“Hello, how much you all charge for dental implant huh?”
“When would you like to come?”
“Got different one meh?”
“Got. After 6.00pm got $10 surcharge. Want to come during lunchtime got $10 surcharge. Sunday got $20 surcharge, interrupt answering nature’s call $100 …”
That will be the day for struggling, obliging dentists like me. So can dentists ever impose surcharges on patients when they choose to come on evenings and on Sundays? Well, nobody with the authority is going to risk the public backlash by saying yes, so I guess all the risk is on the first dentist who dares practise like a taxi driver.
Toothfully, ComfortDelgro should be lauded for showing so much concern for our taxi drivers’ welfare. Their recent revision to surcharges are aimed at helping our cabbies earn a little more from the generous and price-insensitive passengers amongst us. National Taxi Association (NTA) president Wee Boon Kim was quoted as saying: “It has been more than four years (since the last fare adjustment) and like most Singaporeans, our drivers too look forward to annual improvements in their take-home income so as to provide a better life for their families.”
So is this a good time to be a taxi driver? I asked one uncle on my way to NUS this morning. He told me, if the numbers remain the same, of course he’ll earn more. If people decide to boycott or go on a taxi-less strike, he’ll earn less. He was hoping for the best but expecting the first few months after the increase to be tough. People will get used to the new charges after some time; many cannot do without taxis.
6 other uncles interviewed by Today were less than optimistic. They made reference to the previous revision in December 2007 – also during the festive period – when the number of passengers dropped after the fare increases were announced. Quite sensibly, they felt that a reduction in taxi rental fees or concessions for diesel would be a better long-term solution to increase their earnings.
And, it has been reported recently that revenue for the third quarter to end-September from its local business rose S$11 million to S$191.7 million. Operating profit was S$1.4 million higher at S$23.3 million. I’m impressed. It may or may not be a good time to be a taxi driver, but the dominant taxi operator is indeed raking in the bucks. Whichever the case, ComfortDelgro still collects the same (probably a soon to be higher) rent. In other words, the operator has a plan to increase their drivers’ incomes but passed all the risk of initial resistance from passengers to them.
It’s also laudable how so many of our organisations find one another so agreeable. On Monday, the National Taxi Association (NTA) backed ComfortDelGro’s fare revision and urged the other operators to adjust their taxi fares as soon as possible. Wait a minute. Wasn’t it not too long ago that some modelling agencies were fined for fixing modelling fees? In response to queries, the Competition Commission of Singapore said it “advises businesses and associations to familiarise themselves with the Competition Act which sets out the types of behaviour that are prohibited because they are considered to be anti-competitive”. I thought they should have issued a warning. Wait till NTUC starts running modelling agencies.
In the other camps, equally agreeable competitors in the form of Mr Johnny Harjantho, managing director of Smart Cab, which owns some 720 taxis, said the company would most likely align its hours of surcharges with those of ComfortDelGro “to make it less confusing” for commuters. Why not make it even less confusing by painting his taxis blue as well?
