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Chitchat Uber and Grab Fucking All Taxi Co Except Comfort Despite 40% Rental Discount!

JohnTan

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
bp170717_cab1.jpg


Up against stubborn competition from private-hire car services Uber and Grab, more cabbies have been giving up their taxis this year.

For the first five months of this year, the average proportion of the taxi fleet which is sitting idle in yards - also called the unhired rate - hit 9.1 per cent.

This is nearly double the average unhired rate of 5 per cent in the same period last year, according to data the Land Transport Authority (LTA) shared with The Straits Times recently.


While the population fluctuates as vehicles have to be renewed every eight years, this translates to around 2,400 taxis being unhired, up from about 1,300 previously.


As of April, there are 26,476 taxis run by five operators: ComfortDelGro, Trans-Cab, SMRT, Premier and Prime.

ComfortDelGro, which operates the largest fleet - more than 15,860 cabs under the Comfort and CityCab brands, said its unhired rate has remained "relatively low" despite stiff competition, though it declined to provide a number.


The firm rolled out a flat fare booking option in April and also recently updated its rewards programme to target different customer groups.

Since late last year, firms such as Trans-Cab and Premier have been cutting rentals by up to 40 per cent to attract hirers.


Mr Neo Nam Heng, chairman of the Prime Group, which owns more than 700 cabs, said that about 10 per cent of his fleet is not rented out.

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng expects the unhired rate to increase further as more commuters accept private-hire car services, and cabbies themselves switch to becoming private-hire car drivers.

For cab firms, the costs of having one idle taxi requires about seven hired taxis to cover, he said. "If the unhired rate surges to double digits, it may not be sustainable for some firms," Dr Lee added.

LTA figures show that between January and April, the average daily ridership for taxis was at an eight-year low of 853,000, a 12 per cent drop from 977,000 in the same period last year.

Cabby Thomas Yuen, 40, said business is particularly poor on weekdays after midnight, as passengers tend to take private-hire cars, which do not levy a surcharge.

"It can be very challenging. I've roamed around for an hour without any passengers," Mr Yuen said.

Prime's Mr Neo feels that private-hire car services will have to turn in a profit some day, and will eventually cut back on the generous discounts for passengers and incentives given to drivers. He said: "I am confident that while the taxi business is down, it is not out."

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapo...n-forcing-more-cabbies-to-give-up-their-taxis
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Upon reading the article,,,the 1st thing the taxi driver brings up is the Midnight surcharge,,,that is what these cabbies hang out for,,and this parasitic behaviour has been going on for decades and now the tables have turned. They deserve to go under....


Too many vehicles on the roads anyway... good riddance to bad rubbish :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 

songsongjurong

Alfrescian
Loyal
the fat cats of comfort been milking their drivers.for.decades... executive directors,non executive directors,senior directors, plush offices, senior.managers, what not..
 

JohnTan

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Upon reading the article,,,the 1st thing the taxi driver brings up is the Midnight surcharge,,,that is what these cabbies hang out for,,and this parasitic behaviour has been going on for decades and now the tables have turned. They deserve to go under....

You want people to work at midnight at the usual rates? You are more bloodsucking than a chink towkay like me. And I thought I was bad.
 

bushtucker

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
the commuters and consumers are no longer held ransom by 50% midnight surcharge and peak period surcharge. they now have freedom of choice to select the cheapest ride on uber & grab as they deem fit.
 

decent02

Alfrescian
Loyal
Taxi will still be around 20 years from now. U/G are software or apps companies. They are not transport company. Government knows and will ensure the survival of these taxi Co. A tech bubble will wipe out these apps firms.
 

frenchbriefs

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Competition is always good for the consumers,we need a little competition in parliament something which 70 percent don't understand.
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
You want people to work at midnight at the usual rates? You are more bloodsucking than a chink towkay like me. And I thought I was bad.

For those late night charges..I do not mind if the charge is like extra flag down fare. But 50% n put up with the Cinderella syndrome? That is bs...even in Ozland night shift workers don't get 50% increment for night shift. Guess the tables r turned.
 
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