Do be very careful, especially the ladies out there. Read On...
(Hammer's production horror story with a Singapore sling).

Hi guys, this is Richard Ang, I am going to let you guys know the scary
encounter my girlfriend Serene had on 30/05/99 (Sun).
As usual I am meeting her in the afternoon but she waited in vain for
the bus so she took Bus 66 from Bukit Timah Road to the vicinity of
Newton Circus to try to get another bus or cab there. It so happen she
alighted before Newton Circus, and flagged a City Cab and got into the
back seat.
This is the start of her nightmare, the time then was 4:00pm, she got
into the cab and told the cab driver that she want to go Bugis Junction.
But instead of turning towards Orchard Road at the round-about, the
Cab driver turned towards Novena, sensing that the cab driver could have
misunderstood where she is going, she told the cab driver again that
she is going to Bugis Junction and asked whether he knows the way there,
to her  questions the cab driver only smiled grinning at her.

By the way, this cab driver is driving at a relative lower speed than
the other cabs that we know, and thus my girlfriend asked whether he
just got his license, to this again he just grins at her. This got her
worried and demanded that the cab be stopped, but the cab driver didn't
stop and again grin at her. At this moment, my girlfriend kept opening
and closing the cab door and despite her repeated shouting demanding
that the cab be stopped, the cab driver didn't do it and just smiled at
her helplessness. But it seem that the cab driver realised that a lot of
people noticed about the weird opening and closing of the cab's door, he
finally stopped and my girlfriend ran out of the cab and as soon as she
got out the City Cab drove away.
By then it was 5 minutes later at 4:05pm, the cab-driver had stopped at
the stretch of restaurants and KFC which is opposite the church. After
which when my girlfriend took another cab, this time a Comfort Cab to
Bugis Junction. She burst into tears the moment she saw me and we made a
police report after that and the police are now opening a case on it and
are investigating, but unfortunately, she is too scared to remember the
license plate number. But the cab driver is Chinese in his late 30s or
early 40s, medium built, black hair. In case you guys think that this is
a joke, well it is not since it happened to my girlfriend and the report
number is E/990530/119D, you are all welcomed to verify it with the
police.
I am going to bring up a complain to LTA and City Cab, I am not hoping
that the person responsible is punished, but rather hope that the
authority will warn the cab-drivers the penalty of such actions.
I really can't bear to entertain the thought of where the cab-driver
will bring her and may do to her. But the thought of knowing that the
cabs that we all relied upon to get home at late nights could be
operated by these kind of people, really sent shivers down ones spine.
Not to mention that this is the holiday season where students stayed out
late and a cab could prove to be so dangerous even in broad daylights,
what else will happen to those young ladies at night if this these bad
sheep/s of taxis is not weeded out. By the way, if it is convenient,
please sent this to all your friends young and old, guys and gals alike,
please be alert even in a cab, never trust that you are in good hands
until you are safe at home. And for those who had the same or similar
encounter, I beseech you to come forth to make the matter known by going
to the police.

Hmmm....Kinda fishy

For the story to merit authenticity, a Police Report lodged as a
complaint and the writer provide a communication channel. The writer
maybe emotionally charged and in all honesty shown a genuine concern for
his lady in distress. Reading through, I found the writer's idealism
hard to swallow. Knowing fully the cosmopolitan nature of this
city-state and the aspiration to be numero uno communication center in
Asia, the Authority has no other option than to punish the
"recalcitrant" cab driver. The cynic in me come to another conclusions,
the damsel in distress could be having a brain of Carmen Elektra in a
body of your girl next door temerity. She may be a fan of "Yan can cook"
TV kitchen series, where she concocted a delicacy of juicy flight of
fancy horrid story of 95% terra-cotta guard-like City Cab Chinese taxi
drivers in the age range of late 30's to mid 40's. There were 6,000
active City Cab taxis plying the crammed streets and majorities of the
drivers are Chinese of the age range reported. Anyway, can we check out
the Shopping malls and notice any late thirties to mid forties Chinese
males with tinted hair and build like Hulk Hogan?

