BETTER TAXI RIDES: Idea No. 2: Reward those who book early

Nov 28, 2008

Idea No. 2: Reward those who book early

A COLLEAGUE recently made a comment on the taxi booking system in Singapore. The current system charges passengers a fee when they book taxis, either promptly or in advance. While I see nothing wrong with paying to book taxis in advance, perhaps the taxi companies could consider scrapping fees charged for prompt bookings. First, removing booking fees for prompt pick-ups will reduce the number of taxis that pick up passengers in inappropriate places. Most of the time, these taxis cause inconvenience to traffic behind, not because drivers choose to stop there but because passengers choose to flag down taxis there. If passengers are not penalised with a booking fee, they have an incentive to book a taxi and be picked up in a convenient and safe location. Doing away with this booking fee may also boost demand for taxis, as they will be more convenient and affordable. Second, scrapping the prompt taxi booking fee will also tackle the problem of taxis taking advantage of the booking fee and not picking up passengers in long taxi queues. Vice versa, with more taxi bookings, taxis will no longer form long queues at taxi stands, thereby forgoing the chance to pick up flag-down passengers. From the viewpoint of the drivers, time spent driving without passengers will be reduced significantly, leading to savings in fuel as they will be able to pick up passengers via their satellite booking system. As the taxi booking process is already in place, there will be no significant cost to deter taxi companies from implementing this. With the Government trying to create a world-class public transport system, taxis should not be neglected as we look at ways to complement the MRT and bus system. Scrapping the prompt taxi booking fee will make taxis more affordable and thereby generate demand for them. Toh Gim Sin