SINGAPORE: When a taxi driver reportedly told a tourist that he would need to pay S$75 for a five-kilometre trip, it made the news earlier this week.
The tourist declined the ride, which would have been from Fullerton Bay Hotel to an Orchard Road hotel.
The ride would have only taken 15 minutes even if there had been some traffic.
The tourist was then given assistance by a worker, a Mr Wu, who was directing traffic outside Fullerton Bay Hotel. Mr Wu told Shin Min Daily News about the incident.
He told Mr Wu that the ride from his hotel to Fullerton Bay Hotel had only cost about S$20, and was greatly puzzled as to why the trip back would cost so much.
Mr Wu, who helped him get a ride back to his hotel, told the tourist that taxi drivers in Singapore are required to use their meters for the rides passengers book and can only charge the amount that is indicated at the end of each ride.
He also told the Chinese-language daily that he has observed how some cabbies are choosy with the passengers they take, while others ask for cash payments only.
When reporters for Shin Min Daily News attempted to get rides from cabbies in the area, some said that the taxi drivers told them they would not turn on the taxi meter, while others changed their minds after they entered the cabs. One said that there are “fixed prices” for rides to Orchard Road and Bugis.
Mothership, which also carried the story, quoted the Land Transport Authority as saying it “takes a serious view” of overcharging cabbies, as well as those who are choosy with passengers. Some taxi drivers who have done so have been fined.
Over on Reddit, local users on the platform said that it’s not uncommon for cabbies to reject passengers who are on their way to the heartlands, or those who live at Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, or Woodlands.
Another wrote about cabbies who refused to give his grandfather, who uses a wheelchair and crutches, a ride, as they claim it takes too long for him to get into their vehicle.
Some said that more enforcement, especially when it comes to overcharging or choosy cabbies, is necessary,
“Laws are strict but enforcement is another thing,” one wrote.
Others noted that the police force is stretched too thin, which is why enforcement is often outsourced to other agencies. /TISG
Read also: Singaporeans dismayed at taxis charging S$50-65 for 4km rides from Marina Bay Sands