The ever increase fare. Fair?

I was watching the news few days ago and was pretty surprise to hear another fee hike by a possible increase of 30 cents charge by the “mafia leader” and those junior leaders are more likely to follow suit too. That will bring the start up meter to be fixed at $2.80 once the wheels start rolling. I thought the last increase was just last year July?

Being a hard core rider and "supporter" to our taxis uncles, it was pretty hard for me to swallow that 30cent coins down my throat. I mean, I see no better service, better cushion or higher grade leather seats, no nice lush music, or wings installed on the vehicles to fly me out from a bad jam.

In fact, I am still not allow to eat and drink (but they themselves are eating dua bao, char siew bao, or whatever and sipping kopi O), bear with BO, watching out for vehicles (sometimes) when I foresee a potential reckless taxi driver I am traveling with, bearing with their "officially squandering" (as recorded in the meter reading) of my 10cents by 10cents away by taking the longer route.

There are a lot more "patterns" you can observe if you ever travel with our drivers on the road. Some pretend they do not see you, either they were blocked by the ghosts, or they are blind, or their eyeballs are actually growing at the back of their head hiding among their hair. No matter how you wave your hand wildly, they cannot see you. Once I was so fed up that I stood out slightly to the road to block that damn cab before it slowed down for me. They are always waiting for passengers to call them. They would rather spin round and round and merry go rounding the same route than to stop for a passenger.

Some may just slow down and comment a lot when they saw traffic accidents, nagging nonstop, swearing in vulgar etc. Some would subtly comment to me that many cabbies will not pick up calls from passengers traveling from orchard to east then to west (meaning referring to ME! I am that passenger who has on called for them to pick me up from orchard then send my friend to bedok then travel to my jurong home). Many times I just laugh and smiled and back to my own sightseeing out thru the window…
Nah! Show you middle finger. You think I care? *roll my eyes*

And the worst are those who always started the day without any loose change and I always have to make it a point to ask “Uncle, you got small change? I only have 50 dollar note." Some are kind enough. Some will just tell me "I dun have! I dun have! I just started work!" then leaving me to find a solution. Should I cut that 50 dollar note into fractions so that I can pay you thru small change? Or should I jump out from the cab and buy something, and then come back with loose change to pay you?

When I ask if I can pay thru nets (when I noted that they have that label pasted on their window), they are very reluctant to use that. Simply becos they do not know how to use it! Some gave me excuses saying the machine is spoilt. Sometimes, I even have to teach them how to use it (just follow the instructions on the device!). You don’t have enough small change, you don’t want to use the nets device, then what you want me to do? OFFER ME FREE RIDE ARH?

When all other surcharges (ERP, Peak hrs, midnight charge, booking fees) were added on, riding in a cab is no longer a “smooth” journey. Your heart beats as fast as the meter jumps. When you hear the “Beep!” sound when passing thru an activating ERP, you start counting (Another 50 cents more! Another dollar more!).

And for all these, I am paying another 30cents I dun know for wtf justifiable for. And the classic reason for the increment is always “the disel price has gone up”. You will not have wasted much diesel if you do not merry go round so many rounds and not picking up passengers! I also foresee in time to come, booking fee and midnight charges will increase too and reason being "the diesel price has gone up!". And even if we change all cabs to using battery operated using solar system, probably this time they will say "the technology is advancing!", "research fee should be imposed!", "the ozone layer is thinning!" or "my mother needs to pay medical fee!"

And so, we are force to taking the SMRT or SBSTransit (to minimize their losses), or we will be lure to buy new cars when they announce the drop in COE prices and when you have bought it, they hike the ERP, road tax (complaining too many cars on the road!), or introducing new ways to add on more charges to add to the loads on the weighing scale.

Then at the end of the day, with the decrease HERE but replaced by the complements or substitutes THERE, the graph becomes a constant up slope …things just go up up and away……..

So in conclusion, even after so much complains, whichever ways, it is still the same. 30cents may seems small, may seems big. But in my view, it’s all about whether it is justifiable, convincing and worth paying because I see no better service or attitude! Guess it’s really time to boycott taking cabs though. I should lessen my frequency of taking cabs. Actually has cut down a lot.

Will there be a day where everyone starts walking to work? Camping overnight in offices only to return home during weekends？Or buying a horse and gallop from one place to another like how we see in the 武侠小说 （martial arts）？LOL! Imaging yourself galloping away in pants and shirts, strapping your briefcase across your back or dresses and stilettos and then you “HAR! HAR! HEE YA!” and “park” your ride in a stable instead of car parks. Ah! I just created more job opportunities!

Or diving across the sea from JB to Sg? Will ever anyone invent something to teleport us wherever we want? That will definitely help to solve many issues.

What can we do to have a win win situation (just like how our leaders always try to works towards to whenever they want to solve BIG SERIOUS ISSUES) in this case?