Someone alerted me to the article from Today about how much cabbies are really earning. Apparently, the figure quoted in the article - $9,858 before expenses, was a little too similar to the title of one of my previous post. Hmm… if the previous post wasn’t replicated elsewhere (or was it?), then since when did Simply Jean become an “Internet forum”???

Well, at least ComfortDelgro was contacted and that the figure was explained and clarified. Sometimes, it takes a little… publicity to get things moving, else everyone would really start thinking that taxi drivers really earn $318 per day. =P

How much do cabbies really earn?

Friday • January 25, 2008

Ansley Ng
ansley@mediacorp.com.sg

IT was a figure that raised eyebrows and drew incredulous reactions from some taxi drivers as well as commuters — leading ComfortDelGro to yesterday clarify a mistaken impression.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim had said in Parliament that a study of 5,000 taxis by the largest taxi operator here revealed that each generated $318 in daily average takings, up from $307 after last month’s fare hike.

On Internet forums, one netizen did the calculation that cabbies “earn $9,858 before expenses” each month, leaving some aghast, while others wondered if the data provided was correct.

And it was, but as ComfortDelGro has since clarified, $318 accounts for a taxi’s takings over two shifts.

With most taxis shared between two drivers, to defray costs and working hours, the average daily takings for each cabbie — before deducting rent and petrol costs — would work out to $159. Minus expenses, this would mean the average driver pockets about $85 a day.

“We have over 30,000 drivers and there will definitely be drivers who earn more than the average and those that earn less,” said ComfortDelGro spokeswoman Tammy Tan.

“It is still early days yet and we are still monitoring the situation closely to gauge demand.”

Even so, some taxi drivers that Today spoke to thought the estimate was a tad too optimistic.

“It’s tough to even make $70 a day now after we fork out rent and petrol,” said Mr Maurice Goh. “It didn’t use to be like this before the revision.”

Another driver, Mr Ong Eng Chuan, 72, insisted that his takings have dropped by as much as 20 per cent. “No matter what they say, people are still avoiding taking taxis, unless they really need to,” he said.

Another taxi operator, however, told Today it had conducted its own survey and interviews with cabbies, and the results were not too far from ComfortDelGro’s findings.

Premier Taxis’ managing director Lim Chong Boo, who has a fleet of 2,400 taxis, said: “The results are close to what the Minister revealed”.

While declining to be more precise, he noted: “We found out that some took home more after the revision, while some took home about the same as before but were making fewer trips.”

There were also those who made less money because they spent their time “sitting in coffeeshops”, said Mr Lim. “This is a time where you can separate the good drivers from the rest.”

Singapore’s second-largest cab company SMRT Taxis, with 3,000 vehicles on the road, declined to say if it had studied its drivers’ takings. But spokeswoman said the company frequently meets its cabbies in dialogue sessions and will continue to monitor the situation.

At least one taxi driver that Today spoke to, however, agreed he has benefited from the fare revision.

Mr Ho Kin Hwa, 49, who has been driving for five years, said his takings have improved by $10 to $15 a day, even as he is now making fewer trips.

The father of two drives a 15-hour full shift daily, for five days a week. On Saturdays and Sundays, he drives nine hours a day and shares the vehicle with a relief driver.

For Mr Ho, the math is simple: “It’s tiring but the more I drive, the more I earn.”

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 25th January 2008

The last taxi company - Prime Taxis, are going to raise their flag down rates soon, if a unanimous agreement is reached in a vote next week. Drivers of Prime Taxis have seen a decline in earnings after the other taxi companies rose their flag down rates in December - effectively creating a knee-jerk reaction that got many customers off taxis for quite a while.

However, from recent reportings and survey, this down trend seems to be improving as taxi drivers are beginning to see a gradual increase in their passengers as well as earnings. This reinforced the fact that Singaporeans are indeed very supportive of the taxi drivers and are beginning to resume taking taxis as they used to.

As the LTA and other parties had mentioned previously, the sudden drop in customers may be a knee-jerk reaction. At the end of the day, if a person has to take a cab, he will. After all, it’s a trade off between time and money and time isn’t something that someone can buy. In such instances, it is better for a person to just take a cab to save some time.

