Buy a car or depend on taxis?

Due to hike, expat may get a car after 14 years here
Thursday • December 13, 2007
Letter from KARA EKEBERG

I am an expatriate. For the past 14 years, my family has decided that the cost of owning a car outweighed that of taking taxis.

As we had another baby recently, we now rely even more on taxis to take us to places.

But with the reported taxi fare hike, the benefits of owning our own car — such as having the freedom to move around, the fact that all of us can fit into one vehicle and not having to wait in long queues while holding bags of groceries — now seem to outweigh the costs. And for the first time since we moved here, we are considering buying a car.

Increasing the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges has not reduced the number of cars on the roads. So, I am not convinced that increasing taxi fares will fix the problem.

I understand that ComfortDelGro intends to offer cabbies an ERP rebate.

Perhaps, a better solution would be to exempt cabbies from paying the ERP charges in order to encourage a fluid movement of taxis around the whole of Singapore, regardless of the time of day.

And although I think that the public transport system here is marvellous and highly accessible, it is very inconvenient for me to get on the MRT train during peak hours with my four children and a pram.

However, I fear it is far too late to have a fuller dialogue on this problem as the taxi operators seem to have made their decision.

Charge higher fares only for those taking taxis from CBD
Letter from LAI YEW CHAN

ComfortDelGro must address the twin concerns of higher operating costs and the lack of taxis in the Central Business District (CBD) during the evening peak hours. But it has done so by putting the burden on consumers.

Why should people taking taxis during the morning peak hours have to pay the same 35-per-cent surcharge when there is no shortage of taxis in the morning?

And why should those taking taxis at non-CBD areas during peak hours have to bear the burden as well?

The shortage of taxis in the CBD during the evening is a result of insufficient cabs going to the CBD. The sensible way to resolve this is not to ignore the needs of commuters in non-CBD areas during the evening peak hours as well.

Taxi companies should charge higher fares during the evening peak hours only to commuters in the CBD.

With the new fare structure, the only fare differential between these two groups of commuters in the evening will be the $3 city area surcharge, which hardly reflects the premium that should be accorded to an available cab in the CBD during peak hours.

ComfortDelGro's decisions may cause it to lose some commuters.

We may not see the effects yet because of the festive season.

But once the dust has settled, we may see an increase in the number of commuters who will be forced to take the bus or the MRT more frequently.

How does hike translate to more efficient service?
Letter from GILBERT GOH KEOW WAH

The latest hike not only jacks up transport costs for many people in Singapore but also makes the city-state an expensive place to live in or visit.

It is not realistic to compare our cab fares with those of cities such as London or Sydney because the cost of living there can sometimes be twice as much as ours.

I don't know how the fare hike will translate into better and more efficient service.

Until cab drivers feel that it is their responsibility to provide better service, commuters will boycott cabs and take them only when it is necessary.

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