Too much of a co-incident? Well, the lady in distress could be having
her Sony Discman and headphone speakers planted in her eardrums. Playing
Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" and shed a few crocodile tears when she
met with her trusting boyfriend to cover up for the vacuum time of
appointment.  While the whole population of City Cab taxis on the roads
tuned to RCS FM 95 Classic playing Captain and Tennile "Do that to me
one more time". And all these while, all of us on the emotional roller
coaster of horrid tales of possible rape and kidnapping maybe listening
to the Rolling Stone's "Honky tonk woman".

Seriously, I hope the Police and Land Transport Authority with the City
Cab Management can make the lie detector work like an accurate wishbone
to point to the guilty party. In my years of travelling in City Cab, I
found the story hard to swallow, even chewing it into small bits will be
a mammoth task.

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.

I sense there's some communication problem between the taxi driver
& the passenger! The driver might not understand the language or
dialect spoken, so drove slowly as he's not quite sure where to go
& how to clarify with the passenger!! The least he could do was to
keep smiling @ the person.....perhaps until he manages to approach
someone who can communicate for him?!

Once, I was walking on the road near my house when a NTUC taxi
approached me & the driver asked me to ask his passenger where she
wanted to go!!?? Communication problem in that case. Prior to seeing
me, that driver & passenger were probably trying to communicate
via sign language, but not with much success it seemed!!

I called a CityCab yesterday to bring me from Chinatown to Ubi but this guy
went what seemed like a very long route! He should have taken  the ECP but
he went by the CTE route. I'm not very sure of expressways myself so I
didn't want to tell him the route I think he should have taken for fear of
humiliation. I think he was trying to make extra money by driving a little
more. Sick. his number is 9003. dun take.
--
http://st2.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?goodorient+H5jRh7+wallpapernames.html

On Fri, 4 Jun 1999 10:08:29 +0800, QuacKe sezs.....

Usu., the taxi driver asks me which route I would prefer.... they would
then offer their recommendations since they would know which route who
be jammed @ certain peak hours.
If u don't wanna be "humiliated", juz ask the taxi driver if it's faster
to use the ECP.... (but r u really sure ECP is faster and shorter to
your destination??).. I'm sure the taxi driver would be glad to give you
his 'analysis'. :-)

So far, I've managed to fish out some info fr. some taxi drivers re: the
time and place where the TP are active... and another even gave me his
detailed analysis on the population of the taxi population in S'pore....
kinda interesting to see their perspectives on these issues. :P

I just want to say I reckon CityCab is great.  They pioneered phoning for
cabs and it has made my life much, much easier.  They are _generally_ more
polite and professional than the other "C" cab company.

Cheers,
                David

I agreed, Is surely much better than NTUC.

news:7jbadb$op$1@nobel2.pacific.net.sg...

From my personal experiences with Citycab (via their
Presido service), i have to agree with you that they are
more professional in the level of service, initiatives
i.e. helpful...'know' what they should or shouldn't do
or behave etc. & i definitely find it much better than
all the others that i've tried here!

Also, they have the best 'hardware' i.e. the best taxi
vehicles be it 5 or 7-seater vehicles you can get not only
in Singapore, but probably anywhere worldwide!
Any extra charges, if applicable, to me are most worth it
so much so that i tend to give them preference over the other
taxi operators here.
Especially when you happen to be paying exactly the same fare,
why bother to sit in an old cramped lousy junk vehicle with
lousy service where you can get so much more from other
operators ??!!

Err... u're comparing the most expensive service, of coz
u'll get better service quality lah.

The part about them having the best hardware is not accurate.

Their normal fleet of taxis are already growing old. Many
comfort cabs (and some other companies) have already upgraded
to the much larger Toyotas... and yes, they are even more
spacious than the mercedes.

In anycase, I often avoid citycab for one reason. They charge
extra $1 for every additional drop off point. Me and my friends
often share cab as we stay quite close together, this extra
cost is unacceptable.

In article <7jf41r$65...@nobel2.pacific.net.sg>,
  "House of Chin" <hseoc...@pacific.net.sg> wrote:

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.

