SINGAPORE – Commuters were less satisfied with taxi and private-hire car services in 2022 than they were in 2021, an annual survey commissioned by the Public Transport Council revealed.
Taxi services received a mean satisfaction score of 8.1, down from 8.5 in 2021, with waiting time being the biggest bugbear (7.1 points), followed by taxi stand accessibility (7.6).
Private-hire car (PHC) services scored 7.9, down from 8.3 in 2021. Again, waiting time was the weakest link (6.9), followed by service provided by driver (7.7).
In fact, all other service attributes – from ease of booking to ride comfort – posted lower scores than in 2021. Even safety, which commuters rate as an all-important criterion, slipped.
Combined, the satisfaction score of the two point-to-point (P2P) transport services fell to 8, from 8.4 in 2021.
In percentage terms, 95.6 per cent of taxi commuters were satisfied with cab services, down from 98 per cent in 2021.
And 94.9 per cent of PHC commuters were satisfied with services provided by platforms such as Grab and Gojek, down from 97.1 previously.
Any mean score of 6 and above is deemed by the PTC to be “satisfied”.
The poll was conducted from Oct 3 to 14 in 2022 among 2,701 taxi and PHC commuters.
Survey respondents were those who used these P2P transport services three times or more in a typical week, and had used the services on the same day of completing the survey.
Commenting on the results, Singapore University of Social Sciences associate professor of economics Walter Theseira said the underlying cause was likely a significant surge in demand for P2P services after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in 2022, combined with an overall drop in the supply of such services.
“The fare jumps in 2022 are really a consequence of the high demand and limited supply of the services,” he said.
“Long waiting times and difficulty in booking suggest to me that fares probably have quite some room to be even higher – as clearly they are still set at levels that encourage excess demand.
“Of course, the nature of the survey is that it deliberately excludes those who do not use P2P services regularly, including those who have been priced out of them by the recent fare changes.”
Commuter Keith Ng said he has cut back on cab and private-hire car rides.
The 40-year-old business owner said: “Fares can be very high. And it’s not easy to get ride-pooling services such as GrabHitch. So, from an availability standpoint, it’s not as good as before.”
He said that of late, he has preferred to use electric car-sharing outfit BlueSG, “especially for long and multiple journeys”, but he has noted that charges for the service have also risen.
Former cabby Henry Tay offered a different perspective.
“While commuters may be unhappy with surge prices, taxi drivers and private-hire drivers are glad for the higher fares,” said the 53-year-old small business owner, noting that fuel prices have soared.
