Taxi Fare Cheats

 
Two days ago, "The Straits Times" carried a report on taxi fare cheats.  Comfort, which has about 15,600 taxi reported an average of 166 fare cheats a month, while the other 7 taxi operators reported a total average of about 100 a month. Many cases are not reported as cabbies find it a hassle to report such passengers - especially if the fare is not a large sum or their chance of recovering the money is zero.

Fare cheats dodge payment in various ways. Some simply dash out upon reaching their destination, others claim they need to go home or to an ATM to get money but do not return. Others say they will transfer the money to the driver's bank account which often turns out to be empty promise. Then they are those who leave their bags as collateral that turns out to be empty. Most cabbies do not have the passengers particulars and therefore do not have any recourse, except to bite their nails and take it as a learning experience in job hazard management. I know of a case where the 60+ years old driver chased after the fare cheat and died of a heart attack as a result of running.

Fortunately for me, I had only one encounters with taxi fare cheats in my 4 years of driving experience. It  happened after about 1 month into my driving job. I picked up 2 young punks at Clark Quay after mid-night and drove them to Kenmangan MRT in Eunos. As soon as I stopped my taxi, they dashed out of the door and disappeared into the night. I knew I had lost the $15 fare and puffed a cigarette to ease my pain. On the other hand , there were  passengers who were genuinely unable to pay the fare either because their cards were faulty or short of cash. I encountered two such passengers, who remitted the money to my account within a short time after their departure. Below (in white background) is Yahoo Singapore's recent report on 1/11/2011 of taxi cheats:

Fare cheats, assaults and robberies – these are the common problems that plague cabbies on our roads these days.

In particular, figures from taxi operators show an uptrend in the number of fare cheat cases in recent years.

ComfortDelGro, the largest operator in Singapore with a fleet of 15,600 taxis, said its cabbies have reported an average of 166 fare cheats a month this year, compared with 134 a month in 2008.

In the first half of this year, there have already been about 1,000 cases, said its corporate communications officer Tammy Tan.

Nine assault cases against its taxi drivers were also reported during the same period, added Tan.

Just last Saturday, taxi driver Tan Peng Mong, 57, fractured his arm when he went after a pair of alleged fare cheats who refused to pay a S$20 fare, reported The New Paper. The male passenger had allegedly pushed the cabby down in a struggle that resulted in the latter’s fall.

ComfortDelGro has been in touch with the injured driver and will help him with his medical claims.

The figures are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, however, as many cabbies do not report cases to the authorities.

Said Syed Hisham, 60, a cabby of 20 years, “I try not to fight because I don’t want to get hurt… so I continue driving to make up for the lost earnings.”

Syed was cheated five times last year.

Other taxi drivers said they often have to write off their losses as it is hard to identify the fare-dodging passengers.

As a gesture of goodwill, ComfortDelGro said it tries to reimburse cabbies in full for the loss in fares.

The latest figures have also prompted Member of Parliament for Joo Chiat Charles Chong to call for better protection of taxi drivers by insuring them against fare losses.

However, Chong also highlighted that companies “need to advise their drivers not to chase after these fare dodgers and risk lives and limbs in the process.”

In conclusion, it's very difficult for cabbies to avoid fair cheats and even more difficult to catch every one of them.. Ultimately, it comes down to the passenger's integrity.