On a wet Friday evening recently, I booked a Comfort taxi for the first time in a while.

My two mainstays, UberX and GrabCar, told me that it cost $35 to $38 to get from Toa Payoh to Bedok.

It took me a couple of tries to snag a cab on ComfortDelGro’s app. Cost of ride, including evening surcharge: $18.

“See, girl. Taxi cheaper,” the driver told me smugly, after I compared the fare to Grab and Uber’s surge fares.

It is an anecdote I have brought up several times since JustGrab was announced.

Read also: Taxi surge pricing gets mixed reaction

I love fixed-fare rides. Metered fares used to make me anxious, especially if drivers insisted on taking longer routes, or there was a jam (and when is there ever not?) on the CTE.

That, and Grab and Uber’s easy e-payment option and an almost endless string of promo codes have kept me on the ride-hailing apps for months.

But no promo code would have halved that $38 flat-fare quote.

Read also: Make it fare for all in new taxi-ride pricing system

I don’t have any real loyalty to Grab or Uber. I go for whatever is cheaper, and these days, the “cheaper” flat-fare options do not seem to be all that cheap.

Recently, Grab or Uber seem to be always telling me that “increased demand” is making fares “slightly higher”, even during traditionally off-peak times.

Will taxi companies really benefit from going down the path of fixed-fare dynamic pricing?

It may be a moot point for the five taxi companies which are already on the JustGrab platform.

If the companies are looking at this as a way to cheaply get on to an efficient, popular booking platform – so that they don’t need to invest in the time and the tech needed to make their own – good for them.

So I will reserve my plea for the sole holdout, ComfortDelGro: Please don’t introduce dynamic pricing. Ever.

I know it is a long shot. The company is due to roll out flat flares, “similar to (its) taxi metered fares” for rides booked through its mobile apps, but has chosen not to introduce dynamic pricing “for now”.

But let’s get real. Flat fares are really profitable only if they are subject to demand and supply – which are dynamic.

So I would not be surprised if ComfortDelGro already has a timeline for its dynamic pricing roll-out.

But it has reasons not to, and if it does not, it may still come out on the winning side.

The owner of the largest taxi fleet here, ComfortDelGro has quite an efficient booking system, made better with an app it has improved over the years.

The app even offers payment by Masterpass, which means no more haggling with the taxi driver over whether a NETS/credit card machine is really “spoiled”.

And then there are the cabbies and their superior navigation skills. There is usually very little fuss when it comes to booking a Comfort or CityCab and the driver knows where to pick you up.

But with UberX or GrabCar drivers, it is like a lottery.

I have lost count of how many times I have watched little animated cars make confounding loops in the apps as the Uber or Grab drivers get lost as they try to find my pick-up point.

JustGrab promises that rides should reach users in an average time of four minutes.

GPS

Trying out the service this week, the bookings were pretty fast, but no algorithm can make up for a private-hire driver who doesn’t know the roads and refuses to use GPS (or GPS apps which also offer confounding routes). One JustGrab driver, who was supposed to reach me in three minutes, ended up taking a seven-minute detour around Toa Payoh North.

While Grab and Uber are great options for gig-seekers, the quality of the drivers is mixed.

They don’t go through the same training that taxi drivers do, which could explain the over-reliance on GPS, and a worrying accident rate – 20 to 25 per cent of private-hire cars have been involved in accidents, according to insurers quoted by The Straits Times.

The introduction of the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence should mitigate some of this.

But there is still the question of loyalty, or lack thereof, among drivers.

I have not met many drivers who have been with either Uber or Grab for more than six months. There are various reasons for this – it is, after all, meant to be a gig – but I cannot help but compare them with the career cabbies who are more reliable, even if they may be grumpy.

Once upon a time, these cabbies got too comfortable – ha! – and were kings on the roads, subjecting would-be passengers to their mercy, whether it was their availability (hiding just before peak periods) or quibbling over something as small as payment via NETS or credit card.

But with all this competition, taxi rides have become generally fuss-free, and I often see cabs queueing at taxi stands in Orchard Road between 11pm and midnight.

So do taxi companies really need to go down the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” route?

They can, and should, take advantage of the lack of transparency over dynamic pricing to sell themselves on their other strengths.

This article was first published on Apr 03, 2017.
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The imam who made controversial remarks against Christians and Jews earlier this year visited the synagogue in Waterloo Street yesterday to offer his apology.

Imam Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel, 47, extended his unconditional apology for his offensive remarks and acknowledged that he must bear full responsibility for his actions.

The visit came two days after he apologised at a gathering of leaders of various faiths.

Read also: Imam apologises for insensitive remarks, clarifies that remarks were not from Quran

Yesterday, the imam also presented Rabbi Mordechai Abergel with a copy of the open statement of apology that he had delivered last Friday at the Harmony in Diversity Gallery in Maxwell Road.

On behalf of the Jewish community here, Rabbi Abergel accepted the imam’s apology at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.

Read also: NUS prof suspended over remarks on imam case

The rabbi said the Jewish and Muslim communities here have a “very harmonious” relationship, with strong bonds of friendship.

“This sends a message that these bonds are not affected, and we share so much more than what divides us,” he added.

Read also: NUS suspends academic while it investigates his involvement in case of imam’s remarks

In February, a video of the imam reciting a prayer in Arabic that said “God help us against Jews and Christians”, among other things, was circulated online.

