How To Stay Safe When Calling Cabs & Taxis?

What if your car breaks down? 

Or you are too drunk to drive home?

Photo of and by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

In Singapore, I like to use the trains. In the USA, distances are greater.

US flag.

USA Fatal Outcome

A student in the USA, Samantha Josephson, called for a ride, got into the wrong vehicle, was found dead. (March 2019)
The Daily Mail had 12 pages of comments and suggestions of how to avoid such tragedy in future.

Singapore Flag.

Singapore
In Singapore, the big hotels have doormen who will hail a taxi for you, and check the driver understands the destination.

Passenger's Name
In Singapore I have used Grab and noticed the driver sometimes gives me my name. I didn't think of asking or waiting to learn if the driver knows the name of the passenger. I thought it was to be sure he was picking up the right person, because otherwise two drivers and one group of passengers or two could be in confusion.

Protecting The Driver
For example, my tracking system shows my driver is approaching. But there are many blocks of apartments in a circle. You often have two drivers arriving within the same minute, and siling past your block whilst you run out trying to flag them down.

Supposing you have been waiting ten minutes for a taxi to the airport. The driver asks, "Mr Brown?" "Yes," you mutter.
It would be easy for group one to take the first taxi to appear. They get driven to the wrong place, argue with the driver.

It could be a habit. Kiasu. Being one up. Getting ahead in a queue. I have often heard of customers trying to claim restaurant tables by nodding when asked," is this your name?"

Both drivers are aggrieved. One gets passengers wanting a shorter journey, paying less. The other driver gets passengers wanting a longer journey in the opposite direction, when he was about ti go off duty.

If they mistake is discovered. bother passengers jump out, and blame the taxi company. Both drivers lose money.

Is it Your Cab?
To go back to the problem of ascertaining that you are being picked up by the right cab.
First, when  waiting for a cab, you should watch its direction.

When it gets near, you should know the number plate of the vehicle.

What if he makes an excuse?

The driver can make all sorts of claims, such as, "They muddle my car up with my mother's / father's / brother's".

One solution is to take the number plate of the car (which could be stolen). Better still, photograph it. Also photograph the driver before getting in. Drivers don't like this. They think you are about to report them to the government for wrongdoing.

I find it easier to blame my husband. "My husband wants to know I'm going where I said I am going, in a taxi, not sneaking off shopping."

Oops - there's a passenger maybe telling a white lie.

Stay On The Phone
Other suggestions are:
Make sure your phone is charged in case you need help
Stay on the phone to somebody.
Pretend to be on the phone to somebody
If the driver locks the door, phone home or phone the police and tell them
If the driver locks the doors at traffic lights, saying it's to stop robbers jumping in, ask the driver to unlock the doors as you dive, so that you are not trapped in the case of an accident
Carry a glass breaker to get out in case of kidnapping or the door being jammed in an accident
If the driver tries to lock the car doors, object or wind down the windows and start waving and shouting or hold up a sign saying help!
If the journey is delayed by traffic and rain and the increasing fare is too high for you to pay, check somebody at home has enough money, or tell the driver to drop you at a nearby railway station and explain why.
Stay on main roads. Have a map to check directions.

If Locked In!
If all else fails, try to stop your self being driven off main roads. I would steer the car into another vehicle or object (ideally without injuring my nor anybody else.

If kidnapped, trapped, and in danger, block traffic and make others run to your vehicle to try to get you out.

Some readers suggested that taxi companies should give driver and passenger a code.

Others suggest that people should travel in pairs.

On New Year's Eve, in one US city, taxis offered people free rides home. The bar would call the taxi to be sure the passengers, if inebriated, got into a car whose number plate and driver was known to the bar.

Another system is to book one taxi to the restaurant, and arrange for the same one to collect you. We tried that in Cambodia, where the early evening driver always wanted to get the return fare. What if somebody else turns up and claims, "My friend is busy, so he sent me?"

What if your driver appears on foot and walk you down an alley towards where he claims to have parked the vehicle?

My preference is to have a cab booked by your hotel or your restaurant, using a cab company whose name and number you know. Ask the name of the driver.
I like to have a map from both the hotel and the restaurant. I mark the route, or ask my hotel to do so, and ask if any alternative route is possible and would not cost much more.
Then I watch the driver's route. I know I am not being taken on a long journey, nor being kidnapped to an unknown destination.

What is somebody else jumps in the car? In some countries there is a shared cab system. Check with your hotel and the cab company that nobody else will be in the car with you.

Stay Safe
Read the safety pages for your country's cab and taxi services and those of countries you are visiting. install the aps so that in an emergency you are not relying on other people.
For example, Grab in Singapore has a website page describing its emergency button.

Safe Travels!

