Cab rage: we’ve all had it. I’ve sworn to take the bus more, but frequently find myself crawling back to the teat of convenience: the taxi. But if you think it’s frustrating trying to find a cab during peak hours in the CBD, it’s not exactly a cakewalk for taxi drivers either. 

For one thing, they pay for ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) charges, which can go up to $5 (the PIE/CTE slip road from 8.35 to 8.55am) even if they don’t have a fare on board. The Government takes a percentage of the ERP cost, and if a cabbie doesn’t have a properly functioning CashCard, he/she faces a $100 fine. There are currently 80 ERP gantries in Singapore with more on the way – you can almost hear the ‘ch-ching!’ when driving under them. 

Renting a taxi is not cheap. SMRT charges $65 a day for a Toyota regular, while Mercedes- Benz cabbies pay $130 a day. Every month, Mr Tan, a Benz driver, spends $1,500 of his own money on petrol without reimbursement, CPF or benefits. He even drives when sick, because a day off would take a huge chunk out of his profits. Illness combined with an air-conditioned tin can does wonders for disease control. The result: unhappy, sometimes sickly drivers who can barely cope with pricey petrol and financial deterrents preventing them from servicing a major slice of the urban population. 

Ultimately, many cashstrapped drivers are reluctant to enter the CBD, leading to the recent development of ‘On Call’ rage (but that’s another rant altogether). Subsequently, people who need cabs develop an intense form of aggression that causes instant leprosy (okay, I made that up). We have a surplus of $6.4 billion from the Government’s 2007 budget – more than enough to offer cabbies better subsidies and cover ERP costs. Why not just charge ERP rates for cabbies whose meters are already running? 

At the end of the day, one has to wonder how many lawmakers are taking taxis. Do they know how tedious it is, for both the driver and passenger? Will the fares ever stop rising?