Parliament: Completely level playing field for private-hire
-
Parliament: Completely level playing field for private-hire car operators not desirable, says Ng Chee Meng
-
SINGAPORE - If the taxi industry wants private-hire operators to compete on a completely level playing field, then they might have to contend with Uber and Grab drivers being allowed to pick up street hails.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Ng Chee Meng said in Parliament on Monday (July 11) that 80 per cent of taxi-driver trips are street hails.
"If you completely level the playing field, it means that the private-hire cars will have street hail privileges as well," he said. "This will not bring necessarily the outcomes we desire."
Mr Ng said this in response to questions from Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah on whether there has been "any measurement to show that actually Uber and GrabCar bring positive impact to our commuters".
"If not, then why should we have them in Singapore, and create so much unhappiness among the taxi drivers?" she asked.
Mr Ng said: "We follow industry practices as best as possible."
"For commuters' interests, if you level completely the playing field, and Uber, Grab and taxi companies become homogeneous, then we will not be able to have the innovative disruption that private-hire car brings to the industry," he noted.
"So in the morning peak hours where we have inadequate supply of full-time taxi-drivers, many of the commuters' interests are served because there's supplementary drivers that come in the form of Uber and Grab, and these are mostly part-time drivers."
To a call by Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Ang Hin Kee for three separate licences for taxi-drivers, private-hire drivers and limousine drivers, Mr Ng said: "This was actually considered in our initial original design of the system. So it is possible."
But the minister said the decision to have two categories was taken to prevent the system becoming too unwieldy.
"This is part of the whole review to make it not too cumbersome, with too many regulations, for the drivers to jump through too many hoops," Mr Ng noted.
"But it's early days yet.... It will take a year to implement, so we will take your views into consideration."
-
the talk is among pap MPs. how about oppositions' views?
-
Here is the opposition's view, You vote them 70%, smlj view you want from us?
-
-
they just want TD to die,never loh jump ship to Grab/uber
-
For the govt, the perfect scene will be those after 50s better die fast fast otherwise, very soon, govt will have to keep giving out pioneer packages, which is a huge amount in their budgeting. But the problem is, all these lau kok kok will live on longer, seibei stubborn and can tong very long..so govt bo bian, hv to increase carpark fees, ERPs, COEs, etc etc to give to these lau kok kok people, otherwise, they may lose vote. If the republic of Singapore is to change their constitution in election by only allowing those below 60s to vote...govt will not even bother to care for all these lau kok kok like me.
-
If the taxi industry wants private-hire operators to compete on a completely level playing field, then they might have to contend with Uber and Grab drivers being allowed to pick up street hails.
Pls allow private car to do street hail. Kill off all taxi operator. No more gst on rental, booking fee, etc. No taxi licence fee, no fine on taxi operator.
All become 霸王车。all street hail. no need to pay uber n grab 20% kopi gui.
How to charge?
Like uber n grab. Can Anyhow charge. Reason surge or high demand. If dont agree dont take lor. Many ppl like tis idea since there is strong support for uber n grab. Uber n grab can. Of course 霸王车can. In the name of completely fair play.
Also can do pool or hitch. All pattern also can In the name of Creativity n innovation.
No more taxi on street n all become private hired car. Many colour, many shape n many fares. All in a mess.
Know to collect money from taxi industry, dont do work somemore say ljw.
For the sake of complete level play to all not just taxi driver, pls do it. Dont nato.
-
"So in the morning peak hours where we have inadequate supply of full-time taxi-drivers, many of the commuters' interests are served because there's supplementary drivers that come in the form of Uber and Grab, and these are mostly part-time drivers."
If tis wat u want to address. Morning peak hours. Pls restrict their operating hours. Dont say one thing do another.
-
"For commuters' interests, if you level completely the playing field, and Uber, Grab and taxi companies become homogeneous, then we will not be able to have the innovative disruption that private-hire car brings to the industry," he noted.
