Over 20,000 taxis to get alerts on red-light, speed cameras
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — After a successful trial involving nearly a quarter of ComfortDelGro’s taxis, a software to alert drivers to red-light and fixed-speed cameras will soon be rolled out across the fleets of two major taxi operators, involving about 20,500 cabs.
From next month, the software will be installed progressively in the mobile data terminals of all of ComfortDelGro’s 17,000 taxis. This will be extended to SMRT’s fleet of 3,500 cabs from next year, while a spokeswoman for Trans-Cab, the second-largest taxi operator here, said it could roll out the software “quite soon”.
The roll-out is part of the Traffic Police’s drive to make Singapore’s roads safer, with a six-month trial showing promising results. It was announced at the launch of a road safety initiative, Cabtains of RoadSense, on Tuesday (Sept 20).
The trial on 3,812 ComfortDelGro taxis, between October last year and March this year, saw a 40 per cent drop in speeding violations compared with the previous six months, the Traffic Police said. Over the same period, the number of violations involving cabs running a red light also dropped by about a third. From October, the software will also have new features, such as warnings of accident hotspots.
The Traffic Police, which provide data for the software, had approached all five taxi operators, but only ComfortDelGro, the largest taxi operator, and SMRT Taxis are on board so far.
Operators bear the cost of installing the software in the cabs, said National Taxi Association (NTA) executive adviser Ang Hin Kee.
Traffic Police commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner Sam Tee, described taxi drivers as a “vulnerable group on the road”, who not only work long hours but have to deal with difficult commuters who are “always rushing from point to point”. He urged other taxi operators to adopt the software to make the journeys of both drivers and the public safer.
Trans-Cab spokeswoman Jasmine Tan said that, apart from looking into a “software integration” issue, the operator would also need to know the cost involved, although it was not a main consideration.
Premier Taxis and Prime Taxi did not respond to TODAY’s queries.
Asked whether there were plans to extend the software beyond the taxi industry, including to private-hire vehicles, Parliamentary Secretary (Home Affairs) Amrin Amin said the priority was to extend it to more taxi firms.
But the Government would study whether it could be extended to “other companies or … private-car users”, added Mr Amrin, who was at the launch of Cabtains of RoadSense.
NTA’s Mr Ang said the association would also be urging the Traffic Police to push similar systems beyond taxis, to other groups such as drivers of trucks and logistics vehicles.
Responding to TODAY’s queries, Grab’s regional safety lead, Ms Kok Yiling, said the firm believes that the software is a “great initiative to be considered” in the future. “We would be keen to understand and identify areas where we can provide value-add to the Traffic Police and (NTA),” she said, noting that the firm has put in place a “robust” technology platform and data-driven approach that make use of telematics — the use of computers and wireless telecommunications technologies to transmit data — to encourage safe driving over the years.
The newly launched Cabtains of RoadSense will see messages and tips on safe driving being affixed on the bumpers of 500 cabs. A partnership between 3M, taxi operators ComfortDelGro and SMRT Taxis, and the Traffic Police, the initiative includes messages such as “Remember to take a kopi (coffee) break whenever you feel sleepy”.
