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SINGAPORE: A day after new Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges were introduced in Singapore's city centre, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said travel speeds and traffic conditions have improved.
It said the five new gantries along the Singapore River reduced traffic volume by some 30 per cent between 6pm and 8pm.
Traffic speeds also went up by some six kilometres to about 26 kilometres per hour.
In a statement, LTA said some have questioned if it was timely to raise the ERP rates, given the current economic conditions. In its response, LTA said that if congestion is left unchecked, it will create a negative impact on the Singapore economy. This will also affect the quality of the living environment.
However, the newly-activated ERP gantries have become bad news for cab drivers.
Azman Mohamed, a taxi driver, said: "With the new gantries, I will rather go to Suntec area because there's no gantry. There'll be lesser taxis entering those CBD area. So the objective of encouraging drivers to enter the CBD with an additional S$3 surcharge will no longer be attractive. So it's like a backfire to the improved system."
Passengers said they noticed a slight drop in the number of taxis.
One commuter said: "Taxis won't come in, so I guess people would either have to take a train out somewhere to get a taxi or something."
Another passenger said: "Lesser people will take the cabs as passengers have to pay more with the new gantries. I guess I will go take the public transport, rather than taking a cab."
Companies like SMRT are already helping their drivers through a Contract Hirers' Scheme.
Evelyn Quek, Senior Manager, Customer Relations, SMRT Taxis, said: "We offer them a Contract Hirers' Scheme. This means they have a basic salary and we provide free diesel as well as to maintain the vehicle.
"We've seen more than 90 per cent of take-up rates for our Contract Hirers' Scheme for the first six months of this year, compared to the same period of last year."
SMRT spends over S$10 million every year on help packages for its cabbies driving its 3,000 strong fleet. The company will also be returning the 15 per cent cut in road tax to their drivers. That works out to about S$180 per cab annually.
However, the latest ERP move is still of concern to cabbies.
Cabbie Azman continued: "The new fare hikes that started last December is like having a wound on our leg. So with higher ERP prices and more gantries, the wound is now getting infected.
"It's getting bad, business is bad. I don't think this will help us to earn a living as a taxi driver because commuters are shying away."
Azman now drives around with an ERP rate table which he had printed from LTA's website. Using this information, he can tell passengers exactly where the ERP gantries are within the city and what the charges are. He also uses this information to avoid going into areas with ERP unnecessarily. - CNA/vm
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