Let taxis ferry commuters from heartland busstops to nearby MRTstations, for $1 or less
 

WAITING for a feeder bus gives one time to think; sometimes too much time. Time to notice empty taxis passing by; sometimes too many empty taxis.
.
A cab cruising empty creates pollution without purpose, work without income and wastage without excuse.
.
The scale of wastage is huge. Last year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry published the national Energy Policy Report from which it is apparent that cabs cruising empty waste $73 million in fuel and contribute 175 million kg in carbon dioxide emissions.
.
Having every cab always engaged may be a utopian ideal. But if taxis can play a bigger role in an integrated public transport system, then the wastage can be mitigated.
.
In Singapore’s hub-and-spoke public transport model, travel between hubs is relatively hassle-free. As the MRT network expands, it is the spokes which have been shown up as the weakest link.
.
To many, the spokes that lead to each hub are feeder buses.
.
While MRT trains can generally be relied on to arrive on time, the same cannot be said of feeder buses. Sometimes you wait just a minute but sometimes, it takes 15 minutes or more. This unpredictability undermines the whole public transport chain by making overall journey times uncertain. That must be a factor that deters those to whom minutes matter.
.
Mr Tan Kin Lian, NTUC Income’s former chief executive, has suggested private operators be allowed to compete with existing feeder buses.
.
But that will take some time to put in place. Why not turn waste into benefit by using cruising taxis to supplement feeder bus services?
.
The one challenge is price. Taxis are not a cheap means of travelling several hundred metres to a hub like an MRT station, especially with a 30-cent fuel surcharge now tagged on to a minimum $2.80 flag-down fare.
.
Transfers between bus and MRT may soon cost less. But there is no rebate for transfers between taxis and other forms of public transport. Maybe this should be encouraged — such transfers ease traffic jams.
.
But even transfer rebates will not make taxis a competitive alternative to feeder buses. This is where taxis that are cruising empty come in.
.
Why not allow taxis, which now cruise empty past bus stops, to pick up those waiting for feeder buses and drive them to the nearest hub for a flat charge of $1 or less?
.
Wastage from empty cruising would be cut down. Taxi drivers would have a new revenue source. Commuters would have a shorter wait.
.
An empty taxi can simply pull up at a feeder bus stop and whoever wants a more immediate trip to the hub pays, at most, a marginally higher cost than for the feeder bus. All bus stops within perhaps five or 10 stops of a hub might fall within such a taxi pool zone and such bus stops could be colour-coded to identify them.
.
This is a change that could be made very quickly if desired. The passengers are already waiting at feeder bus stops; empty taxis are already passing them; their drivers are already losing potential revenue.
.
There can be little doubt that such a system would work since the taxi fare could even go as low as feeder bus fares.
.
Feeder buses may see a marginal drop in revenue if taxis play this role. As an operator of both buses and the largest fleet of taxis, ComfortDelGro may be in a position of conflict. The smaller taxi operators face no such dilemma, and so, can take the lead.
.
In any event, if bottomline concerns stand in the way of better public transportation, then perhaps the Land Transport Authority could reconsider its hands-off approach to regulating the taxi sector, and step in. A dent to profits should be no reason to scuttle an improvement to the public transport system.
.
When the culture of cab pooling has taken root, the scheme can be scaled up.
.
Sceptics may point to previous attempts at cab-sharing in Singapore that fizzled out. Their key weakness was that they required coordination among passengers.
.
In sharp contrast, the shared taxis that ply from Rochor to Johor Bahru have been running successfully for decades.
.
The key to success is that the taxi route should be well-known and there should be sufficient demand for it. Practised effectively from Australia to America, taxi sharing is not a novel idea. Surely there is a place for it in Singapore as well.
.
.
The writer trumps feeder buses by walkingto the MRT. This is his personal opinion.
.
:Email your views to news@newstoday.com.sg
Let taxis ferry commuters from heartland busstops to nearby MRTstations, for $1 or less
 

