just $1 .
They have to realize , the problem is ERP from 2pm > 4pm
Nothing else .
And that's what beyond cabby's control .
The people have to just take a train then .....
Business meeting also can take train ma , why must take taxis ?
MRT ridership must be very low during 2pm to 4pm . That is why they put $2 from 2-4pm , force people to take a train .
Originally posted by Red5xx:If $3 surcharge start earlier at 2pm,
Then CDB will be a massive car park for taxis . Outside CBD no taxis , every taxi go in pick CBD surcharge , outside will start to have taxi blues .
If it's not one, then it's the other. Business sense says go where the dough is. Economics 101. Commuters can't have their cake and eat it too.
And they always like to compare Hong Kong's taxis with Sg's. Hey, if I own my taxi and don't have to pay such exorbitant rent, I can afford to do a little charity too. So commuters, make more noise, the louder the better. Make sure your gahment hears you loud and clear and then demand some concrete actions. Don't let the overpaid scholars just sit on their thumbs all day.
Originally posted by Poolman:It's funny when i talked to some old timer drivers , they said : " If downtown line started , we can eat grass liao ( shaking their head ) .
Hey , TS said he has problems getting a cab , call also no cab . But hey we has got EW Line , NE Line , Circle Line , go fucking , get a train !
Which he just did .
That isn't what Singapore wanted those people to do ? Take a train ie , so let them go complaint to PAP lar ...... ST forum , no use one .
Even all the LINE started,
Bukit timah still jam la,
Bartley MRT was up long time ago,
But during morning and evening time, the jam is getting worst,
same case as all other mrt near schoool la
dunno they build the mrt station near school for what?
bartley rd coming down from viaduct towards braddell jam 2++pm.
parents pick up children with car. all lanes jam. good life kids nowadays....