intresting insight to what the AMKs think of us

britinsingapore dot blogspot dot sg/2013/05/taxisgrrrr dot html

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I need to rant about taxis in Singapore. I've praised Singapore for its food, for its MRT service, for its weather, for its proximity to tropical islands, but I am NOT praising its taxi service. Because at times, its absolutely useless!

It's 7am on a Thursday morning and it's pouring with rain. I mean pouring. Tropical Asia rain style. Anyone that lives in Singapore knows that the rain cripples public transport; traffic jams up, buses run late and to get to the MRT involves walking through minor floods. But most significantly there are NO taxis. They just vanish and it's infuriating!

Knowing I have an important meeting at 8.45am, the location of which is about 3K from the nearest MRT station, I start calling taxi services to pre-book a taxi. I have an hour and 45 mins. Plenty of time you'd think! After an hour of calling, and being told 'yes you've got a taxi' only to wait for it to arrive, it not showing up and then on calling them back, being told, oh sorry we forgot to tell you there are no cabs in your area at this time, grrrrr, I was ready to throttle anyone who came near me!

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to run about in the rain for a bit and find one. But this is rare, and you know what, I have had enough - it's not the first time it's happened and it won't be the last!

On doing some research I've discovered that taxi drivers in Singapore believe that it's not worth risking an accident in the rain, so instead, they simply pull over and wait out the rain. So, interestingly, it's not down to high demand for taxis in the rain, there are just no taxis on the road! That's 25,000 taxis pulling over because they're scared of rain! This is alien, it's a tropical country, and often rains for two hours a day! Come on?!

Added to this is the fact that taxi drivers lack the ability to do their day to day job; take me from one destination to another. - point proven this morning. I had to direct the taxi driver via google maps, after he called his boss to ask directions! I've been in Singapore a year and I feel I know it quite well, and if struggling I look at sign posts!

This is not unusual though. Often the first question you get when you get in a cab is which way do you want to go? This is not because they want to take us the scenic route or because they are adhering to customer comes first theory, rather they just don't have a clue where to go! And they then always claim they are new.

When this happened this morning I was ready to scream 'you've lived here your whole life, of course you know which way to go!' and 'It's your job to know which way to go!' This is not me being unreasonble. If you want to be a taxi driver, you have to be Singaporean, which surely means you know Singapore. It's not that big right?! I mean, I can liken it to a situation in my life - if a client asking me to call a journalist and I said 'I don't know how', I'm 100% certain I'd be fired on spot.

Final grievance with taxis I promise...'shift change'. At 1pm and 4pm taxi drivers appear to have the right not to pick people up because it's shift change. This amuses me, because they'll pull up at taxi ranks and say that they are going home and will only take you if you're going to the same location. They won't take anyone else. In the time they've driven round looking for the passenger that might be going their way, they could have been home, had a cup of tea and come back out again OR picked up and dropped off another handful of passengers.

Taxis in Singapore make me yearn for good ole' Blighty. Where all the cabbies seem to be from East London, and know every road and alley, from a backstreet in Hackney to the main roads in Clapham and they chat about what was on the telly last night.

In London, to become a cabbie you need to know the A-Z backwards, you need to know every hotel and every significant landmark. This is definitely not a pre-requisite for Singapore taxi drivers.

For a country that prides itself on being the best and the most efficient, Singapore sure could learn a lesson or two from London!

the text was for the guys who couldnt get to the website

Compare apple to apple.
Sg fare vs london fare-pathetic!
Raining, everyone want to take taxi, demand vs supply.
Maybe only less than 10% take a short break during rain.
Which is your preferred route-its a must to ask according to our lta.
Google map vs driver.pax use Google map, I will use Google map map play with pax. (We know what time and best route to take, longer distance might be faster than shorter distance)
Last but not this, I seen ppl trying their luck waiting for cab along the street (30-45mins).I always tell them.is your 30-45mins time worth $3.30?

yesterday,

a lady at woodland ave 4 going to sungei kadut

board time 8.32am, due sle bke super jam, so go by woodland ave 3, but also jam

travel about 4.5km, just as we were next to kranji mrt

the lady had enough, decide to drop off mrt

time get down, 9.36am fare $26.65 distance travel 4.5km , i was left there to stuck for 15min to a smooth

traffic

knn who dare take advance call even if it is 10am,

i only can say

he no money don't taxi , this kind situation $8 very big meh

it is fair for them to rant ...... because shits does happen .

And such thing is the facts .

But they just dun understand why ?

Our fault ?

And for my case , do i need to post and show u guys video when people say "i am the best taxi driver in Singapore" ?

Some commuter no need to say or do that that , they do have nice customers around .

Do give credit to those who are nice to us , not tarnish by those who said bad things aboout us .

Just drive .

Not happy , just go back where u came from , so simple .

another baseless comment from a miserable white trash

he should have stay put in uk.

send the link lhl and let him see what kind of trash he is "inviting"

I saying the white and black people. NOT HAPPY GO BACK TO YOUR HOME !!!!

Those trash who lives in Sillypore also adapted our culture so became bo standard...

Yesterday took an advance booking, pax from states but travels alot to diff parts of world due to his profession.

Due to a long journey and abit jam on friday evening, we started chatting. He was praising how good our assport in terms of custom and clearance, then about our taxi fare structure that it's much more cheaper than countries like States, Canada, UK, and Japan.

When I told him many locals still complains about the fare being expensive despite it's relatively cheap compared to other developed countries, he commented he often sees our locals using taxis as a public transport which he thinks taxis shouldn't be classified under that...

Sometimes and usually most of the time, it is our garment that induce such thinking and behaviour to our cultural... Sad....

tat's why i said different people has got different fingers of different length .........

Not all are bad .

We must learnt to give credit to those who treated us nicely .

Same crap , those who are not happy , leave this place .

Same to some who said to me about taxis biz ........... if we are not happy about driving a cab , dun drive .

Same lor .....

That pax is using corporate credit card so he doesn't care about the advance booking fees...

The bottomline is, taxis should not be classified under public transport...

Yesterday I did an advance LV Job at 6pm from M hotel to Scotts Square...

The Ang Mo Pax sibeh standard .... Jam Jam Jam on Zion / Patterson / Scotts took about 45 mis to reach
Fare $31 plus ... gave me $100 then said... make it $40 ... "i sure u did not enjoy driving in the traffic Jam'

I feel that there is hope. Ang Mo also got different types some can make it others can't.... I'm still hopeful

Yesterday also picked up a Ang Mo pax for AP to Oxley rise ... gave me a nice $8 tip... There is hope my friends

AMKS are generally ok but i dont quite like to ferry them.

My favourite are still OLs

Tio Call Liao wrote:AMKS are generally ok but i dont quite like to ferry them.

My favourite are still OLs

many OL stay CCK leh...buay body weak meh?

Tio Call Liao wrote:AMKS are generally ok but i dont quite like to ferry them.

My favourite are still OLs

By the time u start work , left locals and OLs liao ...... AMK very little liao , except in town .

OLs , as in from India ?

Poolman wrote:OLs , as in from India ?

OLs as in Ms Tan , Ms Lim , MS Janet la

Tio Call Liao wrote:

Poolman wrote:OLs , as in from India ?

OLs as in Ms Tan , Ms Lim , MS Janet la

OL as in office ladies lah, lol

OL must be chio one hor..if not sian half

Teolk wrote:OL must be chio one hor..if not sian half

Not only chio but also must be sweet enough