Thomas Koshy

 
.
.
WAITING for a feeder bus gives one time to think; sometimes too much time. Time to notice empty taxis passing by; sometimes too many empty taxis.
.
A cab cruising empty creates pollution without purpose, work without income and wastage without excuse.
.
The scale of wastage is huge. Last year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry published the national Energy Policy Report from which it is apparent that cabs cruising empty waste $73 million in fuel and contribute 175 million kg in carbon dioxide emissions.
.
Having every cab always engaged may be a utopian ideal. But if taxis can play a bigger role in an integrated public transport system, then the wastage can be mitigated.
.
In Singapore’s hub-and-spoke public transport model, travel between hubs is relatively hassle-free. As the MRT network expands, it is the spokes which have been shown up as the weakest link.
.
To many, the spokes that lead to each hub are feeder buses.
.
While MRT trains can generally be relied on to arrive on time, the same cannot be said of feeder buses. Sometimes you wait just a minute but sometimes, it takes 15 minutes or more. This unpredictability undermines the whole public transport chain by making overall journey times uncertain. That must be a factor that deters those to whom minutes matter.
.
Mr Tan Kin Lian, NTUC Income’s former chief executive, has suggested private operators be allowed to compete with existing feeder buses.
.
But that will take some time to put in place. Why not turn waste into benefit by using cruising taxis to supplement feeder bus services?
.
The one challenge is price. Taxis are not a cheap means of travelling several hundred metres to a hub like an MRT station, especially with a 30-cent fuel surcharge now tagged on to a minimum $2.80 flag-down fare.
.
Transfers between bus and MRT may soon cost less. But there is no rebate for transfers between taxis and other forms of public transport. Maybe this should be encouraged — such transfers ease traffic jams.
.
But even transfer rebates will not make taxis a competitive alternative to feeder buses. This is where taxis that are cruising empty come in.
.
Why not allow taxis, which now cruise empty past bus stops, to pick up those waiting for feeder buses and drive them to the nearest hub for a flat charge of $1 or less?
.
Wastage from empty cruising would be cut down. Taxi drivers would have a new revenue source. Commuters would have a shorter wait.
.
An empty taxi can simply pull up at a feeder bus stop and whoever wants a more immediate trip to the hub pays, at most, a marginally higher cost than for the feeder bus. All bus stops within perhaps five or 10 stops of a hub might fall within such a taxi pool zone and such bus stops could be colour-coded to identify them.
.
This is a change that could be made very quickly if desired. The passengers are already waiting at feeder bus stops; empty taxis are already passing them; their drivers are already losing potential revenue.
.
There can be little doubt that such a system would work since the taxi fare could even go as low as feeder bus fares.
.
Feeder buses may see a marginal drop in revenue if taxis play this role. As an operator of both buses and the largest fleet of taxis, ComfortDelGro may be in a position of conflict. The smaller taxi operators face no such dilemma, and so, can take the lead.
.
In any event, if bottomline concerns stand in the way of better public transportation, then perhaps the Land Transport Authority could reconsider its hands-off approach to regulating the taxi sector, and step in. A dent to profits should be no reason to scuttle an improvement to the public transport system.
.
When the culture of cab pooling has taken root, the scheme can be scaled up.
.
Sceptics may point to previous attempts at cab-sharing in Singapore that fizzled out. Their key weakness was that they required coordination among passengers.
.
In sharp contrast, the shared taxis that ply from Rochor to Johor Bahru have been running successfully for decades.
.
The key to success is that the taxi route should be well-known and there should be sufficient demand for it. Practised effectively from Australia to America, taxi sharing is not a novel idea. Surely there is a place for it in Singapore as well.
.
.
The writer trumps feeder buses by walkingto the MRT. This is his personal opinion.
.
:Email your views to news@newstoday.com.sg Let taxis ferry commuters from heartland busstops to nearby MRTstations, for $1 or less
 

Thomas Koshy

 
.
.
WAITING for a feeder bus gives one time to think; sometimes too much time. Time to notice empty taxis passing by; sometimes too many empty taxis.
.
A cab cruising empty creates pollution without purpose, work without income and wastage without excuse.
.
The scale of wastage is huge. Last year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry published the national Energy Policy Report from which it is apparent that cabs cruising empty waste $73 million in fuel and contribute 175 million kg in carbon dioxide emissions.
.
Having every cab always engaged may be a utopian ideal. But if taxis can play a bigger role in an integrated public transport system, then the wastage can be mitigated.
.
In Singapore’s hub-and-spoke public transport model, travel between hubs is relatively hassle-free. As the MRT network expands, it is the spokes which have been shown up as the weakest link.
.
To many, the spokes that lead to each hub are feeder buses.
.
While MRT trains can generally be relied on to arrive on time, the same cannot be said of feeder buses. Sometimes you wait just a minute but sometimes, it takes 15 minutes or more. This unpredictability undermines the whole public transport chain by making overall journey times uncertain. That must be a factor that deters those to whom minutes matter.
.
Mr Tan Kin Lian, NTUC Income’s former chief executive, has suggested private operators be allowed to compete with existing feeder buses.
.
But that will take some time to put in place. Why not turn waste into benefit by using cruising taxis to supplement feeder bus services?
.
The one challenge is price. Taxis are not a cheap means of travelling several hundred metres to a hub like an MRT station, especially with a 30-cent fuel surcharge now tagged on to a minimum $2.80 flag-down fare.
.
Transfers between bus and MRT may soon cost less. But there is no rebate for transfers between taxis and other forms of public transport. Maybe this should be encouraged — such transfers ease traffic jams.
.
But even transfer rebates will not make taxis a competitive alternative to feeder buses. This is where taxis that are cruising empty come in.
.
Why not allow taxis, which now cruise empty past bus stops, to pick up those waiting for feeder buses and drive them to the nearest hub for a flat charge of $1 or less?
.
Wastage from empty cruising would be cut down. Taxi drivers would have a new revenue source. Commuters would have a shorter wait.
.
An empty taxi can simply pull up at a feeder bus stop and whoever wants a more immediate trip to the hub pays, at most, a marginally higher cost than for the feeder bus. All bus stops within perhaps five or 10 stops of a hub might fall within such a taxi pool zone and such bus stops could be colour-coded to identify them.
.
This is a change that could be made very quickly if desired. The passengers are already waiting at feeder bus stops; empty taxis are already passing them; their drivers are already losing potential revenue.
.
There can be little doubt that such a system would work since the taxi fare could even go as low as feeder bus fares.
.
Feeder buses may see a marginal drop in revenue if taxis play this role. As an operator of both buses and the largest fleet of taxis, ComfortDelGro may be in a position of conflict. The smaller taxi operators face no such dilemma, and so, can take the lead.
.
In any event, if bottomline concerns stand in the way of better public transportation, then perhaps the Land Transport Authority could reconsider its hands-off approach to regulating the taxi sector, and step in. A dent to profits should be no reason to scuttle an improvement to the public transport system.
.
When the culture of cab pooling has taken root, the scheme can be scaled up.
.
Sceptics may point to previous attempts at cab-sharing in Singapore that fizzled out. Their key weakness was that they required coordination among passengers.
.
In sharp contrast, the shared taxis that ply from Rochor to Johor Bahru have been running successfully for decades.
.
The key to success is that the taxi route should be well-known and there should be sufficient demand for it. Practised effectively from Australia to America, taxi sharing is not a novel idea. Surely there is a place for it in Singapore as well.
.
.
The writer trumps feeder buses by walkingto the MRT. This is his personal opinion.
.
:Email your views to news@newstoday.com.sg Let taxis ferry commuters from heartland busstops to nearby MRTstations, for $1 or less
 

