Passengers leaving cabs without paying increases
04 Feb 2015|1,906 views
More cases of taxi drivers being left high and dry, after passengers ran off without paying, were reported last year, according to The Straits Times.
There were 121 cases referred by cab companies to the Public Transport Council (PTC) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) - a 50 percent jump from 80 cases in 2013. In 2012, there were 68 cases.
The numbers, however, may represent just a fraction of the problem as cab companies will try to recover the unpaid fares for their drivers first. Only after being unable to do so, will they refer the cases to the authorities.
SMRT, the island's fourth-biggest operator with 3,600 taxis, had 180 reported cases of fare evasion from its drivers last year, about twice that in 2012.
Both TransCab and Premier Taxis said their drivers reported about 20 cases last year. But TransCab general manager Jasmine Tan believes many cases go unreported and estimates that there is at least one case a day. Of the 339 reports handled by the PTC and LTA in the past four years, about 30 percent, or 98 cases, were unresolved because of insufficient details about the passenger, or because the taxi driver decided not to pursue the matter. Still, the PTC and LTA managed to recover fares from 188, or 55 percent, of the cases.
"Most times, taxi drivers are not able to catch hold of the passengers. When the taxi reaches the destination, they just run off. Without any (personal) details, the driver will just drop the case," Ms. Tan said.
Under the Public Transport Council Act, a passenger found guilty of fare evasion can be fined up to $1,000. Repeat offenders can be fined $2,000, and also jailed up to six months.
Despite the rise in reported cases overall, ComfortDelGro, the largest operator here with 16,000 cabs, has seen an improvement. Ms. Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro's Group Corporate Communications Officer, said fare cheat cases fell by 16 percent last year, compared to 2013. To deter fare evaders, SMRT will blacklist offender's phone numbers in the booking system.
More cases of taxi drivers being left high and dry, after passengers ran off without paying, were reported last year, according to The Straits Times.
There were 121 cases referred by cab companies to the Public Transport Council (PTC) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) - a 50 percent jump from 80 cases in 2013. In 2012, there were 68 cases.
The numbers, however, may represent just a fraction of the problem as cab companies will try to recover the unpaid fares for their drivers first. Only after being unable to do so, will they refer the cases to the authorities.
SMRT, the island's fourth-biggest operator with 3,600 taxis, had 180 reported cases of fare evasion from its drivers last year, about twice that in 2012.
Both TransCab and Premier Taxis said their drivers reported about 20 cases last year. But TransCab general manager Jasmine Tan believes many cases go unreported and estimates that there is at least one case a day. Of the 339 reports handled by the PTC and LTA in the past four years, about 30 percent, or 98 cases, were unresolved because of insufficient details about the passenger, or because the taxi driver decided not to pursue the matter. Still, the PTC and LTA managed to recover fares from 188, or 55 percent, of the cases.
"Most times, taxi drivers are not able to catch hold of the passengers. When the taxi reaches the destination, they just run off. Without any (personal) details, the driver will just drop the case," Ms. Tan said.
Under the Public Transport Council Act, a passenger found guilty of fare evasion can be fined up to $1,000. Repeat offenders can be fined $2,000, and also jailed up to six months.
Despite the rise in reported cases overall, ComfortDelGro, the largest operator here with 16,000 cabs, has seen an improvement. Ms. Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro's Group Corporate Communications Officer, said fare cheat cases fell by 16 percent last year, compared to 2013. To deter fare evaders, SMRT will blacklist offender's phone numbers in the booking system.
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