Allow private hired car to become taxi. It is called 霸王车。 u called tis innovation.
Commuters want private hired car. Creative n innovative. Pls allow private hire car to do street hails. I'm sure td will support u cause they got a better option.
U have all the support, please do it to allow private car to do street hails
-
"If the taxi industry wants private-hire operators to compete on a completely level playing field, then they might have to contend with Uber and Grab drivers being allowed to pick up street hails." But I thot Grab and Uber are now already doing street pick and Q at taxi stand, the field is already overly leveled. "So in the morning peak hours where we have inadequate supply of full-time taxi-drivers, many of the commuters' interests are served because there's supplementary drivers that come in the form of Uber and Grab, and these are mostly part-time drivers." Its is supply and demand equation, if there is no grab or uber, there will be many joining taxi companies, but since the option is given, most TD jump ship over to Uber and Grab, morning peak uber and grab are full timer, only the nite peak are partimer, how come they never do a survey and start talking cock... "For commuters' interests, if you level completely the playing field, and Uber, Grab and taxi companies become homogeneous, then we will not be able to have the innovative disruption that private-hire car brings to the industry," he noted. For a driver today, driving for uber, taxi or grab is still a driver, there is nothing innovative about it, taxi also got apps, booking and call, so are grab and uber, does the minister understood what is innovative disruption??? dun tell me driving is also an innovation? Go ahead and level the field, as driver, we can shift, but your GLC taxis companies might have to close.
-
simply, Gov dun wan to intervene too much, because Grab/Uber help solve the peak hours taxi not enough issue which Gov is unable to resolve despite introducing so many measures (min mileage etc)....
more options for paxes and less complains from paxes also. some paxes also willing to pay higher price (surcharge) to take grab/uber since taxi also have 25% surcharge...
on one hand, gov cant keep on increasing the taxi numbers. Also, even with implementing minimum mileage ,a lot of taxis are still choosing paxes and hiding for calls during peak hours..
-
Well, everyone have his or her rights to earn his food for the family, if he or she can gain more, why not, why should I take a pax up to sembawang and game over for the shift, offensive, so be it, because the authority are not enforcing it, and given a call structure, why should I not wait for calls to earn more? Today, more and more lower income people are getting poorer because of higher and higher cost of living, you could be right to say, who ask you to be poor, and it doesn't mean being poor can anyhow break the rules, but if I can find a niche in my driving that is a gain more than a lose, why not. So what is the problem? no enforcing and high cost of living are driving people like TD, Uber and Grab drivers to break the rules and the purpose is to bring better food on the family table, morally speaking, that is not wrong, if govt can increase fuel taxes when oil price went down, if govt can put a EPR gantry here and there, if govt can collect $4 per entry ERP, why can't a taxi driver create his or her own niche of surviving on a cut throat society. And all these so called interview and waiting for call at peak period down at CBD is created by who?? Govt lor, smlj $3 surcharges 25% more...etc etc
-
Originally posted by lemon1974:
simply, Gov dun wan to intervene too much, because Grab/Uber help solve the peak hours taxi not enough issue which Gov is unable to resolve despite introducing so many measures (min mileage etc)....
more options for paxes and less complains from paxes also. some paxes also willing to pay higher price (surcharge) to take grab/uber since taxi also have 25% surcharge...
on one hand, gov cant keep on increasing the taxi numbers. Also, even with implementing minimum mileage ,a lot of taxis are still choosing paxes and hiding for calls during peak hours..
Uber n grab solve wat. When there is demand chop carrot. No demand, cheaper than taxi fares. Also many pattern, pool, hitch, etc.
Can taxi take 2 paxs in a single trip?
Middle man want 20%. Little cost. Very good money. Wat investment they have in singapore.
Use incentive to let the driver to become monkey trying to meet the incentives.
Why ppl still want to drive, cause high cost to own car. Drive to offset cost. Especially many young ppl waste their driving just to show that they got a car to drive.
