Taxis

I was on my way to a friend's place last nite. As I was late, I decided to take a cab. At my usual cab-waiting place, I tried to flag one. I saw one across the road, it was empty and it had the green lights on at the top. I was elated! As I caught the driver's attention, he did not stop! Instead, he switched the lights to red, indicating he was busy! Phenomenal! I guess he's changing shifts.

Recently, much has been discussed about errant taxi-drivers, who choose customers and tout. Shameless! So many cab operators have sprung up in recent memory and yet it remains a daunting task trying to flag a cab in the town area. Now, we even have someone in authority who suggested implementing surcharges in the CBD and Orchard Road and major tourist attractions to entice cabbies to return to town after dropping passengers at the heartland. Ridiculous.

As an authoritative figure, why is he still raising the cost of living when it is within our control? Rising wheat prices, fuel prices...these are understandably beyond our control. Anyway, instead, cab operators should reduce the rents of taxis. Anyway, cabbies are the ones who pay for fuel. They pretty much just collect rents! Also, authorities who in future make ridiculous comments concerning this issue should be fined their salaries to subsidize cab fares. Eg: Authority for Town A gets fined. Residents for Town A will have a 20cent rebate per cab trip. In this way, we can encourage intellectual and constructive debate when certain important meeting is in session and warrant disincentive for verbal diarrhea.

Some cabbies' rear are itching for some pain. I think some are really spoiling the market. Some cabbies chose this profession to pass time whilst others genuinely need the job. More rigorous screening shld be put in place to filter out would-be erroneous cabbies. Then again, cab operators like other businesses are profit-driven. Who gives a damn abt social welfare and the greater good when neither can buy u a cup of coffee?