HARDER TO GET A CAB
Passengers who still flag down taxis noted it is “impossible” to get a ride the conventional way, said those who spoke to CNA.
One passenger, Ms Natalie Pang, “very rarely takes cabs in the first place”, but if she does, she would wait by the road or at a taxi stand.
The 35-year-old only turns to an app if she needs a cab late at night and uses the CDG Zig app exclusively.
“(Hailing a cab on the) main road is impossible, but I once by chance managed to flag down one taxi in the last seven months,” she said.
Another passenger, Ms Keryn Wai, added that while it is hard to hail a cab by the road, it is not any easier at a taxi stand as many drivers prefer passengers to have a booking.
“I’ve been told by taxi uncles that (the number of taxis) reduced a lot since COVID, and that’s why there aren’t that many on the road now. A portion of those who are left are doing Grab, Gojek, Tada too. So they prefer to wait for business via the apps or even the ComfortDelGro bookings,” the 31-year-old said.
Mr Chan said that he would also share similar reasons with his passengers when they complain to him that it is increasingly difficult to flag down a cab.
The shortage of drivers is an industry-wide trend. The number of monthly active point-to-point drivers fell from around 69,000 pre-pandemic to 55,000 in the last quarter of 2022, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said in Parliament on Mar 3.
The decline is steeper for taxi drivers, with about 9,000 fewer active drivers compared to pre-pandemic. Many drivers who left the industry were those driving night or weekend shifts, she added.
The lack of drivers has thus resulted in high surge fares and longer waiting times, especially during the late evening or at night.
Ms Wai, who used to take cabs at least two to three times a week, has since cut down to once a week at most. When she is running late, she waits by the roadside or a taxi stand while trying her luck on ride-hailing apps.
But most of the time, “the apps come through (with a ride) first”, she said.