Useful Websites
News
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6868023/University-South-Carolina-student-Samantha-Josephson-confirmed-dead.html#reader-comments

Taxis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_taxicab_operation

Sharing Rides
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Share_taxi

Lyft
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyft
https://www.lyft.com/

Uber
https://www.uber.com/
https://www.uber.com/en-SG/safety/
https://www.uber.com/newsroom/checkyourride/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber

Grab
https://help.grab.com/passenger/en-sg/360000002827-What-is-the-Emergency-button

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have a later update on Monday April 1st 2019. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Grab in Singapore and Uber in Hong Kong, paying, tax, tipping, extras and receipts

Grab hire cars operate in Singapore. When you phone to make a booking they tell you the fee and you pay cash and get given a receipt.

No Tipping
In Singapore no need to tip. In fact it's frowned on. Singaporeans don't like it when foreigners tip - it's seen as a form of bribery and queue jumping.

Lee Kwan Yew ended the bribery which is still rife in many parts of Asia. I remember arriving at a hotel to book a room. The hotel receptionist said the hotel was full (although I had phone and been told it had rooms).

When money was produced as a tip, suddenly the receptionist re-read the list and found a room. this is what Lee Kwan Yew was trying to prevent, a culture where people are paid low salaries and make it up by not working for the employer but for the passer by who offers money. More importantly, government officials finding you housing drivers' licenses, school teachers marking exam papers, the whole system was reorganized so everybody was paid what is now enshrined in the UK as a minimum wage, and as in China, tipping was forbidden as being seen as bribery. In Shanghai a restaurant waitress was very upset at being offered a tip. If she took it she could lose her job, as being seen as favouring one customer over another (suspected of cheating the boss by offering free seconds, or cheating him by making the customer think the prices were higher) or not offering adequate service until a tip was produced which could ruin the restaurants reputation (and nowadays its Tripadvisor rating). 

At one time when people hailed taxis in the streets of Singapore, frequently the opportune taxi drivers would sail past the locals to pick up foreigners who might tip, which made the local people irate.

Travellers to the airport may have judged their money exactly and spent the last of their cash on drinks or souvenirs, allowing a certain amount for the taxi home. If a service charge or tax is added, plus an ERP (electronic road pricing) or after midnight charge, or two person charge, or extra suitcase charge, suddenly they are out of money with no opportunity to change as there is no machine near the door and the taxi is impatient to be off. Very stressful.

Some people like the system of dealing with cash. No risk of hackers getting hold of your credit card or personal details.

However, in Hong Kong, my friend 'Carol' told me, she used Uber and liked the system whereby you paid by credit card. When you reached your destination, you could jump out of the cab and run. Your receipt was sent automatically.

the automatic receipt we were sent by Grab in Singapore was also useful. One member of my family booked a cab for 'Carol' who was racing to the airport to catch a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong and then on to Europe. She was on standby on Cathay Pacific.

The host family had booked her the cab, and checked she had enough money to pay (advising her no tip needed).

When the host's phone pinged to alert the phone owner the receipt had arrived, they knew Carol had reached the airport safely and paid the taxi and was in time for her flight. While she was running to check in, the host family could send a free running commentary to her family or friends on group to tell them she was on her way.

We got in a muddle talking about it - 'Grab bought Uber, no, Uber bought grab, no ... '

If you are hopping from one country to another, get the app loaded onto your phone well in advance, and check tee exchange rate for money and likely cab prices. Check the time the MRT will take if you have just a backpack and small wheel-on case.

When I told a taxi driver that, when it was raining, the system told us that all taxis were busy, he was irate and vehement that there could not be a shortage of taxis.
"Thousands of taxis," he told me, and, "dropping off and picking up all the time!"

Useful Websites
For the latest news and deals see:
www.grab.com
www.grab.com/sg (Taxis and cars - double your options and wait less long)
www.grab.com/sg/car
https://www.grab.com/sg/grabpay/
www.uber.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

Grab and Uber in Singapore

Problem
How do I get a reasonably priced taxi fast?

Answer
You can use the ap Grab or Uber to get a ride cheaply.

Stories
A regular taxi takes you point to point. You can get a taxi in Singapore by hailing one in the street or from the taxi rank outside a railway (MRT) station, a shopping mall or hotel.

The busiest stops on Orchard road may allow shared taxis, but most are for individuals or groups of friends or families.

If you phone for a taxi there is a surcharge. You can also be charged extra for after midnight, a larger taxi if you have a lot of luggage, and for going into the toll areas (ERP - electronic pricing) in peak hours.

Signs explaining this are inside the taxi and you will find them on the taxi websites. I always take my receipt in case I leave anything behind.

 What's the advantage of Grab or Uber? It helps even those who are not users. I've been offered a free lift home by people who are allowed to take along a passenger for free and can afford to take a shared taxi right across the island by sharing with somebody else at a pickup point along the way.

Today the Grab company celebrated being in business for five years by sending me some video stories, showing Grab taxi drivers and passengers.

They also sent short statistics and facts. They say their most popular destination is Changi Airport. The most popular tourist attraction is the zoo. The most popular day to travel is Friday.
www.grab.com/‎
www.uber.com
www.ride.guru/ (compare taxi costs)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to my posts.

