LTA responds...
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http://ride.asiaone.com/news/general/story/lta-responds-suggestions-national-taxi-association-taxi-availability
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SINGAPORE - Land Transport Authority (LTA) chief executive Chew Hock Yong wrote a letter, dated Dec 27, to National Taxi Association (NTA) advisor Ang Hin Kee responding to suggestions the latter had made about taxi availability. One of those suggestions was to make it mandatory for new taxi vocational licence holders to be relief drivers for a period of time. On that point, Mr Chew said a better approach is for the NTA to work with one or two taxi companies to consider such practices, and encourage others to follow suit if effective.
Get the full story from The Straits Times.Full letter by Land Transport Authority (LTA) chief executive Chew Hock Yong:
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TAXI AVAILABILITY INDICATORS
We refer to the National Taxi Association's (NTA) suggestions pertaining to taxi availability (TA). We thank you for your understanding and patience as we needed time to review your suggestions holistically with the second year TA standards, as explained in our interim reply dated 11 July 2013 and at the Taxi Tripartite Work Group meeting on 19 July 2013. Our responses are as follows, with details in the Appendix.
More taxis on the roads and more jobs catered to after the implementation of the TA standards
The TA indicators were introduced to improve the utilisation of taxis to better serve commuters, especially during the peak periods.
Since its implementation on 1 January 2013, there have been more taxis on the roads serving commuters. There are also more taxi booking jobs catered to and more two-shift taxis, resulting in better taxi availability to commuters.
We thank the drivers for helping to make these improvements possible.
Discouraging taxi companies from passing down TA financial penalties to taxi drivers
We share NTA's view that taxi companies should not pass down financial penalties they incur to taxi drivers, especially drivers who do their part to meet the requirements.
During our communications session with the taxi companies on 27 November 2013 on the second year TA standards and penalty framework, we reiterated our position that taxi companies should not simply pass down the penalties to the drivers if they fail the taxi availability standards.
Instead, they should help their drivers achieve these service and availability standards.
In addition, even though we are proceeding with higher second year TA standards from 1 January 2014, we have decided to use the first year TA standards as the basis for financial penalties in 2014 (with the lower second year requirement of 60 per cent taxi availability during the shoulder peak periods), instead of the higher second year standards.
This will allow taxi companies more time to adjust to the higher second year TA standards.
We note also in this regard that most taxi companies are currently able to pass the first year standards, and hence should not incur any TA penalties.
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Flexibility already exercised for exclusion of certain taxis from the TA computation
On the exemption of niche or "premium" taxi services from the TA computation, taxi companies can apply to LTA for this on condition that these taxis, upon exemption, do not function in the same way as "normal" taxis (i.e. ply for street hire), and we do exercise flexibility for cases that merit waiver.
For instance, we have exempted SMRT's London Cabs due to its primary role in serving wheelchair users and the need to fulfil call booking jobs from them.
That said, we need to be judicious in giving such exemptions to avoid the potential loophole where taxi companies simply categorise their taxis as "premium" taxis to circumvent the TA standards, thereby negating the benefits the TA framework brings to commuters.
We have informed the taxi companies that we are open to receiving their proposals to exclude their "premium" taxis.
TA standards finetuned to minimise empty cruising of taxis
We note NTA's suggestion to minimise the empty cruising of taxis. We are careful not to raise the TA standards unnecessarily. Our review indicates that there is lower taxi demand and shorter waiting time at taxi stands during the shoulder peak periods of 6am to 7am and 11pm to 12 midnight.
Hence, we had decided not to proceed with the original plan to increase the TA requirement for these periods to 75 per cent in the second year, but adjust it downwards to 60 per cent (a level even lower than the first year standards). This would still ensure that taxi supply meets demand, while helping drivers reduce instances of empty cruising.
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Support measures for taxi drivers
We have also looked into support measures for taxi drivers. LTA relaxed the Central Business District (CBD) taxi rule earlier in January 2013. For hirers who are unable to find relief drivers, we have introduced an online matching portal to help them.
We have also asked the taxi companies to assist in finding relief drivers for them and encourage these drivers to use our online matching portal. In addition, from January 2014, active drivers will only need to pay half of the Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL) fees when they renew their licence, and undergo a shorter TDVL refresher course.
LTA will conduct a one-year taxi information system trial at five taxi stands from late 2014.
This will allow LTA to leverage on technology to monitor and provide real-time information on commuter demand at the stands, and enable taxi companies to alert their drivers about locations with high taxi demand.
The mediation scheme, on which we are currently working with NTA and the taxi companies, will help to provide a channel for drivers to settle issues amicably with one another and with their taxi companies.
NTA has also suggested that the government consider legislating issues concerning driver management matters, such as requiring new TDVL holders to start off as relief drivers to enlarge the pool of "active" relief drivers.
