Pheuweet! Tax-xi!

It seems that the good old days of whistling down your cab streetside will be no more. Romantics, post-quarrel couples and movie makers, cry your heart out. Welcome to modern-day (Uniquely) Singapore.

Although I love the time and effort-savings that cabs provide, the convenience I enjoy can be easily negated by how infuriating and confusing the price structure is. I am a romantic -- I steadfastly refuse to call a cab, even during exam days, believing I can hail one from the street, as it has always been.

But no. The situation set to get even worse.

I can understand the need for the price hikes. Oil prices (thanks, George) have risen from US$75 in August to almost $100 in December. I can deal with it too. But many of CDG's initiatives don't seem to grapple the problem. And that is the real reason why I both hate cabs as much as love them. Let's pick at the bones of its media release.

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CDG: 1. Encouraging taxis to take passengers from the city area:
"It is a common complaint among commuters that they are unable to get a cab from the city area during evening peak hours. One reason for this is that many taxis leave the city centre for the suburbs and drivers and little incentive to drive all the way back to the city to pick new passengers up."

If there is a crowd at the city centres during peak hours, doesn't that represent burgeoning demand? Wouldn't it make sense to head straight back to the city? Yes it would. In fact, many cabbies have told me this veins-vessels system is their modus operandi. Anyway if CDG is correct, there are supposed to be many cabs around the 'suburbs'. But have you spoken to someone from a suburb recently? Many of them can't seem to find one. So where are all the cabs? Maybe they're all chilling out in their 5km queue at Changi Airport.

Cont'd: "This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that demand for taxis generally spikes in the city centre in the evenings. To attract drivers back to the city centre, the Peak City Area Surcharge will be raised from $1 to $3...
The Group is aware that with the higher City Area Surcharge, it is possible that taxi drivers may refuse to pick up passengers from taxi stands located at the city fringe. Hence we will work closely with the LTA on possible ways to address this issue."

So, CDG rolls out a plan before they deal with possible problems? So what hapens when no one in Bukit Timah or Bukit Merah can get a cab because the cabbies are camping in town to earn an extra $2?


CDG: 2. City ERP Rebate to drivers:
"Many drivers are reluctant to enter the city area during the evening ERP hours on an empty cab as they are not willing to pay the charges. To provide drivers with the added incentive to do so, ComfortDelGro will give all drivers who are unable to get a passenger within 15 minutes of entering the ERP zone an ERP rebate."

This could seem to be good news. But if CDG is doing this, who will absorb the cost? The gahmen? Our newly-highly paid transport minister Raymond Lim? I don't think so. CDG itself? If so, I fear for the subsidies currently granted to the cabbies. And I dread to imagine the almighty jam along Orchard. How will the Wisma-Tangs jaywalkers ever get across the road now?


CDG: 3. Simplifying fares: Late Night Surcharge:
"The Late Night Surcharge will be revised back to 50% of the metered fare between midnight and 5.59am. This revision should be viewed in conjunction with the City Area Surcharge which ends just as the Late Night Surcharge begins. In the past, when the Late Night Surcharge was 50% of the total metered fare, there were complaints of "disappearing" taxis. This is not expected to occur with the revision given that the City Area Surcharge will be in force right till midnight, giving little reason for taxi drivers in the city to "hide".

Finally, a Hooray. But why didn't they just impose the $3 city surcharge at the last round? Lousy planning? How un-Singaporean! And notice the big normative "This is not expected to occur ". Uh oh.


CDG: 4. Simplifying fares: Peak Hour Fare Changes
"Instead of a $2 flat rate Peak Hour Surcharge, the metered fare during the peak hours will be adjusted to include a premium of 35%."

Someone please tell me how this is called 'simplifying fares'.


CDG: 5. Flag down fare increased
"The flag down fare, the distance rate and the waiting time will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the cost of travel. With the changes, an average 9km trip will cost $8.40 compared to the current $7.65, representing an increase of 10%."

Finally, I think this is one good move. It will encourage the cabbies to stop for more road pick ups. A 30 cent increase is very okay. In fact, I think it should be more. What I do not like though, is the PR people telling half-truths with their 'average 9km' nonsence. I dread to think how much above '10%' Rachel will pay when she has to rush from her Sengkang residence to NTU. And with the gahmen thronging Jurong and Bedok wth HDBs --which are further than 9km away-- the very least CDG could do is to show enough respect for the consumers and estimate how many percentage points they will get hit for!


CDG: 6. Encouraging call booking
"Booking fees for all ComfortDelGro taxis will be reduced from $4 to $3.50 during the prime hours. Booking charges during non-prime hours will remain unchanged.
The changes in fare structure will raise the cost of taxi services in Singapore and differentiate taxi services from public transport services like bus and rail which do not offer customers a point-to-point dedicated service."

The last time I attempted to call a cab, I was in NTU with female company, smelly and weary from studying media law. No cabby picked up our plea for rescue. I have never recovered from that trauma. Now, more than everyone will booking a cab, god save the queen.

Oh, and I love how the media release ended:
"Mr Tan Soon Hua, 48, a taxi driver, welcomed the fare changes. He said: "The cost of driving a taxi has gone up and this fare increase will certainly help relieve some of my costs. I think the company’s decision to offer us ERP rebates is a good one and I, for one, will be more motivated to drive back into the city with the rebate."

Come on, CDG PR. Stop trying to make Mr. Tan sound like a Princeton graduate. Stop trying to sound sexy-snazzy. I, for one, (haha) believe good journalism leaves the quotes as they are.

So here's the summary of what new year taxi travel will hit you with.

1. Flagging down a cab will cost $0.30 more at $2.80.
2. The metered fare will cost $0.20 per 385 metres of travel for the first 10 kilometres. This will go up to $0.20 per 330 metres for journeys beyond 10 kilometres.
3. It will cost $0.20 for every 45 seconds of waiting time.
4. Instead of the $2 surcharge for peak hour travel, there will now be a premium levied. It will be 35 per cent of the metered fare.
5. The CBD surcharge will go up from the existing $1 to $3.
6. For travel from midnight till just before 6am, instead of the gradual buildup in surcharge, it will be simplified to a flat 50 per cent of the metered fare.
7. The booking fee during peak hours will be reduced by $0.50 to $3.50.

CDG says they are 'Simplifying taxi fares for the convenience of commuters' Right. I think I wouldn't even understand the receipt.

A street pick-up trip home from town used to cost me $16. Now, If I book a cab home from City Hall on friday evening, I will pay more than 60% that, even before I get in the cab.

Oh, take me back to the time Macdonald's meals cost $4.50, and I wouldn't die from hunger waiting for a cab to get to KAP.