TAXI DRIVERS

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TAXI DRIVERS

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(Complaints from members of the public): **

50.

Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for Transport (a) if he will explain the process of how the Land Transport Authority (LTA) handles complaints from members of the public about taxi drivers; (b) how many taxi drivers were given demerit points/penalised due to customer complaints over the past three years; and (c) what is the action taken by LTA when the investigations revealed that the customer is unreasonable, rude or abusive.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has various channels, such as the customer service hotline, SMS and the online feedback form for members of the public to provide feedback on errant taxi drivers.

To facilitate the investigation, members of the public will need to provide the date, time and place of incident, the taxi registration number and a brief description of the

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incident. LTA will then interview the taxi driver, the complainant and witnesses, if any. Only when LTA is clearly satisfied that there has been an infringement of the rules and regulations will LTA proceed to penalise the taxi driver. The taxi driver can appeal to LTA, and, if the driver’s licence is suspended, appeal to the Minister for Transport as well.

Over the past three years from 2005 to 2007, 486 taxi drivers were issued composition fines arising from complaints by members of the public. Of these, 400 were also given demerit points.

In situations where taxi drivers encounter difficult passengers, they have been advised to handle the situation calmly and avoid entering into arguments with these passengers. If taxi drivers require assistance, they can alert their taxi companies’ call centres or contact the Police. If LTA’s investigation reveals that the fault does not lie with the taxi driver, LTA will not take any action against the taxi driver.

The taxi industry is a service industry. Both LTA and the taxi companies place strong emphasis on taxi drivers providing quality service to their passengers. LTA will continue to work closely with the taxi companies and the taxi drivers’ associations collectively to improve the service levels of taxi drivers. However, passengers also have a part to play by treating taxi drivers fairly. It is only with mutual respect that taxi drivers can provide a service that their passengers are happy with.