Gangster Driver 8704 Marine Terrace

Mr Edwin Ng informs the following on 28/10/2011:

Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd
CityCab Pte Ltd
383 Sin Ming Drive
Singapore 575717
Tel: 6555 1188
Fax: 6452 7742
feedback@cdgtaxi.com.sg

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to inform you of an incident which with one of your taxis nearly hit me and a companion at a zebra crossing. (attached is a police report).

At approximately 2315hrs on 26 Oct 2011 I was crossing the zebra crossing opposite Blk 12 Marine Terrace.  I spotted the blue comfort taxi at about 10m away heading towards Marine Crescent. Assuming he would slow down. I proceeded to cross the zebra crossing.

When I was nearly at the middle of the crossing, the taxi sped up and missed me by approximately 30cm. It was so close and sudden that I dropped my belongings.  I was totally taken aback by what happened.

The taxi driver braked abruptly after the zebra crossing and proceeded to make an illegal u-turn about 10meters ahead with tyres screeching suggesting urgency.
I had a sense of comfort thinking that the driver might have realized what he had done and had turned back to check on me and to render assistance. That was however not the case.

The driver drove up to the zebra crossing, stopping on it and wound down his window and started shouting at me.  I could not hear him clearly as I was more than half way across the road. I walked closer to the taxi and he started accusing me of being a gangster.  He only sped off when my companion took out his camera. I remembered his license plate as 8704.

The poor behaviour of this driver have made me very upset and disappointed. I was not expecting this kind of behaviour from our country’s leading Taxi Company. It would have been bad if it was a private car but to come from a service provider is totally absurd and atrocious.

Taxi drivers need to know that the roads are getting busier and not treat it like a race track where they can speed around and disregard the safety of pedestrians.
Failure to give way to pedestrians at designated crossing is serious and should not be taken lightly as lives can be lost.

I am writing to you to please make a thorough investigation and to identify the driver.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Edwin Ng

The cab company is likely to brush this off with an insincere token reprimand that is hardly going to affect the hooligan driver. We highly recommend lodging a report with LTA instead through their online feedback form so that something more long-term can be done. It's obviously a matter of time before this moron kills someone.

Red Light Maniac Driver SH5238Y Toa Payoh

Mr Brandon Chan informs the following on 26/10/2011:

This taxi driver failed to conform to traffic red light signal. Pedestrians were almost halfway through the walkway (Green pedestrian light), when the cab, drove right through us.

In addition, he was spotted using a mobile phone on his left hand while he beat the red light. It was a very dangerous act by the driver. Compromised our (pedestrian's safety) for his interests. Not to mention liable for 12 demerit points for breaking the law. Very dangerous driver. Ought to be removed from the roads.

Date: October 26, 2011

Time : 9.55 pm

Location : Along Lorong 8, Toa Payoh. Traffic light at lorong 8 market.

Yellow Top Taxi : SH 5238 Y

Male driver

PS. Is it possible to lodge a complaint with Traffic Police. Thanks in advance.

Yes, most definitely you should contact the Traffic Police and inform them of this incident. They might be able to prosecute this reckless driver based on your testimony. The only thing is that you must be prepared to give your statement and attend court to provide your testimony to a judge. But if the TP turn you down or you are not willing to attend court, then you should at least inform LTA through their online feedback form so that some level of action will be taken instead of this hooligan getting away scot-free.

Injury-Causing Driver

Mr Mark informs the following on 04/10/2011:

I just boarded a Yellow Top taxi (I think it’s the Toyota wish). When I alight took my things from the back of the car he rush to close the back door and hit my right shoulder so bad the door vibrates. These buggers drive like soo ka soo ka and yet when comes to general manners also don’t have. Let passengers take the things when all clear then close lah.
 
Didn’t even say sorry and yet trying to say I hit it. He lowered the stupid door before I move out completely, luckily never hit my head if not sure place him on civil suit.

Just because the injury is not serious does not mean you should let it go.If you have the licence plate number, please lodge a report with LTA. If not, always remember to take note of the licence plate number when you board a taxi so that you can trace him if he tried to be funny. Taxi drivers bank on the fact that passengers will not be alert or motivated enough to take these clowns to task. Let us take back the power!

Rude and Reckless Driver SH5928R Clifford Pier

Mr Mike informs the following on 29/09/2011:

Got into a cab this morning at the Taxi waiting queue in front of the Fairmont Hotel. Told him "please take me to Ocean Financial Centre". He asks in a rude tone "Where is it??", I told him, its the old Ocean Building which has been rebuilt and near the Hitachi Tower Taxi stand. He then races to the destination and brakes hard at lights. When we come to the traffic lights at Raffles MRT stop, I leaned forward, pointed to the new building and said that that's the OFC. Lights turn green and he races to stop at Hitachi Tower and not the destination. Fare SGD5.95. I gave him SGD10 and he returns me SGD4. I say thanks and alight and he races off. Most rude taxi driver I have met in my life. I think the number plate was SH5928R.

We urge you to lodge a report with LTA through their online feedback form so that this driver will be notified and warned appropriately. Leaving it as 'one of those things' will just embolden such drivers that they can always get away with such horrendous behaviour.

'Dangerous Face' SHD9115

Mr Hui informs the following on 24/09/2011:

Dear Minister Lui,

This taxi incident is a small but dangerous indication of how bad some of the taxi drivers and taxi companies have become. Please spare 5 mins of your busy schedule to read this case.

1. On the morning of 23 Sep 2011, at around 6:30 am, I was trying to call for a Comfort Cab for my younger daughter. As I was still not able to get a cab, my elder daughter (not sure why she picked this company?) called Transcab to try. We finally got our comfirmation from Comfort. My elder daughter stopped calling Transcab as there was no confirmation.

