A ride with a taxi driver from hell
TODAY WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2010
Those who cannot drive responsibly should be given their marching orders
PAUL GILFEATHER
Over the weekend, I was hur¬tling down the PIE at break¬neck speed, both hands gripping the seat in front of me in an at¬tempt to stop myself from being bounced all over the back seat. Suddenly and without warn¬ing, the car I was travelling in cut off the motorist in the lane to my left. As the unsuspecting victim swerved skilfully to avert a col¬lision, my driver slammed on his brakes to prevent us plunging into the car in front. He did so with centimetres to spare, leaving my heart in my mouth. The only person apparently oblivious to the mayhem of the last 10 seconds was the man re¬sponsible for creating it.
Sounds familiar? Singapore is home to many things. The world's most beautiful orchids, the great¬est zoo on the planet, heavenly hawker stalls... and the taxi driver from hell. The reckless driving of ma¬niac cabbies definitely tops my very short list of "Things I hate about Singapore". It seems to be the subject I rant about the most as I struggle to comprehend the outrageous antics I witness on a near-daily basis. So, I was delighted to discover yesterday that I am not alone in my concerns. A brilliant website, Singapore Taxi Driver (singaporetaxi.20m. com), has been set up in an at¬tempt to clamp down on these bad apples who are turning the island’s roads into a race track. The site names and shames the worst offenders and invites testimonials from passengers who have been scared out of their wits, or suffered other ordeals.
All-too-familiar tales of fare fiddling, road rage and failing to stop are logged in bitter detail. But the most frequent complaints to surface is about bad driving - a far cry from the rules of the road drummed into me as an 18-year-old learner. It’s no laughing matter. There have been several occasions when I have felt compelled to demand that a taxi driver stop gambling with my life. Sometimes my fears are met with a blank expression of feigned ignorance, other times, the drivers can barely conceal their contempt. Whatever the response, there seems to be a general failure among cabbies — both good and bad to admit irresponsible driving among their ranks. It's as if there is a secret un¬derground game called "Death Wish Driver" going on, where the player (the driver) tries to give his opponent (the passenger) a heart attack by pretending all other ve¬hicles on the road are invisible to him.
I jest, of course, but there is a serious point to all this. Strapping myself into the back seat of his taxi — something I never felt the need to do before moving here - I asked one cab¬bie what he really thought about Singapore taxi drivers. With a wry smile, he said: "The Singapore taxi driver is like Saddam Hussein in a Formula 1 racing car." Ruthless, dictatorial, danger¬ous and with a single-minded determination to overtake every car in sight. His colourful descrip¬tion of a four-lane fascist was so brilliantly accurate, I laughed out loud. His portrayal is more accurate than even he probably realises.
Unfortunately, I doubt the sit¬uation will improve any time soon, but it's good to know the Singapore Taxi Driver website is fighting back on behalf of concerned passen¬gers and providing a much-needed forum for their views. If you have been a victim, do not hesitate to log on and docu¬ment your ordeal. You can also register your complaints at the feedback sec¬tion of the Land Transport Au¬thority's website - something I will do in future. It is at this point I should make clear that the bad drivers, whom I've singled out, are a minority.
There are some 35,000 cab¬bies on Singapore's roads and the vast majority do provide friendly and professional service. But I'd also like to see these drivers join the war against their irresponsible colleagues to make our roads safer. It's a cliche, but you know what they say about a few rotten apples spoiling the barrel. If you are one of those drivers who has been on the receiving end of a complaint, or wondered about the fear-struck passenger in your back seat, it is time to have a serious rethink about your chosen profession. When you start the meter, remember the safety of your pas¬sengers and other road-users is paramount.
There is a waiting list of a 1,000 people who want to be taxi drivers, so those who cannot drive responsibly should be given their marching orders. Cab companies should use this waiting list to re¬place bad apples one by one, until the rogue element is weeded out completely. It's time to say "Game Over" to those playing "Death Wish Driver". Lives are at risk. •
The writer is the principal correspondent at TODAY.
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I post this here because I am not a taxi driver, and always the passenger when I am in a taxi.
I have this idea a long time ago, that the professional standard of our taxi drivers need to be raised up several notches.
I was shouted at very loudly by a driver in the confined space of the vehicle when I directed the driver into the wrong carpark, dispite the fact that I told him i will pay whats on the meter. Another driver at the airport was all helpful loading my bags and all smiles, but when reach my flat, just sat in the drivers seat and pulled the boot lever. The smile gone. I unload my bags myself and gave him the exact fare, down to the last cent. I tip other drivers who had helped me unload on previous occasions.
I agree that the bad apples are a minority, but it is the general service standard that needs to be raised. Those that cannot make it, should take their re-training seriously or have their licence revoked.
That is the gist of this article.
i've met both types... those who went out of their way to help me, and those who try to infuriate/scare me to death..
we just need to look at sgforums' own taxi community.. where suggestions that they drive carefully are met with contempt or worse...
while we should never tar all with the same brush, those whose actions are like "saddam hussein with a f1 car" bring the rest to disrepute.. and worse, put the lives of their fares in danger...
to broaden the scope, it is not only the taxis.. come to Wild Wild West, Jurong and U will know what I mean.
for me, I hate those small mini-vans, or what U call them (like a Renault-Kangoo), they zip in/out and most times, above the speed limit.
btw, just one stupid question, why paste a "60km/h" sticker on these vehicles? TP should know the speed limit, right? And the drivers can't see these stickers.. wth..
for bad taxi driving, that ang moh can write 3000 words on it. really full of shit lol
for bad taxi driving, that ang moh can write 3000 words on it. really full of shit lol
don't hammer the messenger if the message is right... and not to your liking...
he's right..
btw.. LTA has a lot to answer for.. with the stupid 50km/h, 60km/h and 70km/h limits on different vehicles...
the heavy and goods vehicles start overtaking each other
1 hand cannot clap!
Originally posted by allulu69:1 hand cannot clap!
but it only takes one "saddam hussein" behind the wheel to make things dangerous for everyone around him... fare or no fare..
The present requirements to be a taxi driver
1. Be a Singapore citizen holding a pink NRIC
2. Be at least 30 years old
3. Possess a valid Class 3 Singapore Driving licence
4. Have at least 1 year's driving experience with clean driving record
5. Be able to speak and read simple English
6. Medisve contribution are up-to-date.
This allow one to take the vocational course, and on passing the exam, obtain a Taxi Vocational Licence.
Although some aspire to be taxi drivers, and some take up the TVL to supplement their income, for many it is a last recourse for some form of employment. I too at times considered this vocation for survival, fortunately I did not.
If I did, I would be doing it just for the money, and would also hang the professional service attitude.
Therefore the selection criteria should also be revamped, such that only suitable applicants are allowed to take the vocational courses.
Yes, the side effect would be increased cost of taxi rides. Comparable to other first world taxi fares.
This would be a bane to the mak cik, and ah soh, taking taxis to and from the markets.
But it would make taxi rides more pleasant with the upped professional service.
I posted this article in News Discussion Lounge because I am not a taxi driver, and some smart alek shifted it here.
I wanted comments from non-taxi drivers.
In here it would be like asking the policeman to police themselves.
Of all the stupidity.
actually a lot of funny drivers lah in this country.
then again, we're only like this because there's too many cars in our little road space left.
just 2hrs ago, some uncle was looking at me seemingly irritated and and i only knew about it when my gf said, "eh the uncle on my left looking at you. he looks pissed."
and i didnt even do anything! i just... drove straight. no lane change, no cutting people's lane....
lol...we makes good news. There are all type of taxis drivers. Some good some ok some bad.