We are of the view that legislation is not the best way forward as we should not be prescriptive over how taxi companies recruit and manage drivers for their taxis, and that taxi companies should have the flexibility to meet their own business needs.
We note that currently, the market practice is that taxi companies encourage their drivers to start as a relief driver before progressing to a hirer.
We therefore suggest that a better approach is for NTA to work with one or two taxi companies to consider such practices, and if they are effective, consider encouraging others to follow suit.
We thank you for your suggestions and we will continue to work closely with NTA and the taxi companies to improve our taxi industry.
Yours sincerely,
Chew Hock Yong
Chief Executive -
Taxi companies who are being penalised for low utilisation rates of their taxis according to LTA rules of 250km, (jan 2014 will be 300km per day), can alway use many way to get back what they paid out for the penalty And one of the most easier way is increasing rental until TD kpkb, then increase their flag down by a mere $0.20cts, So, from a holistic approach of taxi availbility can end up with a holistic rental and fare increases. That is what I use to say, solving one problem, created many other problems
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This respond have throw back many speculation for the past month....
So conclusion, NTA still jiak liao bee 1.....
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NTA had recently recruited 14,000 members only, and most are close door membership, meaning they sell it to new hirer before they take key, newbies in exciting and anxiety mood are the most vulunerable to submit to joining, same goes to LV and all other groups. My former chief is the best at it, if you are new, lai lai..mai mai lai, then tell story about 13 cycles CDB, never entertain ah wood, ah kangs or ah wangs..this is exactly same as what NTA are doing. But then who gives them the right to represent TDs way of living and driving when you do not even represent 50% of the Singapore taxi drivers, or in another words, who the fark are you to tell us what to do??
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"NTA has also suggested that the government consider legislating issues concerning driver management matters, such as requiring new TDVL holders to start off as relief drivers to enlarge the pool of "active" relief drivers.
We are of the view that legislation is not the best way forward as we should not be prescriptive over how taxi companies recruit and manage drivers for their taxis, and that taxi companies should have the flexibility to meet their own business needs.
We note that currently, the market practice is that taxi companies encourage their drivers to start as a relief driver before progressing to a hirer.
We therefore suggest that a better approach is for NTA to work with one or two taxi companies to consider such practices, and if they are effective, consider encouraging others to follow suit."
Very good example of NTA kian tio ho, kay kian.....
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Remember Rule 1. NTA are sponsored by Taxi companies. Rule 2. If you think NTA can take on taxi companies for the betterment of Taxi Drivers, Please read Rule 1
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Originally posted by Keepthechange666:
This respond have throw back many speculation for the past month....
So conclusion, NTA still jiak liao bee 1.....
BINGO...
quote
"Quit if you can't take the heat or complain to your MP or NTA (National Taxi Association)".I replied "Don't waste my time. All these people are bedding each other and "wayang" performers. Instead, we taxi drivers have to depend on ourselves for protection and swallow all the bitter pills of complaints with a pint of salt". -
I always think that, an association or a union should be wholly represented by the expertise.....
ie taxi association should be represented by TD....
Whether is chairman or admin should be solely run by TD mah....
Than gong way will have better strength lor....
But don't like the pilot case lor, knn, ah Lee must step in....
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end of the day. most effective way to make drivers drive longer and faster:
higher rental, low fares....
talk so much also fake lah.
why dont they survey how many more hrs and km each driver has put in??
is it more or less or the same??? knn.
there is no such thing as win-win lah.... -
Agree there is no such thing as win win,...but that cannot represent that why taxi drivers are alway on the lose lose..they eat meat, we eat bone ar??
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Originally posted by bowah:
Agree there is no such thing as win win,...but that cannot represent that why taxi drivers are alway on the lose lose..they eat meat, we eat bone ar??
Ask ur self....
which party u voted last GE....
if pap, LLST.....
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Last GE...ar...cannot remember liao, was like supporting PAP for the free foods and freebies during their rallies, then voted WP, end up my place still run by PAP, so left with no choice, jus Poon Pee pee lor
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Originally posted by bowah:
Agree there is no such thing as win win,...but that cannot represent that why taxi drivers are alway on the lose lose..they eat meat, we eat bone ar??
Then u expect towkay to eat bones and u eat meat?
Everything is controlled by them.... U have choice meh?
They spare u some bones to suck, u shld be happy liao. They will tell u, they can throw the bones away or feed to dogs leh....
End of day, also LLST.
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Now they si beh bo eng settle MCE problem.....
Taxi problem, dang a while hor.....
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Originally posted by Samsun:
Then u expect towkay to eat bones and u eat meat?
Everything is controlled by them.... U have choice meh?
They spare u some bones to suck, u shld be happy liao. They will tell u, they can throw the bones away or feed to dogs leh....
End of day, also LLST.
No lah, I expect at least they leave some meat for us mah. but bones are also good for bak kut teh leh.