Government know collect money from taxi industry n do nothing on tis.
Still dare to say u want completely fair play need to allow private hired car do street hails
Wat the shit is this.
Pls do so n let private hired car do street hails.
Dont talk cock.
All the driver will give u the support.
Nobody ask for it but yr proposal is fully accepted.
-
PAP should go all the way for all industries.
Any private car can be used as taxi for street hailing.
Any property can be used as home, hotel, hostel or even for prostitution.
Any foreigner can come here to work on a level playing field with citizens.
Any foreigner also can vote during elections on a level playing field.
Song bo?
-
Originally posted by f1taxidriver:
PAP should go all the way for all industries.
Any private car can be used as taxi for street hailing.
Any property can be used as home, hotel, hostel or even for prostitution.
Any foreigner can come here to work on a level playing field with citizens.
Any foreigner also can vote during elections on a level playing field.
Song bo?
Yes. This is how our million dollar minister term as completely fair playing field.
Give him the full support he also dont dare to implement. Get million dollar salary n Only kong lj wei.
Plse score wat new. Just follow o level grading. Copycat need to pay million dollar?
-
In many countries, even big one like USA, taxi drivers are mostly foreigners, and they go on street protest and strike to get their right against Uber. And they are just completing with Uber alone, we here in Singapore, the taxi drivers have to compete on 2 fronts, Uber and Grab...fair? And Singapore taxi drivers are Singapore Citizens, if it is foreigners, long long shenton way or orchard road kenna block liao. Govt dare to challenge local Singapore citizen's taxi drivers is simply because they knew locals are toothless, scare die, scare no job, scare here and there, disciplined since school days to army days, very easy to makan, especially local middle age to older generation of Singaporeans, but for the coming X or smlj Y group...they better be careful, these group are very much expose to globalization, they are not going to be like the Z and older generation like us guai guai type.
-
Talking about these scholar Minister, limpek drive taxi that time, he still sucking milk, knn, on one side said care for taxi driver, must hv a fair level, meet up taxi drivers, NTA and show concern, but end up in parliament support apps rides...WTF
-
We all kenna play out, taxi drivers in Singapore seibei ho jiak, why not he go study Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and many first world country that ban Uber..and they are still performing. If our govt is to care for transportation, it need to structure it well, it is either you want taxi or apps ride, full stop, if you are going to mix it like rojak and then roti prata it, the problem will persist and get worst, TDs are not unreasonable peoples, I have Hirers as young as in their early 30s driving to support family as sole breadwinner, it is trade, a job that earn an honest bread and butter. People take apps got other agenda, it is not even a trade, it is just a freelancing job as long as you hv a car licence, not just mainly to support a family, but to have a car, a travel machine. If the Govt of republic of Singapore is today dare to support it citizens and hold firm on it transportation structure with regards to taxis, only taxi can ply on Singapore road, ban all apps rides, do you not think all TDs will be happy and up their effort and antennas to serve the public better, if other 1st world developed countries can ban apps ride and still able to support it public demand, why Singapore govt cannot, especially so on a little red dot.
-
There s one thing you fail to understand. He is Acting Transport minister. But he is also holding the education portfolio, which by itself is a full time job Do you think he rerally has the time to look into TDs affairs? He is educatiuon minister. Do you really think he is that stupid? Education portfolio is no joke. Cannot anyhow play play. So his time is spent on making sure he doesn't screw up our education system. But he is Acting Transport minister. And we know that Acting means Wayang. So LTA writes out all those wayang script, and his job as Acting minister is to be exactly that. Wayang Transport minister. Cannot find fault. He is only doing his wayang job. You see, they don't get Mr Khaw Boon Wan to say it. Why? Because he is the real Trtansport minister. And he cannot anyhow wayang. So they make him design our futuristic transport system, which again is a full time job, So he too got no time to look into TDs affairs. We are being taken for a ride. Nobody cares about us, so live with it.