2. Meanwhile I left home to drive my elder girl to the airport.

3. At about 6.45am (based on the account provided by my younger daughter), a Transcab taxi SHD9115 appeared in front of my house. He first horned. When my daughter opened our gate, she realised this was not the Comfort Cab that I had comfirmed for her. She told the driver that this could have been a mistake. The driver insisted that she must take his taxi. He came out of the taxi and shouted at my daughter. He kept insisting. He was angry and he refused to leave, standing outside of my house. He came across in a threatening manner. My daughter had no choice but to close the gate. He is identified to be quite a young man wearing spectacles.

4. When my daughter related the incident to me via sms, I found it totally unacceptable in a civil society like Singapore. Why would this driver by so insistent, loud, angry and threatening - bullying a young girl? All he needs to do is to call back his taxi company to affirm whether there was a confirmed booking.

5. I called Transcab general line 65553333 at about 7:40am to confirm that it is their company's taxi and to request for their Customer Service Manager to call me.

6. No return call received. By 8:53am, I called the other office number 62876666 and still could not get to speak to the CS manager. Only by 10:27am when I called again, I was able to reach a MIss Cherly (?) who took down my complaint dliligently. I called back at about 11.45am to request that this is a serious matter which I would like the company's General Manager to investigate quickly and request for an acknowledgement call from the GM.

7. As there was no return call, I managed to obtain the GM number at 66031250. Nobody answered and the voice mail belongs to a MIss Jasmine (supposedly the GM). Throughout the day, I left several polite messages for her to return call but to no avail. Only at about 4:30pm, I had a missed clal from a number 66031270. I called back and realised that this is the GM's assistant. But once again I asked to speak to the GM and she did not returned call.

8. This morning I left a message on Miss Jasmine's number again and I have not received any attempt to assist me in this matter.

9. I wonder what kind of taxi drivers do we licensed on the road? And what kind of taxi companies are being permitted to operate in Singapore? We are rude, unkind, shout and threaten even to our own Singaporeans? Or do we only want to be polite to non-Singaporens?

10. The irony is, on Thur 22 Sep 2011, I was hosted lunch by the Global CEO of a US multi-national and his comment was : "Most things worked well in Singapore, EXCEPT your taxis!" I was pretty embarassed to be in that company of top management executives from different parts of the world. I have personally travelled to many global cities - New York, London, HongKong, Seoul, and I have yet to encountered rude or poor taxi service. Unfotunately this has to start in my homeground.

Dear Minister, this is a major time-bomb (based on the reported incidents on the net, blogs and actual cases experienced by many of my foreign partners who have trouble with our system) and we need a quick fix. Thank you for your time.

Dear Mr Chew - LTA, I have logged the complaint at LTA hotline yeaterday at about 10:47am Please advise what is LTA follow-up action and when can I know the outcome. And also please share with the public how taxi companies with poor service records are being handled in their renewal of license. I attached a recent case report in Shin Min Daily News of a woman being charged $700 by a Transcab Taxi ( http://forums.vr-zone.com/chit-chatting/1669269-woman-charged-s-700-taxi-ride.html).

Dear Mr Han - ST, you may want to get one of your reporters to follow up on my case if this is of public interest.

Dear Miss Jasmine - Transcab, I have tried very hard to contact you about this case, but you have chosen not to respond. If you were the General Manger of this company and if you care about customer's feedback and the lack of disciplne of your taxi drivers, you would have taken this matter more seriously. I am concerned about the safty of my daughter when a stranger behaved this manner in front of my house. Your driver of SHD9115 is a "dangerous" face of your company.

Dear Mr Teo Khiang Ang - MD of Transcab and Union Energy , I request that you - as the major owner & MD of Transcab and the public face in the media - please try and do a better job on the services. Attempts to call you yesterday was futile. So please spare us all the media publicity about Union Energy and Transcab when you are not able to provide good service or show care for your customers.

Dear Miss Teo Lee Fong, please add this story to your collection of the ugly Singapore Taxi drivers. Thanks for maintaining such a site.

Thank you all for your time.

Thank you for taking the time to pen this and do keep us posted on the outcome.

Zig-Zag Driver SHB844B Havelock Road

Kenneth Koh informs the following on 17/09/2011:

Date = 17th Sept 2011
Time = 2:19 p.m.
Chrysler cab license plate: SHB844B
Location = Near traffic junction of Havelock Road and Clemenceau Ave.

Contacted SMRT Taxis Pte Ltd, at tel: 6555 8888 to lodge a complain at 5:50p.m today.

Description: I am traveling along Havelock Road and a black Chrysler cab suddenly cut into my lane 2 times without signaling.

I stopped at the junction and I winded down my left side window and question him why he didn't signal and almost cause an accident as I need to jam my brake. He didn't say why and I told him I will definitely complained against him for his reckless driving. He started yelling at me and thus I just winded up the window, ignored him and drove off.

As my car have a video recorder, please view the following link for the captured video of this reckless taxi driver.

LTA and SMRT should take serious action against such reckless and rude taxi driver. Driving a BIG Chrysler taxi does not make him the king of the road without signalling.

Now I am waiting for a reply from SMRT and LTA.

Thanks for capturing the episode on video! That makes everything so clear-cut, doesn't it. We encourage all drivers to do the same so that the authorities can act swiftly and without doubt. We encourage you to lodge a complaint with LTA through their online feedback form if the cab company has not responded. In the meanwhile, keep us posted.