Taxicabs of Singapore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Main article: Taxicabs around the world

A Comfort taxicab at Raffles Place.

Taxi transport in Singapore is a popular form of public transport in the compact city state, with fares considered relatively low compared to that in most cities in more economically developed countries. There is a total fleet of 22,305 taxis operated by seven taxi companies and independent drivers in March 2006 [1], collectively completing 588,632 trips daily across the island in June 2005 [2].

Taxis may be flagged down at any time of the day along any public road. Issues of high traffic and demand in certain locations and areas, particularly in the downtown area and other major buildings and establishments around the island, require the building of taxi stands. As taxis may conversely be harder to obtain in less densely populated areas, as well as to meet the needs of time-sensitive users, taxis may be booked via telephone or through the internet for a fee, which is then transmitted to individual taxis via a Global Positioning System or digital voice dispatch.

Stringent requirements ensure that all taxis are fitted with meters and are air-conditioned and serviceable. Drivers who fail to utilise their meters may be fined up to S$500, an enforced rule which brings fare disputes down to a minimum. About 90% of taxis have inbuilt AM radio communications.

[edit] Operations

Taxis are predominantly operated by large companies, the latter of which require a Taxi Operator Licence (TOL) from the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Holders of the TOL are required to comply with LTA's Quality of Service (QoS) standards, codes of practice and audit directions, failure of which the LTA may revoke the licence. There are seven companies holding the TOL currently, namely:

^Excluding 641 individually owned taxis

Although there are seven cab companies, CityCab, Comfort and Yellow-Top are part of a single company, ComfortDelGro. A further 641 taxis are run by individual owners of their vehicles, collectively known as Yellow-Top taxis. These taxis are required to be replaced every eight years, or they may choose to have their licence acquired by Yellow-Top Cab and become a hirer of the taxi company. These taxis are expected to eventually cease to exist, however, as all new taxi drivers are required to hire their taxis from any of the TOL holders.

All taxi drivers in Singapore are required to hold a valid Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL) issued by the Land Transport Authority, after having met basic pre-requisites and successfully completed a training course in the Singapore Taxi Academy and passing a theory test. Holders of the licence may then approach any of the seven TOL holding companies to hire a taxi on a daily rental basis, the rental rate and associated benefits of which varies between the various companies. As at March 2006, there were a total of 83,169 TDVL holders in Singapore.

[edit] Fares

Fares on Singapore's taxis are considered relatively affordable, and are thus a popular form of public transportation in Singapore particularly for the upper-middle income groups. Taxi fares were regulated by the Public Transport Council until September 1998 to allow operators full freedom in setting their own fares in a bid to introduce greater competition in the market.

In July 2006, ComfortDelgro raised fares for all three operators under its umbrella, and SMRT Taxis and TransCab followed suit [10]. Premier Taxis adjusted its fares differently by only increasing some fare components, while SmartCab chose not to raise its fares at all, resulting in the most marked price differentiation between the companies since deregulation in 1998. One month later, it was reported that these fare adjustments had resulted in a drop of up to 20% in earnings for taxi drivers [11].

All taxi fares are metered, and it is an offence for taxi drivers to disable, tamper with, or fail to use their metering devices. Drivers found guilty may be fined up to S$500. Current taxi fares are tabled as follows:

All Electronic Road Pricing charges incurred on the trip are to be borne by the customer. An additional 10% administrative charge on the total fare is also incurred when payment is made on credit or charge cards. Higher fares apply for premium taxi services that employ premium vehicles, such as CityCab's Presido and MaxiCab, Yellow-Top Cab's Sovereign limousines, SMRT's Prestige and London Taxi and Airport Transfer service, and so on.

A London taxicab at Raffles Place, Singapore. Along with various premium vehicles, such as the Mercedes-Benz taxicabs, they charge premium booking rates.

[edit] Vehicle types

For decades, the staple vehicles for all operators were the Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric. These were stripped-down versions of their Japanese luxury-car siblings, with an emphasis on operating costs over comfort. Cheap plastic fittings and PVC seats replaced materials such as wood and leather, insulation was removed to save weight, and early generation diesel engines replaced the original petrol units. The resulting vehicles were simple to maintain and extremely reliable, but were lacking in comfort, with very high levels of NVH.

The move by various operators to various makes and models of premium vehicles came largely as a result of Euro 4 regulations, which came into effect in late 2006. The older diesel engines in the Crown and Cedric are unable to meet the new emissions standards, and these taxis will no longer be offered for sale.

The newer taxicabs benefit from vastly improved interiors and more advanced engines with lower emissions and noise levels, which used to be the preserve of the premium Mercedes-Benz "limousine" services.

All taxicabs in Singapore have to pay for the much higher road tax applied to diesel-powered passenger cars, which was intended to deter people from using diesel-powered vehicles for private use. This road tax bill is foot by the taxi company (except for STTA taxis), and can be as high as S$6,300 annually. However, some operators are trialling vehicles powered by natural gas.

Currently, the following vehicle makes and models are in use:

All of these vehicles seat 4 adult passengers unless otherwise stated. Passengers are required by law to wear seat belts.

[edit] External links

• Taxis in Singapore
• Taxi statistics