Commuters booking a taxi through ride-hailing app Grab will soon have more certainty about their fares, though those fares will also be subject to a new pricing system that would see them increase during periods of high demand.

The Straits Times understands that the ride-hailing firm will be rolling out a new service, called JustGrab, that will provide its users with fixed upfront fares when booking a taxi.

These fixed fares will take into account travel time, booking fees as well as any location and time-based surcharges.

Grab users are currently able to view upfront the cost of a private hire GrabCar ride, which is a fixed price. But they can view only the estimated cost of a taxi ride, as these are based on the metered fare.

The new fixed fares for taxis will, however, be subject to dynamic fares – also known as surge pricing – in which prices increase during periods of high demand.

These changes were spelled out in a document that Grab will be issuing to cabbies, seen by The Straits Times.

Private-hire car services offered by Grab and Uber are already subject to surge pricing – making them cheaper during the off-peak hours but more expensive than metered taxis when demand is high.

It is not known when the new system will come into effect. Grab declined comment when contacted yesterday.

DYNAMIC PRICING

The Straits Times reported last week that Trans-Cab and Premier Taxi were working with Grab on plans to implement dynamic pricing.

ComfortDelgro – the largest taxi operator here – confirmed it had also written in to the Public Transport Council regarding plans to implement its own dynamic pricing.

National Taxi Association executive adviser Ang Hin Kee said that while dynamic pricing could help cabbies earn more, it was important that taxi fares remained “competitive” compared with those of private-hire cars during peak periods.

Commuters said surge pricing could drive them to look for alternatives.

Digital director Ameera Begum, 29, said it would provide “no incentive” to turn to Grab taxis over a private-hire ride.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng said that it was “not unexpected” that some commuters would be uncomfortable with the introduction of dynamic pricing.

“However, those who prefer not to use this new option can still choose to pay for a booked taxi by the meter,” he said, adding that dynamic pricing would not apply for street-hires.

Mr Ng also noted that supply and demand would determine whether fares would be higher or lower under dynamic pricing.

“Taxi companies should ensure that dynamic pricing improves and not worsens the matching of supply to demand of taxi services,” he said.

This article was first published on Mar 07, 2017.
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She is a mother of four and has been a systems and IT engineer at HP Incorporated for 25 years.

When the company started an internal Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for data analytics in October last year, Mrs Kelly Quek, 49, decided to apply.

She said she did it because she saw the engineering field heading in a different direction, which could make employees like her redundant.

“So many social platforms are overtaking our lives. Technology is coming into play, and it’s scary for us if we do only traditional engineering. It is very obvious that these technologies will take over in the long run.”

Mrs Quek is one of 16 employees who were trained in data analytics to take on new roles as project leaders in the area. Most of the 16 are engineers and domain experts.

The first programme, working with the National University of Singapore’s Institute of Systems Science and Workforce Singapore (WSG), will conclude in about a month’s time.

Retraining was brought up in Parliament yesterday when Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say mentioned a company working with WSG and a training provider to retrain redundant employees in the field of data analytics.

The director of operations of the ink cartridge manufacturing arm of HP Inc, Mr Dominic Chew, said their internal PCP was launched to transform work processes.

“Data analytics will allow them to apply more advanced technologies to their areas of work. It allows them to predict behaviour,” he said.

“For example, maintenance of our equipment is typically time-based maintenance. But data analytics allows us to predict when a machine will break down, and we can do the maintenance in advance.”

Mrs Quek, whose children are aged 12 to 19, initially wanted to pursue a part-time Master’s degree to upgrade her skills.

But she said part-time studies would have taken too much of her time, and hopes to pursue further education in the area when her children are older. HP Inc’s PCP is held during office hours.

She said: “Analytics is a very interesting area. In the world of Uber and Google, every engineer is very excited about this area. To come into contact with it is very exciting.”

hmang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 7, 2017.
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Little tweaks to the education system are not good enough for Ms Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC), who wants it transformed for the future economy.

She highlighted “high-stake” examinations such as the Primary School Leaving Examination or the O levels; the Direct School Admission (DSA) system; and the “over-reliance on tuition”. Tuition, she said, can end up producing students whose learning styles run counter to what is needed in the future economy – self-driven learners who can learn new skills quickly.

She suggested two ways, among others, to overcome this dependency. One, give quality learning materials so that tuition is not needed. Two, regulate the tuition industry to ensure quality and affordability.

Ms Phua was among 20 MPs who spoke on education issues during the debate on the ministry’s budget.

There were calls to abolish streaming of pupils to normal and express classes, giving schools equal access to funding, preserving mother tongue as well as allowing more pupils from other schools to be admitted to mission schools.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten) and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC) want less stress. Mr Lim asked if some schools were setting the bar too high for non-national examinations.

Dr Intan, calling for an end to streaming, said it pigeon-holes students and does not adequately reflect their intelligence or abilities. She asked for it to be replaced with subject-based banding.

Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang) also raised the issue of equitable funding. He said that per capita funding for schools favours popular schools with high enrolment, leading to inequalities in the programmes offered by these schools compared with less popular schools.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) and Dr Intan also raised the issue of affiliated schools. They asked for these schools to open their doors wider for students with no affiliation.

The DSA system was also criticised. Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong GRC) noted that at least half of the students admitted to some popular schools were academically talented.

Today, Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng and Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung will respond to the comments.

yuensin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 7, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – All new MRT stations are protected against floods caused by freak storms. But the Bencoolen MRT station on the yet-to-open Downtown Line 3 was partially submerged last Friday (March 3) by water that came from within.

The Straits Times understands a 150mm water pipe had burst in what appeared to be a pump room, sending water cascading down to the platform area.

Video clips showed the water falling like rain in the facility, with close-ups of the defective pipe.

In a reply sent out at 9.40pm on Monday night, the Land Transport Authority said at about 2.30pm last Friday, the pipe burst near its connecting elbow.

“Water was immediately channelled into the drainage pits and the valve was shut down within 15 minutes,” a spokesman said.

“There was no damage to any major equipment or inconvenience to stakeholders. The water pipe at the elbow location has since been reinforced to make it more rigid.”

The authority did not reply when asked what caused the leak.

The new line is slated to be opened by the fourth quarter of this year. It connects the city in River Valley to the Expo station in the east. The LTA spokesman the incident would not delay the opening.

The project to build Bencoolen station was awarded to Japan’s Sato Kogyo in 2011 for $177.6 million.

This article was first published on March 6, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – A relief teacher who was filmed using crude language in class is no longer employed by the secondary school in Yishun.

This comes after a video circulating online since last Sunday (March 5) showed the teacher hurling vulgarities at a student in her class.

The teacher in the clip was seen gesturing and yelling at a girl.

At one point, the teacher could be heard shouting at the student, who also raised her voice.

Other students in the classroom appeared amused and laughed hysterically.

According to the school, the incident took place when the class was being supervised by a young, untrained relief teacher.

The school has since counselled both the student and the relief teacher involved and advised them on the appropriate classroom behaviour.

A school spokesman told The Straits Times on Monday that both parties “have regretted their actions and are apologetic”. He added that the relief teacher is no longer engaged by the school.

“We are providing the necessary support to the affected students in the class and working closely with their parents,” he said.

This article was first published on March 6, 2017.
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