I've used the newest Toyota Crowns (2.5 litre) used by  NTUC Comfort
& some other operators here. As for body size & interior spaciousness,
whether it's the Crown or the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W 210 series)
both are roughly in the same class, with the earlier (W 124) series
slightly smaller. Problem with the Mercedes styling is that they
tend to make a car look smaller than it really is, while that of
many other makes goes the other way! A check on the specifications
would likely show this. This being said, i do acknowledge that the
Crown, depending on where you're looking @, can be somewhat
more spacious in certain areas. However, the issue of spaciousness
is not the end of the story, not least in the eyes of a more demanding
customer, of which i count myself in as!

When i say 'best hardware', my criteria goes way beyond whether
the vehicle is 'big' or 'small' as i also consider the level of
ride comfort, noise & vibration levels, how safe it 'feels',
performance,
functional appeal of the design & even the styling...whether it suits
my preferences or not!!

And it's (inclusive) in these other areas that i conclude Citycab
(also TIBS & Sovereign) does have the best hardware!!
Because, the suspension ride comfort is far superior , it's also the
quietest overall inside & outside (full engine & transmission
encapsulation + diesel turbocharging does help here), it also has
the best performance levels amongst taxis here with it's 20 valve
5 cylinder unit which is noticiably much more smoother running
with far lesser vibration levels especially when they 'floor' the
accelerator hard & it's even more smooth in the E 300 model with
the 6 cylinder 24 valve unit which make it seem as if you're in a
petrol driven car as most of the other diesel taxis here (including
the newest Toyota Crowns here) are still much noiser & more
vibrasive @ similar road speeds!

These are just some of the finer points that make a much better taxi,
so that when you view it overall, especially if you get one by the
roadside i.e. normal fares, using these is definitely going to be a much
more appealing & satisfying travelling experience than any of the
Japanese taxis around!! You're sitting in a superior automobile,
no doubt about that!

And i've even heard from one of my regular Citycab drivers that
the firm is considering whether to buy some more 7 seater
Mercedes-Benz Vito taxis which are in fact the most spacious
of all taxis in Singapore (so far at least) & besides having a
smoother automatic gearbox (compared to many jerky manual
gear changing done by some drivers who obviously can't bother)
they are also thinking of ordering it with the air-suspension option
which will definitely take ride comfort & handling safety to levels
never before achieved in any taxi here! Talk about world class
transport, well, improvements like these will certainly go some
way in that direction! Hardware technology wise, all these is
going to be 'light years' ahead of virtually all other taxis not
only here, but probably in other parts of Asia as well!

Perhaps you could 'make friend' with some of the drivers by
becoming their regular passengers! That way, they'll more
likely give you a better deal as if you're regular, i'm sure
they'll value your continued support by giving some
discounts here & there so that you continue to give them
preference over others! If you have many friends who share
with you, instead of going in two 5-seater taxis you can
go in one 7-seater taxi! To get a good fare, strike a good
deal with the driver. It can work.

In article <7jkbd4$7m...@nobel2.pacific.net.sg>,
  "House of Chin" <hseoc...@pacific.net.sg> wrote:

I do agree that those Toyota Crowns can be quite noisy, esp at high
speeds when the engine is revving hard to maintain the speed.
There was once when I was wondering whether the driver forgot to change
to a higher gear :P

What I like about the Toyota Crown is the space and good headroom. Me
and my friend are quite tall, and we do find some models of Merc pretty
cramped!! I know it sounds strange, but it's true. The E class is OK
though :)

These VITOs are actually VANs, in fact, we can consider them mini buses
if we want to. Have yet to try one though, how much do they charge ?

Heheh, I tried this tactic. It does work. But belief it or not, the
driverrs are not really happy with this extra charge either. Some of
them told me that it caused them to lose some customers. But they dare
not complain or feedback to the management for fear of being
"black marked". Was quite surprised how much gripe these drivers had
against the Taxi Companies.... some spent the whole trip complaining
to me the probs they face... (result of making friend with them :)

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.