THE lone Singapore taxi company to decide against raising its fares last month could soon reverse that decision.

Drivers from Prime Taxis, the island’s smallest cab firm, will vote next Tuesday on whether to raise flag down fares and after-hours rates, said managing director Neo Nam Heng.

The company’s 100 cabbies saw their take-home pay drop 50 per cent after five of Singapore’s six companies raised fares in December, a move that drove many commuters away from taxis.

‘For the first two weeks, there was a fall in their income because people saw the other companies increase price and stopped taking cabs,’ said Mr Neo.

The situation, though, has improved recently.

Drivers are seeing their income inch back up to the pre-hike rate of $100 to $120 a day, said Mr Neo.

It has been a roller coaster ride for Singapore’s taxi companies, some of whom, like Prime Taxis, are starting to see business rebound.

Divers from the island’s biggest firm, Comfort DelGo, have seen their take-home pay creep upwards over the last few weeks.

The average ComfortDelGro cabbie earned $159 per shift, up from $153 before the fare increase, according to a company survey of 5,000 drivers.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 25th January 2008

Apparently there was more news than I initially thought. There will be 2 more lines and 2 more extensions by 2020, which I figured that I should still be able to witness and try in my life time. By then, I’d be quite old and it’s probably a good thing for me anyway. One of the new lines will run through Thomson while the other is the Eastern Line. As I am not an east person, I’m not sure if it’s really good. Or not.

Ed: Contrary to Sheylara, I’m not a lazy blogger, but this post is rather short because… I have to rush off soon. =P

A new 27 km underground rail line will be built from Woodlands in the north, through Ang Mo Kio and down the Thomson corridor to the city centre.

It will be one of four more rail systems to be built by 2020, with the other lines bringing high speech access to areas like Marine Parade in the east and Tuas in the West.

Together, the four will extend the rail network from the current 138km of track to 278km by 2020.

When completed, moving within the city centre will be a breeze, with a train station every 400m, or a five minute walk away, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim on Friday morning when he unveiled part-two of the changes to the land transport system.

Thomson Line (see attached map)

From the heart of Marina Bay, the Thomson Line (or TSL) will travel northwards, through the Central Business District and up through Ang Mo Kio all the way to Woodlands connecting estates such as Sin Ming, Kebun Baru, Thomson and Kim Seng which do not now have a direct MRT link.

Easten Region Line (see attached map)

The Eastern Region Line (or ERL), from Marina Bay, will serve the residential estates of Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok South and Upper East Coast, and link them to Changi in the east.

The TSL and the ERL together will add 48km to the rail network. The Government has given the go-ahead for the TSL to be built by 2018, and the ERL by 2020.

Mr Lim said the TSL and ERL will shorten journey times and significantly enhance the connectivity of the rail network. Commuters staying in Sin Ming, for example, can save 20 minutes out of their current 45-minute journey to the city, whereas a trip from Marine Parade to Marina Bay on the ERL would take about 20 minutes, almost as fast as travelling by car.

New extensions to North-South and East-West Lines (see attached maps)

The North-South and East-West Lines will also be extended and should be completed around 2015.

The North-South Line, which now ends at the Marina Bay station in the south, will be extended 1-km southwards to serve upcoming developments in the southern Marina Bay area, such as the new cruise terminal in Marina South. The East-West Line will be extended by another 14km into Tuas.

Presently, a commuter who lives in Clementi and takes the MRT to work in Tuas has to alight at Boon Lay station and then take a 35-minute bus ride to get to his workplace. With the new Tuas Extension that brings the East-West line right into the heart of Tuas, more of the journey will be on the high speed MRT, reducing his journey time by 20 minutes.

Doubling of rail network by 2020 (see attached map)

Mr Lim said the new rail lines will cost some $20 billion to build, over and above the $20 billion that government has already committed for the on-going Boon Lay Extension (BLE), the Circle Line (CCL) and the Downtown Line (DTL).

‘The government has decided that all these rail projects are a necessary investment to ensure that our transport infrastructure meets the needs of a growing population and an expanding economy,’ he said.

‘Together with the rail lines now under construction, the new rail lines will double our network from today’s 138km to 278km in 2020. We expect our rail network to carry 3 times as many journeys, rising from today’s 1.4 million a day to 4.6 million in 2020.’

