Blog Article 1

Needed: Hard look at taxi efficiency

Waiting time display doesn't work

Letter from
Paul Chan Poh Hoi

The recent survey conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) reflects a perennial problem — the waiting time to get a taxi.

The measures implemented do not help to make things better. Displaying waiting time is a regressive move which merely tells commuters how much time they would waste — simply by waiting.

We need to find out why getting a cab here is not as easy as, say, in Hong Kong.

Perhaps the authorities can try to solve this perennial problem by taking a hard look at the efficiency of the taxi services here.

Based on figures released in December last year, Hong Kong has a population of 7.2 million and receives 25.25 million tourists yearly. By contrast, Singapore has a population of 4.5 million and receives 9.7 million visitors.

Hong Kong has 18,031 cabs which carry 1.088 million passengers daily, while Singapore has far more cabs (23,382) for far less passengers (991,000), according to statistics released in 2005/06.

This translates to 61 passengers per cab in Hong Kong while Singapore's score is 42 passengers per cab.

This makes Singapore's taxi service far less efficient than that of Hong Kong, which has 23 per cent less cabs.

If our cabs can carry 61 passengers a day, we would be hitting averages of 1.43 million daily, an increase of 425,000.

When that is achieved, commuters would be able to hitch a cab within a minutes anywhere, just like in Hong Kong.

What we should re-examine is the productivity rate of our taxis, compared to that of Hong Kong.

If through sheer hard work, the productivity of our large fleet of cabs can be raised to increase efficiency without having to raise charges, our taxi woes will be eradicated.

The authorities have to find ways to keep cabs moving with passengers. The LTA can exempt taxis from having to pay Electronic Road Pricing or raise the road tax for taxis, for example, or cab operators can raise the flag-down fare if necessary. Commuters can certainly do without the hassle of having to call for a cab.

A revolutionary and bold approach by our authorities to solve our taxi woes is imperative, especially with the rise in tourist figures expected after the completion of the Integrated Resorts.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/174845.asp

Reponse

Commentary on a Commentary 1: Societal Issue

Based on the Paul’s Wheel of Reasoning.

We can clearly see that the main purpose of the author, is, by drawing a comparison with cabs in Hong Kong, to admonish and bemoan the fact that, our taxi industry is just not up to scratch. It just has to improve. This is explicit in the title “ Needed: Hard look at taxi efficiency.” Note his usage of words, “Needed”, a “command” instead of words like “wanted”, a wish.

The author is obviously disappointed at the state of taxi efficiency in Singapore, as he kept harking back to Hong Kong’s example. He is probably at a loss, for why, with a bigger fleet, Singapore Taxi Services still lag behind Hong Kong. He says “ We need to find out why getting a cab here is not as easy as, say, in Hong Kong.” He uses “ as, say, in Hong Kong” This sounds very casual and not a deliberate allusion at first, because he does not say “ as, in Hong Kong”. He obviously wants to bring up Hong Kong, but, because he is sensitive enough, he uses the particular phrasing “ as, say, in Hong Kong”, to alleviate the shamefulness, for want of a better word.

He uses a whole host of very compelling evidence, both recent and veritable. He uses accurate statistics as released. “Based on figures”, “according to statistics released”. He also places the information in stark contrast, further heightening the sense of disappointment towards the Singapore situation.

He hits out at the move to display taxi waiting times, “ is a regressive move”, at the start of the article, extenuating it to bemoan the situation now. He also provides some forms of solution. It increases the veracity of his argument, as he won’t be just another Singaporean whiner, but actually gives some alternatives. However, it is to be noted that his solutions are quite marginal, and he does not expound more on them, devoting only the penultimate paragraph to the solutions. He seems to be fine with letting the establishment do the brain-racking, while he just points out the problem, then stop, not doing anything else.

After much admiration for the way he has constructed his article, it’s now time for criticisms. He only compares Singapore with Hong Kong, but not with other countries who may not equal Singapore. This is a tad unfair, as it totally discredits the efforts of the authorities so far. He could have applauded their effort and not be overly harsh and critical, these things take time, after all. Maybe he was already too fed-up and the latest move( displaying waiting times) was the proverbial last straw.

Being a disorganized person, I have just abandoned the Wheel in the middle of the article. I also know that my “analysis” may not be all encapsulating enough, and maybe not even incisive. My previous unpleasant encounters with waiting for taxis may have unwittingly infiltrated into this article and have caused some distortion.

I do hope that I have been objective enough…