By Bryna Sim

MR HO'S problems with Prime Taxi started last November, when he wanted to upgrade the 82-litre compressed natural gas tank in his taxi to a 100-litre one, so that he did not have to refuel so often.

The request was turned down by Prime Taxi.

Mr Ho then wrote to his MP about it. Prime Taxi responded in April this year, telling him that the change was possible if he paid $1,200.

Mr Ho asked: 'But why should I pay, when they are changing the gas tanks for other taxi drivers for free?'

According to Prime Taxi's general manager, Mr Tan Soon Chye, the company has good reasons for wanting Mr Ho to pay for the upgrade.

Mr Tan clarified that if a taxi's gas tank could not last beyond 200km, it would be given an additional gas tank. This was not a replacement for the original tank.

But in Mr Ho's case, his 82-litre tank could hold enough gas to last for that mileage.

'Mr Ho is asking for something better than what everyone else has, so he should pay for it,' said Mr Tan.

Besides, he added, changing the tank meant that the original 82-litre tank would end up as scrap metal because it could not be reused.

Sticky problem

Mr Ho also ran into problems with Prime Taxi last month when his taxi was stripped of its National Day stickers.

'I don't understand why they had to spoil my celebratory gesture,' he said, still sore.

But Mr Tan explained that the company did so because it would have to bear the responsibility if any accident took place as a result of the stickers.

Mr Ho had also complained that he had to work from 3pm to 9am in order to make enough money to pay rental every day.

This is in spite of Prime Taxi's claims to have the lowest rental rates in Singapore.

In response, Mr Tan said that Mr Ho could consider the option of sharing his taxi with another person.

He added: 'We do not force our taxi-masters to work a fixed number of hours. It's up to them how they want to use their 24-hours daily.'

According to Mr Tan, there are some taxi-drivers who 'really 'sayang' (Malay for love)' their taxis.

'If you don't want other people apart from yourself to touch the taxi, then you just have to find a way of paying rental,' he said.

This article was first published in The New Paper.