Taxis or Grab Share In Singapore and Elsewhere - What's In It For You?

Problem

Taxis in London are expensive. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Taxi prices in Singapore have increased in Singapore. When I first went to Singapore in the 1990s taxis were cheap. I was living in the centre so most journeys were short. Now I live out in the suburbs, as do many more people as the city of Singapore has grown with new hosing estates along the railway lines.

Now we have ERP (charges for entering the city centre). Once it was free to order a taxi, Then a small booking fee. The booking fee increases. Extra charges for luggage or extra passengers. Your seven dollar taxi fee is now higher. How to reduce the cost of a taxi ride?

Answer
Compare costs
Taxi companies

Sharing A Ride
In Singapore use Grabshare. They claim to reduce the cost of a ride by up to 30%. You share a ride with only one other person, so only one small diversion or stop.

On line you can see ads for this service in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Take a taxi from home and you might even make a friend who is living in your local area. Meet up to walk and lose weight or to swim.

Take a shared cab or car  from your workplace or favourite shopping area and you might meet a friend who also wants to meet and share lunch.

On one trip I chatted to the girl in the front seat and we exchanged business cards. Networking en route.

You can take one other person with you for free. This is important. It means that a husband and wife can take a taxi together, no extra per person cost. Presumably the person you are sharing with has the same right. So that takes up the four seats in the car, driver and one in the front, three in the back.

The limit on family members or groups of friends does mean you can't fill the car with a family of four, or group of four.  Because there would be no room for sharing with another couple. And this is grab share!)

But you are reducing the cost of what you might otherwise pay per person on the train. However, there is no saving in cost if you have a free train pass (available in Singapore and London, English, to retirement age residents, and in Singapore to children under a certain age or height - see signs in Singapore stations.

Saving Time, Trouble, Slipping, Tripping
Taking a door to door shared cab does save you time over the free train ride. I have also called cabs because the Singapore rain was horrendous. Raindrops were bouncing high off the ground onto the hem of my ankle length dress. I was afraid deriving rain would buckle the papers in my fabric handbag. The pavements (Americans would say sidewalks) were filled with puddles.

I was afraid of slipping on wet grass and leaves. (My neighbour in London fell and broke a hip in January. Three months later, in April, she still had a hard time walking, and had had to move her bed into a downstairs living room because she could not manage the stairs up to the bedroom.

grabcar
Grabshare
Uber

Download the app onto your phone when you have a spare moment. For example, when waiting for luggage at the carousel on arrival in a new country. Then you can call them when you need them.

Warning, it's a good idea to set up at your home, second home or long-stay hotel. The ap asks if you want your current location to be set as home. If you install the ap for the first time at another destination you rarely visit, going to your home, this will come up as a default. You will have the option of changing it. But it's a real nuisance if you wanted just a one click system, have your hands full of luggage, or are already late for an appointment.

The installed ap showing where your cab is travelling is a blessing. You can see that your vehicle is on its way, the route it is taking, whether it is stuck in traffic or racing, whether you have time to dash back for a forgotten item such as a hat or umbrella. You can also be sure it has not overshot the entrance, or taken a wrong tun around your clockwise drive.

You can see if the car shooting past is your own taxi which has just overshot. You can immediately phone the driver to say: 'Stop! Go back a few feet. We are at the first entrance, a couple with two suitcases - look for the lady wearing a red dress and waving.'

Once you have signed up with one of the companies, you will get emails, messages or texts with advertising and offers. For example, reduced prices for a ride or a day if you have introduced somebody else to the scheme, seasonal offers for events such as Mother's Day.

Taxis (listed alphabetically)
Comfort / City Cab
tel: 6552 1111
Two companies, same ownership, Comfort and City, are first in the alphabet and four number ones in the second half of the number. The number starts six five, which is also the code for Singapore, the five is elated, than the number two. This memory aid would be useful if you had a new phone and don't have taxi numbers in but want to call a taxi in a hurry.

SMRT
Tel: 6555 8888
Easiest to remember. Dial the country code, 65, then repeat the 5 twice to make the four digit first namer. The following four digit number is entirely eights, eight being lucky on Singapore / Chinese culture.
***
Premier Taxis
6363 6888.

Prime Taxis
6778 0808
***
Yellow Top Taxi
6293 5545.

At the airport from arrivals you can find a counter where you can order a taxi, either a regular size or for a higher cost and extra large limousine if you have extra luggage.

A roundup of numbers, history and a few comments on costs by customers:
http://www.taxisingapore.com/taxi-companies/comfort-taxi/

Taxi Lost and Found:
1 800 225 5582
+55 6225 5582

***
Want to be a driver in Singapore?
This site tells you what you could earn:
https://driver.grab.com/SG_GC_DAX_Calc
***
Passengers to sign up for sharing a cab:

Malaysia
https://www.grab.com/my/share/

Philippines
https://www.grab.com/ph/share/

Singapore:
htttps://www.grab.com/sg/share/

In Romania taxis protested and demanded legislation. I am watching what will happen.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.