SINGAPORE — Although stiffer penalties for taxi fare cheats will be imposed from next Monday, cabbies say more can be done, and speeding up administrative processes as well as installing cameras in taxis are some suggestions they say could improve driver welfare.
The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced on Friday that under the new rules, the penalties will be doubled to S$200 for first-time offenders and S$400 for the second offence, on top of the unpaid fare, to deter fare evasion.
Currently, first-time offenders may be let off with a warning from the Land Transport Authority or the PTC, as long as they pay the fare they owe. Those who do not comply are now fined S$100, while second-time offenders are fined S$200. Subsequent repeat offenders are charged in court.
Amid a rise in the number of fare evasion cases to 240 last year, almost double the number in 2014 and three times more than in 2013, cab operators have also pasted fare evasion decals in their taxis to deter potential culprits.
Mr Raymond Ong, who has been driving a taxi for 17 years, recounted a particularly painful incident when he was ferrying a middle-aged couple in his taxi one day.
When a cyclist cut across his path, Mr Ong was forced to stop to avoid causing an accident or hurting the cyclist. However, his male passenger refused to accept his explanation and landed a punch “just above my right eyebrow”.
After telling his wife to get out of the vehicle first, on the pretext of searching for his wallet, the man then opened the door and dashed out of the taxi without paying the fare, Mr Ong told Channel NewsAsia.
Mr Ong suggested that having cameras inside taxis could help protect taxi drivers from such incidents. “We have no proof because the harassment, the abuse, or the assault case happens inside the taxi, where we have no inward(-facing) camera to support us,” he said.
Another taxi driver, Mr Henry Tay, also said that installing cameras could help prevent fare cheating incidents, or help in police investigations when they do happen.
He added that speeding up administrative processes could go a long way: “In fare evasion (cases) you have to stop your meter, take out your receipt, then you go to the police station to file a police report.
“The police will ask you to go back to your company to file a report, (before) they’ll file a report to the Land Transport Authority and the LTA will file a report to PTC” he said. “Singapore is such an efficient country, so can (the process) be so lengthy?”
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