He added that many more people will be served by the MRT, and they will be able to use it to get to many more places.

The density of the rail network will increase by 60 per cent, from 31 to 51 km per million population by 2020, comparable to cities like New York and London, and surpassing Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Turning to the existing rail lines, Mr Lim said train ridership is increasing steadily and commuters have said that they are feeling the squeeze, especially on the North-South and East-West lines.

‘Now, we are far from the crowded conditions of Tokyo trains, which Mr Norman Chong, a Singaporean who has lived in Tokyo for 10 years, describes as being ’so packed that bodies are crushed against one another.’ He calls it his ‘regular morning massage’,’ said the Minister. ‘Other MRT users have likened the average peak period loading on our trains to an off-peak crowd in Shanghai.’

He said LTA is closely monitoring the passenger loading on trains.

To ensure a more comfortable ride for commuters, LTA has worked with the train operators to run 93 additional train trips per week during the morning and evening periods from February 2008 on the North-South East-West and the North-East lines. For commuters, this will mean less crowded trains and a reduction in waiting time by about 10 to 15 per cent during peak hours.

Additionally, the carrying capacity of the North-South and East-West Lines will be expended, with more trains to be added.

When completed in about four years’ time, their carrying capacity will be increased by a further 15 per cent, and commuters can look forward to shorter peak waiting times of two minutes, compared to the current 2.5 to 4.5 minutes at stretches that experience heavy loading, and an even more comfortable ride, assured Mr Lim.

DTL 3 to be brought forward by 2 years

The Minister also announced that Stage 3 of the Downtown Line (DTL) will now be completed two years earlier - from 2018 to 2016 - to benefit residents of Bedok Reservoir and Tampines.

It will be ready just one year after that of DTL Stage 2 serving the Bukit Timah corridor.

Earlier opening of Circle Line in 2009

He also have another piece of good news.

The Circle Line (CCL), which was due to open from 2010 onwards, will now open its Stage 3 segment in mid-2009 to benefit residents in the north and north-east.

This CCL segment connects Bishan station on the North-South Line and Serangoon station on NEL and opens up multiple new connections for residents in the north and north-east.

With the CCL 3, Serangoon residents will take only 25 minutes to get to Yishun by transferring to the North-South line at Bishan station, compared to 45 minutes by bus or by taking the NEL all the way to Dhoby Ghaut before transferring to the North-South line.

As for residents staying in Marymount, Lorong Chuan and Bartley, they will enjoy more seamless and direct travel to the city and other parts once CCL 3 commences operation.

More Circle Line stations will be opened

Commuters can also look forward to more stations on the Circle Line. This will enhance the reach and connectivity of the Circle Line, and allow many more people to benefit from the MRT.

‘We had earlier decided to build the Thomson and West Coast stations as shell stations and fit them out only when there are sufficient developments around them. As the pace of development around these stations is picking up, LTA will now fit out these stations and open them together with the other CCL stations,’ said Mr Lim.

‘To enhance the accessibility of the Marina Bay area to the rest of the island, LTA will also build and open the Marina Bay station as part of the CCL extension beyond Bayfront station in 2012.’

‘With all these developments that I have highlighted, commuters can look forward to new extensions or stages of new lines opening almost every other year until 2020.’

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 25th Jaunary 2008

Got this piece of article in between talks… erm, coincidentally by the same minister who made the “taxi drivers now make S$318 a day” comment. I’m not trying to discredit him or do anything malicious… just that the previous article on how much taxi drivers earn put me in stitches. Seriously, it’s either the something was left out in his speech/comment, or the statisticians sabotaged him, or the reporters didn’t like him.

But for once, this seemed like good news. =)

IN what could well be Singapore’s most aggressive public transport infrastructure plans ever, the Government is spending $40 billion to double the MRT network by 2020.

By then, Singapore will have 278km of rail link, from 138km today. Its network density will rise from 31km per million residents today to 51km per million - surpassing what Hong Kong and Tokyo has today and comparable to current densities in places like New York and London.

Announcing these targets on Friday as part of a sweeping Land Transport Review, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said two new lines will be built - barely nine months after he gave the go-ahead to the $12 billion 40km Downtown Line.