Thomas Koshy

 
.
.
WAITING for a feeder bus gives one time to think; sometimes too much time. Time to notice empty taxis passing by; sometimes too many empty taxis.
.
A cab cruising empty creates pollution without purpose, work without income and wastage without excuse.
.
The scale of wastage is huge. Last year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry published the national Energy Policy Report from which it is apparent that cabs cruising empty waste $73 million in fuel and contribute 175 million kg in carbon dioxide emissions.
.
Having every cab always engaged may be a utopian ideal. But if taxis can play a bigger role in an integrated public transport system, then the wastage can be mitigated.
.
In Singapore’s hub-and-spoke public transport model, travel between hubs is relatively hassle-free. As the MRT network expands, it is the spokes which have been shown up as the weakest link.
.
To many, the spokes that lead to each hub are feeder buses.
.
While MRT trains can generally be relied on to arrive on time, the same cannot be said of feeder buses. Sometimes you wait just a minute but sometimes, it takes 15 minutes or more. This unpredictability undermines the whole public transport chain by making overall journey times uncertain. That must be a factor that deters those to whom minutes matter.
.
Mr Tan Kin Lian, NTUC Income’s former chief executive, has suggested private operators be allowed to compete with existing feeder buses.
.
But that will take some time to put in place. Why not turn waste into benefit by using cruising taxis to supplement feeder bus services?
.
The one challenge is price. Taxis are not a cheap means of travelling several hundred metres to a hub like an MRT station, especially with a 30-cent fuel surcharge now tagged on to a minimum $2.80 flag-down fare.
.
Transfers between bus and MRT may soon cost less. But there is no rebate for transfers between taxis and other forms of public transport. Maybe this should be encouraged — such transfers ease traffic jams.
.
But even transfer rebates will not make taxis a competitive alternative to feeder buses. This is where taxis that are cruising empty come in.
.
Why not allow taxis, which now cruise empty past bus stops, to pick up those waiting for feeder buses and drive them to the nearest hub for a flat charge of $1 or less?
.
Wastage from empty cruising would be cut down. Taxi drivers would have a new revenue source. Commuters would have a shorter wait.
.
An empty taxi can simply pull up at a feeder bus stop and whoever wants a more immediate trip to the hub pays, at most, a marginally higher cost than for the feeder bus. All bus stops within perhaps five or 10 stops of a hub might fall within such a taxi pool zone and such bus stops could be colour-coded to identify them.
.
This is a change that could be made very quickly if desired. The passengers are already waiting at feeder bus stops; empty taxis are already passing them; their drivers are already losing potential revenue.
.
There can be little doubt that such a system would work since the taxi fare could even go as low as feeder bus fares.
.
Feeder buses may see a marginal drop in revenue if taxis play this role. As an operator of both buses and the largest fleet of taxis, ComfortDelGro may be in a position of conflict. The smaller taxi operators face no such dilemma, and so, can take the lead.
.
In any event, if bottomline concerns stand in the way of better public transportation, then perhaps the Land Transport Authority could reconsider its hands-off approach to regulating the taxi sector, and step in. A dent to profits should be no reason to scuttle an improvement to the public transport system.
.
When the culture of cab pooling has taken root, the scheme can be scaled up.
.
Sceptics may point to previous attempts at cab-sharing in Singapore that fizzled out. Their key weakness was that they required coordination among passengers.
.
In sharp contrast, the shared taxis that ply from Rochor to Johor Bahru have been running successfully for decades.
.
The key to success is that the taxi route should be well-known and there should be sufficient demand for it. Practised effectively from Australia to America, taxi sharing is not a novel idea. Surely there is a place for it in Singapore as well.
.
.
The writer trumps feeder buses by walkingto the MRT. This is his personal opinion.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/265691.asp