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| April 3, 2008 |
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Introduce smaller taxis to replace fuel-guzzling ones
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I REFER TO Monday's front-page lead, 'LTA to consider returning cash for scrapped cars'. Would it be possible for the Government to consider encouraging taxi operators to introduce alternative vehicle models to the fuel-guzzling and inefficient ones that are being used as taxis now? It would be great if operators are asked to introduce taxis which are:
Much smaller - perhaps the size of a Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz or even the Smart Car;
More economical and eco-friendly - probably running on an LPG engine or a very small diesel engine (for example, less than 1000cc);
Cheap to build and carries a small price tag, yet modern and futuristic looking to maintain the city's image.
Most of the time, commuters do not need the huge amount of space that the current taxis provide. If the types of taxis that we have in Singapore have the qualities described above, then we may be able to have more taxis at lower cost and running at an efficiency level closer to those of buses and MRTs. The rentals of these taxis and the fares charged would be cheaper too.
And if a commuter needs a large taxi, he can always book the humongous ones that we have now. The current taxis should remain but they should be maintained at a smaller scale.
Jose Darwin Lim Yip Hin
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