Taxies in Singapore

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Just my option – Taxies

By: Warren E Carter

3 March 2006

Beautiful Singapore has proven to me to be one place that is easy to get around in. between the MRT trains, buses and close to 50,000 taxis so there is not a problem for you to reach your location quickly and for a fairly cheap price.

The taxi drivers in Singapore do not normally go by addresses but rather by building name or location like telling the driver you want to go to Canning Park or Centerpoint shopping center.

Finding a taxi can be found several ways, first you have the taxi stands which can be found in areas around businesses and shopping area. Next you can always wave one down off the street by just standing along the road and waving your hand for a pick up.

From there the other way is to book a taxi from the company by using your hand phone. After booking the taxi they will give you the number and arrival time of the taxi.

All the taxis are metered and in really good shape for the most part. Seat belts are installed in all taxis, not that they weren’t supplied in the first place, for your safety which are required by law to wear.

Ok everything sound good so far right? Well hold on a minute there is just a bit more.

As you enter the center part of town, Orchard area, central business distinct and surrounding areas there is a ERP charge. This is designed to charge vehicles a fee when entering the area in an attempt to decreases the traffic. So when you enter this area that charge is added to you taxi fare. Depending on the time of day will determine the ERP cost. Peak-hour Travel S$1.00 & CBD Area Travel S$1.00 extra.

Booking a taxi will cost be between S$2.80 and S$3.20 extra on average depending on the company. Advance booking will cost you between S$4.80 and S$5.20.

If you catch your taxi after midnight you pay the price plus 50%. So if you fare was S$20.00 the total fee would be S$30.00. It converts back at 6am

If you are coming into Singapore or paying by credit card just add 10% to the fare and if you get into a taxi at Changi Airport well then add another S$5.00

Ok so now we know what that taxi ride will cost us and there are plenty of taxis around so it all good. Well not quite yet. Lets say you live in Sengkang and need to catch a taxi and it raining, good luck of finding a cab on the street that is not already carrying a passenger or is booked to pick up a passenger. So you get on the phone and call only to find that no taxis are available at that time. So now what do you do?

Another one for you: you are in the Boat Quay area or any other area that has a lot of bars which is known to have lots of people looking for taxis. But try to find one there some times, you will mostly end up waiting for at least 10 to 15 minutes unless you are really lucky and a taxi falls out of the sky and lands right in front of you!

Ok here is another one for you: you work in the CBD it’s 5:30pm you are trying to get home, where are all the taxis now? And if you do get on when you getting the cab it just cost you about 5 to 6 bucks and you haven’t even left the curb yet.

Or it is 11pm and you are done for the night and what to head home where are the taxies now? Hiding out waiting for the midnight charge to kick in and then they will come out and start to pick up passengers for extra cost.

The taxis in Singapore are rented by the companies to the drivers who either share with another driver or keep it, so most of them (the taxis) are on the road all the time. Since the taxi is rented it is up to the driver to make is living by picking up people which make sense, right?

Shift change time: This is when the drivers swap out. So if you see a taxi which the top sign saying shift change save your time he will not normally stop for you or if his window sign says a location that is not near you again save your time.

Mercedes taxi club: this is a group of drives with Mercedes and cater to those doing booking or limo service. You can see them along the road waiting with their Limo lights on and they will kindly tell you “not for service” and some times you can find 5 to 10 parked in the same location. Cost of the Mercedes is higher if booking it is but is the normal price if you are lucky enough to get one at off the street.

The big problem: since all of these taxis are independent workers there is no coordination in picking up passengers. There are not linked by a radio so they can not talk to each other but I am sure they could thought the central control room if they wanted to. Since this is not done no other taxi will know that there are 100 people waiting for taxis at Boat Quay Southbridge Road unless they stop over for them selves.

This is the problem with the taxis in Singapore and providing a more valuable service. Well over all there is nothing to really complain about but when shit goes wrong and you spend 30 minutes trying to find a taxi at 9:30pm it starts to get under your skin, you know?

How to fix it: this is a good question but this is what I think! First off at night have a percentage of taxis in the areas of the clubs where there are always people waiting for ride. You want a good example of this, go to Orchard Towers around 11pm or 1 to 2am and you will see plenty of taxis there but go to Boat Quay or Clarke Quay and good luck on seeing the same thing.

With this each man for him self attitude those that are driving just to do something and pass time will not be actively looking for fares. I can not recall how many times I saw a cab on the other side of the street that was stopped and the driver didn’t look around to see if there saw any one hailing for a cab that he could have picked up.

If you are driving a taxi is shouldn’t matter where the passenger wants to go or what time it you pick them up and take them. Aren’t the taxis here to serve us? But it seams the other way around to me.

But that is just my option!