Commuters groan over taxi operators' recent fare hikes

SINGAPORE - He thought he had it all worked out when he gave up his three-year-old Corolla Altis in January.

Since he was moving to a deskbound job, sales manager Dave Lee thought he could halve the $1,400 he used to spend on loan instalments and petrol by taking public transport.

But punctuality became a problem for Mr Lee and his family, who live in a four-room flat in Bedok.

His administrative executive wife has to send their six-month-old daughter to the babysitter in Simei before going to her office at VivoCity.

And he drops their two-year-old son off at the childcare centre in Kembangan before heading to his workplace in Orchard Road.

Taking the MRT with young kids at peak hours is near impossible, he says.

"There were times when we had to wait for two or three trains to go by before we could even get on one."

Husband and wife resort to taking two separate taxis, and the family's transport costs run to around $1,100 a month.

So it is only natural that he is sensitive to any news regarding taxi fares.

On Tuesday, it was reported that SMRT was rolling out 600 Toyota Priuses with a flag-down rate of $3.80.

This comes in the wake of ComfortDelgro's new fleet of Hyundai i40s that were first rolled out last month, with flag-down fares of $3.70.

A few months ago, Trans-Cab, Comfort and Premier raised the flagdown rates of their luxury cabs to $3.90.

The Straits Times reported last week that cab fares have been increasing as operators move to counter higher certificate of entitlement (COE) prices and a growth restriction on their fleets.

Mr Lee concedes that the 600 cabs is a small portion of the total taxi population in Singapore, and the chances of him taking one of these new cab is small. But he feels powerless against any increases.

"It's not like I can opt not to take cabs at this time, with our two young kids," he says.

One taxi commuter feels that flagdown rates have increased tremendously in five years.

Freelance fashion stylist Gladys Leow, 47, says: "In 2007, flag-downs were generally $2.50. These days, it's averaging $3.60, before the various surcharges.

"And it feels like when one company increases, the rest follow suit."

Taxi fares were deregulated in 1998 in a move to allow cab companies to set fare structures based on their assessments of prevailing market conditions, said the Land Transport Authority then.

This has led to a plethora of charges, surcharges and at least eight different sorts of phone-booking charges.

The general grumbles about cab fares here resonated among heart landers this columnist spoke to this week, especially for those who see their cab rides as a necessity.

Research writer Whang Ee-Mui, 30, says: "Some (people) can argue that a 20-cent hike is nothing, but if you rely on taxis to move around for work, that can work out to quite a lot in a month."

Madam Nina Choo, a 46-year-old advertising sales executive, bemoans how her transport allowance "has remained stagnant" over the eight years that she has been with the company.

"So many (fare) hikes have taken place over the past years and yet our transport allowance is still $300 a month," she says.

"And we are expected to fill in six sales appointments in a day. With this new hike, it means that our expenses will go up.

"Hopefully, my boss reads this and will adjust our allowance."

"I can understand that it's part of the economy growth thing," says 60-year-old housewife Nurulisa Mohd, who takes a cab thrice a week to the kidney dialysis centre and back.

"I don't have a choice since none of my three daughters drive."

She estimates that she spends about $150 each month on cab fares just to get her treatment.

In recent months, the amount has gone up to about $165.

"I was telling my eldest daughter last month that I may need some extra money, but I feel bad about taking from any of them because they are also trying to make ends meet."

But let's not be too quick to take it out on the cabbies, shall we?

An SMRT cabby, who wants to be known only as Mr Chan, says he had two passengers insist they wanted to get out of his cab yesterday.

"I took the trouble to explain that the flag-down is different and the two women glared at me, then told me they wanted to take another cab," he says.

Mr Ismail Yusoff, 50, a part-time Trans-Cab cabby, has lost count on the number of commuters who changed their mind about taking his cab when they realised that the flag-down fare is $3.90.

He says: "I can only shrug it off and move on.

"But sometimes, there are passengers who don't realise it and they'd argue with me at the end of the journey.

It gets really unpleasant.

"I wish they can understand that we are only trying to make a living."

Cabbies, we sometimes forget, also have their living expenses and operating costs.

We still have some of the most affordable cabs among the major metropolises in the world.

My colleague tells me that she once spent more than $100 on a 40-minute cab ride through Tokyo.

Back to the opinions at Ground Zero: I think at the heart of this grumbling is the pace of price hikes, especially in the context of higher costs of living.

Some heartlanders have become more sensitive in what they feel has become a barrage of price increases everywhere, from supermarket prices to school fees.

And people want some kind of reassurance that it's not freewheeling profiteering at work.

Human resource manager Irene Tan, 36, asks: "Is there any regulating body that controls the number of times or how much an operator can increase cab fares?

"I feel that the Government should step in and control the situation."

In other words, to this columnist at least, people just want to feel like someone's watching out for them.

In the meantime, as someone who takes a cab to everywhere, I confess that I have lost track of the various fare structures and surcharges.

So much so that sometimes, I have to rely on my smartphone to do a quick check.

I'd have to say that I have my own grouses, but guess what - I really wouldn't mind paying more.

But only if the ride and service is commensurate with that money.

It's annoying that prices are increasing, but there is no discernible difference in the quality of the service.

I still meet at least one rude driver a week.

If we can level up on that, I'd find it money well-spent, given that I get to save time and travel in comfort.

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