Sunday, February 06, 2005
Singapore Taxi Drivers
I saw an article in ChannelNewsAsia about taxis being involved in most of the traffic accidents for the first nine months of last year(2004).
The article decided to publish some responses from a few taxi drivers. Some shift the blame on passengers giving last minute directions. Others blame it on over supply of taxis competing to take a passenger. Finally some even blame it on their own group targeting the new drivers who can't balance the responsibility of being on the road while serving the customers' immediate requests. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more.
I think as much as some of the drivers have gone on the defensive, and I can understand, I think those group need to realize that they are professionals. Professionals step up their work and take job responsibility seriously. On a tangential note, I think some companies and individuals tend to forget that someone is paying them good money to do work. Those taxi drivers should realize that they can't drive their taxi anyway they like. Yes some customers will give errant and also last minute directions, but at the end of the day the complaining group of drivers chose taxi driving as their profession. So they definitely know what to expect out there and as result need to study up the streets, be prepared for the unexpected, obey the local laws, drive responsibly and to sum it up provide a professional service.
I can't think of any effective ways to monitor this at the moment, but I think one starting point is the hiring process. I get the feeling that anyone can get a taxi driving job and as a result there are some who complain and shift the blame.
Then again the media wants the reader to allude that these are the reasons behind the traffic accidents instead of analyzing and then categorizing how each traffic accident occured. It's never scientific to get opinions of a few people of why certain past situations occur. It goes nowhere, creates hysteria and adds no value to society enrichment. It's better if the research is done so individuals and organizations including the taxi companies are better informed so that everyone can learn from the past.
The article decided to publish some responses from a few taxi drivers. Some shift the blame on passengers giving last minute directions. Others blame it on over supply of taxis competing to take a passenger. Finally some even blame it on their own group targeting the new drivers who can't balance the responsibility of being on the road while serving the customers' immediate requests. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more.
I think as much as some of the drivers have gone on the defensive, and I can understand, I think those group need to realize that they are professionals. Professionals step up their work and take job responsibility seriously. On a tangential note, I think some companies and individuals tend to forget that someone is paying them good money to do work. Those taxi drivers should realize that they can't drive their taxi anyway they like. Yes some customers will give errant and also last minute directions, but at the end of the day the complaining group of drivers chose taxi driving as their profession. So they definitely know what to expect out there and as result need to study up the streets, be prepared for the unexpected, obey the local laws, drive responsibly and to sum it up provide a professional service.
I can't think of any effective ways to monitor this at the moment, but I think one starting point is the hiring process. I get the feeling that anyone can get a taxi driving job and as a result there are some who complain and shift the blame.
Then again the media wants the reader to allude that these are the reasons behind the traffic accidents instead of analyzing and then categorizing how each traffic accident occured. It's never scientific to get opinions of a few people of why certain past situations occur. It goes nowhere, creates hysteria and adds no value to society enrichment. It's better if the research is done so individuals and organizations including the taxi companies are better informed so that everyone can learn from the past.
# posted by kfcblog @ 8:21 AM 
