His usual spot was at a table placed in front of a pillar at a corner coffee shop in Geylang Lorong 25A.

That table was a ringside spot to happenings along Sims Avenue and coffeeshop cleaner Tan Ah Chen, 75, would often gather with his friends or have a shut-eye there before resuming his work of clearing dirty dishes for the night.

But around 1am yesterday, “something nagged me to move away from there”, he told The New Paper.

And within minutes of Mr Tan moving off, a black sedan crashed into the pillar, smashing the very table he was at.

“If I hadn’t heeded that uneasy feeling, I wouldn’t be here talking to you,” Mr Tan told The New Paper.

The car, driven by a 22-year-old man, had led the police on a highspeed chase around Singapore just after 1am yesterday, after speeding through a police roadblock at Henderson Road.

The driver was later arrested . Mr Tan said he was at his usual spot catching a few winks when he was woken up by the screeching sound of tyres and sirens.

“The man had raced around the area three times, driving extremely fast and the police were close behind him,” he said.

A chicken rice stall helper, who declined to be named, said the chase sounded like they were on an action movie set.

Man in 13-km car chase before crashing at Geylang coffeeshop

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“Police chasing, sirens on and screeching of tyres when suddenly bang. By the time we went out there, the car had hit the pillar and come to a stop,” he said.

Mr Tan said excitedly in a mix of Mandarin and Teochew: “I saw it all.

Before the car hit the table and the pillar, the driver had already opened the door and jumped out.

“He tried to run away but it looked like he was hurt. Before long, the police arrested him.”

fIve polIce vehIcles The 13km high-speed chase, which started at the Henderson Road roadblock, took the suspect and five police vehicles along the Pan Island Expressway and into the Geylang area.

The driver hit a motorcycle and a van at Geylang Lorong 16, as well as a taxi at Geylang Lorong 11. The fleeing sedan came to a stop only when it crashed into the coffee shop at Geylang Lorong 25A.

In response to media queries, the police confirmed that a roadblock was set up at Henderson Road yesterday and that a 22-year-old driver “refused to comply with the officer’s instructions at the roadblock and sped off”.

Its spokesman said that in his attempt to flee, he caused several collisions along Geylang Lorong 11, 16 and 25A.

The suspect and a passenger in the van were injured, and taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The suspect was arrested for evading a roadblock and other traffic- and drug-related offences. The police are still investigating.

The police also advised the public to cooperate whenever there is a roadblock and said that evading one can “potentially cause serious harm to the police and other road users”.

Any person convicted of evading a roadblock faces a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 12 months’ jail.

The penalties were increased in June last year, when there were changes to the Police Force Act. Previously, the maximum penalty was a fine of $1,000 and six months’ jail.

This article was first published on Sept 12, 2016.
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Transport experts and industry players are divided on when the breakneck growth of private-hire vehicles will slow down.

Latest figures from the Land Transport Authority show the number of rental cars has risen by nearly 40 per cent from the end of last year.

The means there are more than 40,000 rental cars in town, which is double the number in 2014.

SIM University economist Walter Theseira said a “policy oversight” may be fuelling the growth of private-hire cars.

“If the intent of regulating car financing is to discourage excessive consumer debt, then long-term car lease arrangements should also be regulated, because a lease also carries financial penalties if the consumer is unable to fulfil the terms.”

Dr Theseira said the private-hire market “has allowed car users to monetise their cars” but “the person for whom this option is the most appealing is probably not in a good position to afford a car, particularly with restrictions on financing”.

Nanyang Business School Adjunct Associate Professor Zafar Momin said the rising popularity of firms such as Uber and Grab has been fuelling the boom in the private-hire car population.

He said taxis have been “frustrating commuters with a long list of pain points” – from patchy availability to mind-boggling fares and surcharges. But he said: “It is hard to predict whether the continued growth will slow… It depends on whether taxi operators can up their game.”

Some quarters reckon the market is already reaching saturation.

Mr Neo Nam Heng, chairman of taxi and private-hire operator Prime, said the rental business is slowing down with the economy.

He said “a loophole for consumers to bypass car loan curbs” is fuelling the population boom.

Uber driver Jerry Yeo, 43, is finding it harder to hit passenger targets to qualify for incentive payments. He said: “I will be giving up my rental car for a shared rental fleet with hourly rates next month because I don’t feel positive about future earnings with Uber.”

Other industry watchers reckon the newcomers are buying market share at huge expense to profitability, and that they will soon reach their own pain threshold.

Uber, for instance, was reported to have incurred losses amounting to US$1.2 billion (S$1.6 billion) in the first half of this year.

This article was first published on Sep 12, 2016.
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More time slots were made available yesterday for Samsung Galaxy Note7 users in Singapore to exchange their phones for new ones. This was after customers faced problems booking a slot on the overloaded website last Friday.

Earlier this month, the South Korean electronics company began to recall the Note7 smartphone in the 10 countries where it was launched after reports of the phone’s battery exploding or catching fire.

Note7 users in Singapore can exchange their phones for new ones of the same model and colour from this Friday till Oct 2. Yet when online booking opened last Friday, many users found themselves unable to log in due to high traffic.

But some want a full refund instead – which Samsung is offering in markets such as Australia and the United States. An online petition calling for a refund got over 280 signatures as of yesterday evening. One signatory is senior graphic designer Ken Tay, 42, who said: “I’m totally disappointed at how they treat us differently from the consumers in some countries.”

Asked why a refund is not being offered here, Samsung replied: “Our Singapore exchange programme takes into consideration the local market operating conditions and processes, and it has been developed in order to be the most efficient and least inconvenient to our customers in Singapore.”

Samsung launches its Galaxy Note7 phablet

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Some Note7 users say Samsung should have been prepared for high traffic when registration began.

“I think the phone is a good phone. I am just angry at how Samsung Singapore handled the exchange process,” said a 36-year-old administrative executive who wanted to be known only as Steven.

At least seven airlines, including Singapore Airlines, have banned passengers from switching on or charging Note7 phones on flights.

This article was first published on Sep 12, 2016.
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