Cabby made a big scene although it was the taxi phone operator who made destination mistake

ST Dec 18, 2007

WITH reference to the recent announcements on increases in cab fares, I would like to recount a dreadful encounter I just had with a cab driver.

I would like to know if the relevant cab operators have a response in terms of how standards of service may also be corrected to correspond with the higher rates passengers have to pay.

I was waiting in line at the cab stand at Clarke Quay in River Valley Road on Oct 13 at around 10pm. As the queue was very long, I tried calling three different lines (some of which got disconnected even after they have established my pick-up location and destination) to book a cab. It was only about an hour later that I managed to get a booking from SMRT but my nightmare had only just begun.

By the time the cab driver called me on my mobile phone, I was already reaching the start of the queue but thought I would just leave the line to honour the booking. Imagine my dismay when I realised that the operator had gotten my destination wrong. Faced with an unhappy situation of either being taken to a place which is less than a quarter of the way to my home or rejoining the queue, I decided to call the cab operator, refusing to leave the cab until the mistake had been resolved.

The cab driver, who should have tried to resolve this problem, being part of the organisation that had made the mistake, was evidently unhappy about my choice of action and barked at me to get off his cab, alternating his rants with orders to get the cab operator to call him. He also made it a point to state that his commitment was to his next appointment and not to me, a customer whose time his organisation had wasted.

I spent at least 20 minutes on the phone with the cab operator, who, in all fairness, tried to resolve the problem. Throughout the entire time, I was subjected to yellings from the cab driver, who went as far as to open the passenger door and shout at me to get out. He stopped at times to argue with the bystanders (most of whom were foreigners) who had tried to intercede on my behalf. 'Whatever it is,' some of them had reasoned, 'it is only right that you take the young lady home since it's already so late.' These were unfortunately returned with unnecessary insults from the enraged driver, who had given retorts like 'Who are you? Tony Blair?'.

I thought the issue was finally resolved when the operator finally secured a replacement booking for me, after which the driver flashed me a gleeful grin prior to driving off. In an uncanny coincidence the next day, I was harassed by an anonymous crank call, from a disturbingly familiar voice, making spitting noises into the phone.

I am rather shaken by the incident, having been hollered at in the presence of least 50 other passengers for something that had resulted from a mistake by the service provider. I was also deeply disgraced that many of the foreigners who had witnessed the scene would be taking away this episode as part of their memories of Singapore. Last, I find it very distressing to consider what other types of disturbances I may be subjected to in the aftermath of the incident, given that the cab driver now has my phone number.

Most of us are resigned to the inevitability of hikes in cab fares but I think it is only fair to consumers that the increments are matched by a commitment to raise or, in the very least, maintain a minimum level of service standards and integrity among staff.

Hopefully, the operators will not disappoint and respond that consumers would have to contribute to the retraining of staff by paying X amount more per Y km from whichever day moving forward. I am, by the way, still awaiting an explanation from SMRT with regard to this incident.

Ng Kian Pin (Ms)