The imam clarified last Friday that the additional supplication he read was not from the Quran, but an old Arabic text originating from his village in India.

Yesterday, Buddhist and Sikh leaders also joined in the synagogue visit.

Read also: Imam being probed over comments on Christians and Jews

At a separate community event in Marsiling yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said the imam’s apology is a “positive move” that should be taken into consideration.

“He apologised, he gathered together all the people from different faiths, and it was a great initiative on his part,” she said.

REMORSE

Last Friday’s meeting, where the imam apologised before leaders of various faiths, including Christian leaders, was organised at his request.

He said he was “filled with great remorse for the inconvenience, tension and trauma that I have caused to this peaceful country”.

After the controversial remarks surfaced, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said the Government will not tolerate preaching that encourages violence or seeks to pit one religion against another.

On Saturday, Mr Shanmugam said the police have completed their investigations on the matter and submitted a report to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, adding that a decision is expected within a few days.

The imam’s apology was welcomed by the Muslim community and leaders of other faiths, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim noted on Saturday.

Yesterday, Madam Halimah said of the imam’s apology: “He realised what he did was a mistake.

“He also realised that what he had lifted from his home town in India may not be so applicable here. Probably, he didn’t know, or quite understand, the context of Singapore society.”

She added: “We are multiracial, multi-religious, and you need to understand that is important.”

This article by The Straits Times was published in The New Paper, a free newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

Police have arrested a 39-year-old man for leaving a bag unattended in Hougang MRT station yesterday, causing the station to be closed for an hour.

Police later said the bag was found to contain “only household items”.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had intentionally left his bag inside the Hougang MRT station while he ran an errand.”

The man was later seen being led by police officers out of the station in handcuffs.

For about an hour, the station was shut down as police were called in to investigate the bag that was left on the station’s platform. SBS Transit said the bag was found at about 2.40pm.

Commuters were not allowed into the station and trains in both directions on the North-East Line did not stop at the station “for the safety of all passengers,” SBS Transit said.

Those who were in the station were also asked to leave. Commuters were redirected to bus services or other train stations.

The station reopened shortly after 4pm, after the bag was found not to contain anything suspicious.

An elderly woman was injured during the incident. The New Paper understands that she fell on the platform of the station.

When TNP arrived on the scene at 3.30pm, she was being wheeled out by paramedics.

CUTS

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the woman fell and had cuts on the back of her head.

She also complained of pain on her right elbow and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

An affected commuter, Mr Syafiq Ramli, 22, said: “I was on the way to meet my friends but I was shocked to see the station closed like that. No one could enter.”

Officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division and the Public Transport Security Command, with the assistance of SBS Transit, traced the owner of the bag and he was arrested at the station at about 4.35pm.

The police said it took all security threats seriously, and warned that it would not hesitate to take action against those who intentionally cause public alarm.

“The police would also like to remind the public not to leave personal belongings unattended and to report any suspicious items or behaviour to the MRT staff or the police immediately,” it added.

Member of Parliament Melvin Yong, who is a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee on Transport, commended SBS Transit employees for their timely reaction to the situation.

“This is a reminder that… our public transport workers are important eyes on the ground. As first responders, their alertness and quick response are crucial to ensure the safety of commuters,” he wrote on Facebook yesterday evening.

Police investigations are continuing.

harizbah@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 3, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – Police have arrested a 39-year-old man for leaving a bag unattended at Hougang MRT station, causing the station to be briefly shut down on Sunday (April 2).

The police issued a statement later at night: “The police have arrested a 39-year-old man for an offence of Public Nuisance under the Penal Code after he had left a bag unattended at Hougang MRT station, triggering a temporary closure of the MRT station. On 2 April 2017 at 2.45pm, the Police were alerted to a case of an unattended bag at the train platform of Hougang MRT station.

“The bag was later established to contain only household items.

“Officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division and Public Transport Security Command, with the assistance of SBS Transit, quickly traced the owner of the bag and he was arrested at Hougang MRT at about 4.35pm.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had intentionally left his bag inside Hougang MRT station while he ran an errand. Police investigations are still ongoing.”

The incident first unfolded when a bag was found at about 2.40pm on the boarding platform of the station, SBS Transit said.

All trains on the North-East Line had to skip the Hougang Station due to what was called a “security incident” from about 3pm.

Police later said it was attending to a case of an “unattended bag”.

“Members of the public are advised to avoid the area,” it added on Facebook.

Commuters were redirected to bus services or other train stations and an elderly woman was injured during this process at about 3.15pm.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call to assist her and send her to Tan Tock Seng Hospital after she suffered a laceration at the back of her head and complained of pain on her right elbow.

Close to 4pm, the Hougang MRT station was completely vacated and shuttered by authorities.

The bag turned out to contain nothing suspicious, police said at about 4pm. The train station re-opened shortly after 4pm.

“For the safety of all passengers, trains were made to bypass Hougang station and police were alerted. At close to 4pm, the bag was opened and its contents found to be non-dangerous. Train service resumed at 4.03pm at Hougang Station,” said a spokesman from SBS Transit.

MP Melvin Yong commended SBS Transit employees for reacting quickly to the situation.

“This is a reminder that beyond the work of transporting people, our public transport workers are important eyes on the ground. As first responders, their alertness and quick response are crucial to ensure the safety of commuters,” he wrote on Facebook.

This article was first published on April 2, 2017.
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