In a rush to go to my workplace, I tried to flag a taxi on the roadside. Soon, a black car with a taxi light on its top stop in front of me. I thought is just a normal taxi and boarded without hesitating.
After telling the destination to the driver, I asked whether the taxi belongs to a new taxi firm. The driver told me that it belonged SMRT and that type of taxi had been on the road for about 8 to 9 months, they were brought in mainly for the two IRs. Only after that I noticed number displayed on the meter was higher than my expectation.
I checked within the car and found no information on the meter rate, so I asked the driver for this. He said the starting price was S$5 and meter rate was about the same as other taxi. As normal taxi start up price is about $S3, I felt that was acceptable as it was not too much. But after I reach the destination, I found that I was wrong, the final cost of this trip was more than twice of a normal taxi trip, it almost tripled the cost.
No doubt to say, the taxi is quite good, but the when paying the price I did feel the pain. Should LTA ask this type of taxi display its start-up price and meter rate somewhere so that people know what¡¯s going, and for poor people like me, we may try to avoid boarding this type of luxury ones.
you must have sat in the new chrysler cars. they are nice, but are considered business executives cars and not the normal cedrics that prowl our roads. perhaps the LTA should prevent these cars from picking up passengers by the roadside and position them at hotels lobbies instead, or available only on request. This is how it is done in Seoul, Tokyo and many other big cities.
I took this taxi by accident from the airport. I was not given any warning that the rates are higher and I was shafted into the taxi at the airport queue without the warden telling me the rates are higher (much higher!) This is outright deception. In spite of my writing in an earlier post about this, SMRT and PTC and LTA continue to allow these taxis to ply the streets masquerading as normal taxis catching unsuspecting passengers. Can some one do something about this, please? Given a choice no one is going to pay the rate this kind of taxi ask for; that is why they need to deceive the public.
---------------------------------00000000000---------------------- fair comments from the public?
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If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.
Taxi driver : Not me. I only drive and collect fares. Taxi meter : Not me. I have been set up. Chrysler :Why me. Just because I am black? Taxi companies : Not me. We have many choices of colours for you to choose. LTA: Not me. We free up the market. Pax : Why me. I am the one paying you all.
-- Edited by donsan on Sunday 26th of July 2009 06:10:17 AM
Aiyo common sense lar. Look at the car already know need to pay more, drinking a tiger @ food court $5 vs Shangrila $xx, deceiving the public? Shall tourism board do something? :)
knn.. they blind ar?? pax window left right side before they rnter got the decal stating the starting fare wat?? Blame who?? blame yrself for acting blind
