Why are the Taxi drivers so rude

Bafana · Post by **Bafana** » Mon, 24 Aug 2009 9:33 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:No, I think is was "He who kicks ass goes to Singapore hospital and pays $25K to extract foot and straighten toe!"

Then fly thailand plastic surgery and root canal...

irvine · Post by **irvine** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 9:53 am

What are some funny quotes you'd get from cabbies? My personal amuses are:

- cannot be... cannot be... how can that be? cannot be...
- bus lane cannot stop... (even though it's just a dotted bus lane)
- you tell me... how I know where you want to stop?
- where to? go by ecp? pie? (hmm, how would I know?)

Sometimes I do get chissed off by their attitude, but I've learnt better... it is better for me to just keep quiet then to endure their theories, philosophies, nagging, explanations, and worse scoldings.

Although I must say some cabbies are nice to suggest alternate routes that are not within the gridlock - and mention that it may be a slightly longer but faster route.

Funny thing. We were at Suntec taxi queue that was moving ever so slowly at 9:30pm on a weekend. So I decided to call a booking taxi as everyone in the group was getting tired. Our booking taxi came within 30 seconds. LOL I wanted to laugh. Here the queue were, waiting for ages with very few taxis swinging by, and by willing to pay an extra $2.50, I get one in 30 seconds. Great!

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:08 am

irvine wrote:What are some funny quotes you'd get from cabbies? My personal amuses are:

- cannot be... cannot be... how can that be? cannot be...
Maybe he was singing that Let It Be Beatles song?
- bus lane cannot stop... (even though it's just a dotted bus lane)
You cannot stop anywhere except in designated taxi stands/lobby etc. Even if he stops you in the dotted bus bay, there is a fair chance he may get caught and fined.
- you tell me... how I know where you want to stop?
Er, true, If you don't tell him where you want to alight, how will he know?
- where to? go by ecp? pie? (hmm, how would I know?)
Well, there *are* people out there who would only go by the one route they know. And if the cabbie goes by any other routes, they will think they are being taken for a longer ride. There is no win-win situation for them.

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 1:12 pm

irvine wrote:
Funny thing. We were at Suntec taxi queue that was moving ever so slowly at 9:30pm on a weekend. So I decided to call a booking taxi as everyone in the group was getting tired. Our booking taxi came within 30 seconds. LOL I wanted to laugh. Here the queue were, waiting for ages with very few taxis swinging by, and by willing to pay an extra $2.50, I get one in 30 seconds. Great!

You have only now just found this to be the case?

Of course some cabbies are waiting just around the corner for a phone-in booking . . . and you provide them with the extra 2.50 . . . others are content to wait and not give in to this game

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 3:09 pm

Vaucluse wrote:
irvine wrote:
Funny thing. We were at Suntec taxi queue that was moving ever so slowly at 9:30pm on a weekend. So I decided to call a booking taxi as everyone in the group was getting tired. Our booking taxi came within 30 seconds. LOL I wanted to laugh. Here the queue were, waiting for ages with very few taxis swinging by, and by willing to pay an extra $2.50, I get one in 30 seconds. Great!
You have only now just found this to be the case?

Of course some cabbies are waiting just around the corner for a phone-in booking . . . and you provide them with the extra 2.50 . . . others are content to wait and not give in to this game

Did this one night in front of the Mandarin Hotel on Orchard... huge line. Taxi arrives in about 1 minute. Ten Ang Mo's, obviously tourists, start screaming at me to 'wait my place in line'.

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 3:16 pm

I don't think taxis can bid for jobs anymore. As long as a cab is empty and the meter is not turned on, it automatically gives the booking to the closest taxi. Not applicable for the radio booking taxis though....

This is why most of the taxi rides now are silent with none of that beeping job bookings coming in.

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 4:01 pm

dazzlebabe wrote:I don't think taxis can bid for jobs anymore. As long as a cab is empty and the meter is not turned on, it automatically gives the booking to the closest taxi. Not applicable for the radio booking taxis though....

This is why most of the taxi rides now are silent with none of that beeping job bookings coming in.