One, the Thomson Line, runs to the left of and almost parallel to the North-east Line. It is 27km long and links Marina Bay in the south to Woodlands in the north. To be completed in 2018, it will have 18 stations, in places such as Ang Mo Kio, Kebun Baru, Sin Ming, Thomson and Kim Seng.

The other is the Eastern Region Line, which is a southern loop of the Downtown Line’s eastern wing. It is 21km long and links Marina Bay to Changi. This line has 12 stops in places such as Tanjong Rhu, Siglap, Bedok South and Marine Parade, and is scheduled for completion in 2020.

‘We expect our rail network to carry three times as many journeys, rising from today’s 1.4 million a day to 4.6 million in 2020,’ Mr Lim said.

Existing MRT lines will also be lengthened. The North South Line will dip towards Marina South, with one station, and should be ready by 2015. Elsewhere, the East West Line will go west to serve the Tuas Industrial Estate. Also to be ready in 2015, it is 14km long and dotted with five stations.

More immediately though, Mr Lim said residents can look forward to riding one stage of the Circle Line from middle of next year. This stage is a five-station section linking Bartley to Marymount, with interchanges at Serangoon and Bishan.

Completion of the Downtown Line has also been brought forward by two years to 2016.

These accelerated plans are just the beginning. Minister Lim revealed that the Government will be working towards a new financing framework for rail infrastructure that will see future lines being built sooner. Instead of assessing the viability of new lines in isolation, the Government will now evaluate its contribution to the entire network. As such, future MRT projects could be implemented ‘a few years earlier… so long as the entire rail network remains viable’.

Like changes he announced for buses last week, the minister said the Government will introduce more competition to the rail industry. Operating contracts will be 10 to 15 years long, instead of the current 30-year tenures. This is to keep the operators on their toes so that they keep service standards high.

In line with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s promise that no one would be left behind, accessibility to wheelchairs and prams will likewise be speeded up. By 2010, access to MRT stations, taxi and bus shelters will be barrier free within a 400m radius. Because there are 4,500 bus-stops here, practically all walkways will be accessible to the handicapped, elderly and those using baby prams.

And by 2010, 40 per cent of public buses will be wheelchair accessible, with the rest to follow by 2020.

The minister took the opportunity to announce other transport-related initiatives during a visit to the Kim Chuan MRT Depot on Friday morning. These include:

• July: A single telephone number for booking a cab.

• March: Six-month trial for foldable bicycles to be allowed onboard MRT trains during off-peak periods.

• Next year: Better bicycle parking facilities at MRT stations, starting with Tampines and Pasir Ris.

• March: Road signs warning motorists of cyclists in popular bicycle routes.

• 2014: All taxis to meet Euro IV emission standards.

• 2020: All buses to meet Euro IV emission standards.

On what commuters can look forward to in the coming years, Mr Lim said: ‘By 2020, people who live or work in the city and those who shop and find enjoyment there will be able to reach an MRT station within 400 metres on average, a mere five-minute walk.

‘Travelling across the city will be a breeze, because we will have a dense network of MRT stations like what we see in London and New York today.’

He added: ‘With a vast rail network and a bus network that works in partnership with rail, commuters will have fast and reliable connections that bring them where they want to go. A gamut of transport choices including premium buses, taxis and cycling among others, will enable different needs to be met.’

The Minister said as society evolves and people’s needs change, Singapore’s land transport offerings must keep pace as well as encompass the diversity of needs and aspirations.

‘To achieve this, we will plan our land transport system around people, not the other way round. This then will be our touchstone in the planning of land transport policies going forward,’ he promised.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 25th January 2008

Have you been reading about the Slingers’ game here? Have you seen the players in action and the cheerleaders through the photographs and video? Do you wish to be at the stadium *in the game*? Do you want to be part of the action? Well, now you can!

If you had been following the posts on the Slingers’ games and you’d like to be part of the action, leave a comment here or drop me a message using the contact form for a pair of tickets! Request for (free) tickets will be available till Sunday,, 27th January 2008 or while stocks last!

PS: This is open for all SimplyJean readers and friends. You do not have to do anything else except for leaving a comment below. =)