-
Originally posted by Jason65:
There s one thing you fail to understand. He is Acting Transport minister. But he is also holding the education portfolio, which by itself is a full time job Do you think he rerally has the time to look into TDs affairs? He is educatiuon minister. Do you really think he is that stupid? Education portfolio is no joke. Cannot anyhow play play. So his time is spent on making sure he doesn't screw up our education system. But he is Acting Transport minister. And we know that Acting means Wayang. So LTA writes out all those wayang script, and his job as Acting minister is to be exactly that. Wayang Transport minister. Cannot find fault. He is only doing his wayang job. You see, they don't get Mr Khaw Boon Wan to say it. Why? Because he is the real Trtansport minister. And he cannot anyhow wayang. So they make him design our futuristic transport system, which again is a full time job, So he too got no time to look into TDs affairs. We are being taken for a ride. Nobody cares about us, so live with it.
Wat kind of lj excuse. No time. There so many ppl working for him. He only need to ask questions n make the final decision.
If he still unsure, pls keep his cb mouth shut. Say wat allow private hired car for street hail. Tis is totally no brainer. The worst is nobody dare to challenge him for such lj wei.
All wayang only.
-
Gentlemen, When the stroked minister Heng Swee Kiat was minister of education, he was a one man show, (that is also why he got stressed out), then when he become Finance minister, it is also a one man show. Now you get 2 goons to become Education Minister, meaning 2 goons doing 1 man job, so they are more free, more relax mah, and one of them somemore can be adult education minister...Wee!, I can also be..and citizens like us are paying more and more tax and expenses because now got more millionaire minister to pay mah. Then that Transport Minister Khaw now can get acting minister to help him, also very free, last time, Ah Liu when got help??? tong until resign himself. And of all thing Khaw needs to do to here and improve transportation, he go mantle with HongKong MTR for fark??? If Limpek is PM, I sack my jia liao bee Minister, all these see collar one, can hardly make it, but the key word is usually, "if"
-
Now education is getting more complex. Many new subjects being introduced. When I took my O level we had only one polytechnic. Now more specialized. Last time, Singapore don't have IT, aircraft manufacturing, space engineering, etc. Even in the 60s those without a formal education could drive taxis. Where got must pass 5 Subjects to get TDVL? Who knows, in future, if you want to work as trolley pusher in AP, you must first pass TPVL (Trolley Pusher Vocational Licence).
-
Just curious. Do U/G drivers have printer to issue receipts?
-
Originally posted by bowah:
We all kenna play out, taxi drivers in Singapore seibei ho jiak, why not he go study Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and many first world country that ban Uber..and they are still performing.
If our govt is to care for transportation, it need to structure it well, it is either you want taxi or apps ride, full stop, if you are going to mix it like rojak and then roti prata it, the problem will persist and get worst, TDs are not unreasonable peoples, I have Hirers as young as in their early 30s driving to support family as sole breadwinner, it is trade, a job that earn an honest bread and butter.
People take apps got other agenda, it is not even a trade, it is just a freelancing job as long as you hv a car licence, not just mainly to support a family, but to have a car, a travel machine.
If the Govt of republic of Singapore is today dare to support it citizens and hold firm on it transportation structure with regards to taxis, only taxi can ply on Singapore road, ban all apps rides, do you not think all TDs will be happy and up their effort and antennas to serve the public better, if other 1st world developed countries can ban apps ride and still able to support it public demand, why Singapore govt cannot, especially so on a little red dot.
Why go study Japanese taxi system when our business model is better? Everyone who has been to Japan and has taken their taxi would say their taxi fare is too high. One trip from airport to downtown Tokyo cost around S$300. Remember, this is after tax money which means they probably have to earn S$500-$600 for this taxi trip. So it is more like that trip cost 3-6 days of pay for 1 trip from airport to downtown. And this is the reason why they are really into driverless taxi R&D.