??? Hmmm. I thought that when I call for a taxi (or you) it shows up on the screen. Whomever is within a certain radius of the call pickup gets the ride if he punches the 'accept' button first. The driver does not have to take the call.

There would be huge problems doing it the other way. A taxi in rush hour traffic on PIE, having to go down Stevens would take much longer to arrive than one further away with no traffic.

So, at the Mandarin or at Tanah Merah, the driver who is about to turn into line punches the button and lo! is $2.50 richer.

When did this change supposedly go into effect?

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Mon, 31 Aug 2009 4:50 pm

The ACCEPT button is only for advance booking. I am - what my husband calls - a "kepo" that's why I know too much about the booking system now plus I love chatting with cabbies.

And yes, it poses huge problems. Before they built that bridge at Tanjong Rhu, cabs on Nicoll Highway were given our bookings and they usually call me to say they are on the way!

EADG · Post by **EADG** » Tue, 01 Sep 2009 9:43 pm

not funny, really

it's a system that promotes and encourages abuse

irvine wrote:Funny thing. We were at Suntec taxi queue that was moving ever so slowly at 9:30pm on a weekend. So I decided to call a booking taxi as everyone in the group was getting tired. Our booking taxi came within 30 seconds. LOL I wanted to laugh. Here the queue were, waiting for ages with very few taxis swinging by, and by willing to pay an extra $2.50, I get one in 30 seconds. Great!

EADG · Post by **EADG** » Tue, 01 Sep 2009 9:56 pm

My ability to pretend to entertain those 'conversations' ended long ago, about the same time I stopped finding them 'entertaining'.

Better solution - wear phone, PDA or mp3 player headphones, whether or not you're actually listening to anything. This always works, plus they may turn down the inane local radio station commentary or Canto-pop.

Better yet, listen to something useful like the BBC or an audio book - these get me though the Orwellian mind-control glass nipple government-ordained opiate of the masses media on buses, and the unquestioning, unaware and rapt audiences which that captures, who seem to have nothing better to do than watch that (and other brain builders like Singapore Idol, etc.).

Commute time is an opportunity to do something for yourself, the kinds of things we have less and less time for.

irvine wrote:Sometimes I do get chissed off by their attitude, but I've learnt better... it is better for me to just keep quiet then to endure their theories, philosophies, nagging, explanations, and worse scoldings.

EADG · Post by **EADG** » Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:14 pm

Now that I've actually read the thread from the start...with respect to the OP:

although the majority of drivers here are reasonably respectful, a scant few do need the occasional verbal bitch slap, when doing so is not being insensitive to whatever personal or economic stresses they may be going through at that time, and cutting them some slack on the benefit of the doubt on that.

Compared with a few years ago, I find them getting a little better.

Post by **jpatokal** » Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:44 am

EADG wrote:Compared with a few years ago, I find them getting a little better.

The thing I like most about taxis these days as opposed to a few years back is that the stupid 90km speed limiters are gone. No more listening to "BONG, BONG, BONG, BONG" all the way from Changi to Jurong.

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:07 am

jpatokal wrote:The thing I like most about taxis these days as opposed to a few years back is that the stupid 90km speed limiters are gone. No more listening to "BONG, BONG, BONG, BONG" all the way from Changi to Jurong.

Wah! So fast, lah! The new taxis are a lot quieter, too.

cando · Post by **cando** » Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:35 pm

Just recently we had a friend stay with us and catch a taxi to our house from the airport. And these were the instructions that we gave to him !!! LOL

Beware - The driver will usually deliberately degrade their English and pester you with questions to see how much you know about Singapore. It’s highly likely that the conversation will go something like this:

Taxi Driver: “Wer U Won Go Lah”

muevettemamita · Post by **muevettemamita** » Wed, 02 Sep 2009 1:06 pm

Strong Eagle wrote:
jpatokal wrote:The thing I like most about taxis these days as opposed to a few years back is that the stupid 90km speed limiters are gone. No more listening to "BONG, BONG, BONG, BONG" all the way from Changi to Jurong.
Wah! So fast, lah! The new taxis are a lot quieter, too.

Ya i totally forgot about the speed limiters that go "ding dong ding dong". I prefer all the new cabs thy are very smooth and very fast.

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Why are the Taxi drivers so rude

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