On Fri, 04 Jun 1999 02:21:57 GMT, dio...@DION2Ehotmail.com (Dionne)
wrote:

I agree with you here. I once spoke to a taxi driver and he too told
me that sometimes they may choose to take a route wheich may seem
further, but by avoiding the peak hour traffic jams the passenger
reaches the destination faster and pays less for not getting caught in
the jam. But some passengers insist on going along the route they
think is shrter, and the end result is more time wasted on the road
and they pay more. Since then I have learnt to show a greater respect
for these taxi drivers. But those that piss me off are the ones who
drive like they own the roads.

Jason

Do you know for every Traffic Light stop, your fare increase by $0.20 -
$0.20?

For every 30 seconds in the jam, $0.10 increase

So, avoid traffic lights and traffic jams.

Kena too often and turned wiser now.

I talked to a Taxi driver once and he told me they seem to prefer taking on
passengers on short trips than long ones becoz of the starting fare.  So
usually the drivers try and take you on the best route and drop you off asap.

Zelin

  I've an uncle who drives a taxi. He and various taxi-drivers I've
talked to, have shown me time and again due to the above reason why no
sane taxi driver would deliberately take you on a longer journey to
"make more money". :P

The little lost angel & her featherhead's 2 cents of dreaminess. :)
Email : Figure out what to remove, I'm getting tired of spam

L.Angel <a?n?g?e...@lovergirl-DOT.com> wrote in article
<7k11ck$hl...@nobel2.pacific.net.sg>...

and drop you off asap.

But also sometimes hor, they won't take me from Kembangan
to Boon Lay for exactly the same reason.  Must wait for so
long before finally one nice uncle pities poor JooJoo &
offers me a ride :(

...> But also sometimes hor, they won't take me from Kembangan
...

Can blaff dem say go to City Hall from Kembangan.  then at City
Hall say, ai yah, forgot to take someting  from my fren house
in Boon Lay ...

--
Very Nice Guy (Pacific Version)
Singapore
          --------------------------------------------------
          Your personal power (the pay, the respect, the
          treatment, the friends you get) is inversely
          proportional to the availability of the people
          who can replace you.
          --------------------------------------------------
          sad, harsh reality observed by the Very Nice Guy

In article <37644214.25D7A...@letterbox.com>,

Hmmm... but Kembangan to Boon Lay I think take MRT better :)

Much cheaper, dont have to wait for someone to pity u, and only slightly
slower.

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Panda on Skates <waihw...@my-deja.com> wrote in article
<7k282q$h8...@nnrp1.deja.com>...

Cannot lah, not when I'm rushing lor.  Otherwise I would
have taken the MRT.

VeryNiceGuy (Pacific) <v...@letterbox.com> wrote in article
<37644214.25D7A...@letterbox.com>...

Mmm... one of my friends did try that, but the cab driver
hor, said that he didn't have the time & he had to change
shifts.  So hor, in the end, he asked my friend to drop off
at City Hall & take another cab or MRT.  Aiyoh.
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------

Then don't rush...with some planning. Recommend that you take a course in
strategic planning. It will help you in the long term.

Is there a way to verify this?

Just because someone quotes their e-mail address and pager number, it
does not mean it's authentic. Not to me, anyway. Not even when they
quote a "report number"

I am getting quite pissed off with such "warning - tell all your friends
and loved ones" bullshit. Now it's even flooding my mailbox! The worst
thing is some people actually believe such attempts to create hysteria
and paranoia.

I just received another 5th generation e-mail saying that a "family
friend's friend" just died from drinking out of a can of Coke which was
encrusted with rats urine...oh PUH-LEEZE!!!!!!!

These boh-liaos ought to be bashed over the fucking head with a
sledgehammer.

At least 2 reasons i know which can contribute to the higher, harsher
& more vibrasive  engine 'feedback' in the Crown.

Firstly (mainly) is the relatively low engine torque (& power too!!)
for a car of its size & weight, something like only  ~ 130 Nm torque
(roughly like many a 1.4 litre petrol engine's power & torque levels)
from a 2.5 litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated (likely 8-valve only)
diesel engine!
In noticeable contrast, the (Mercedes-Benz) E 250 (W 210 version)
also has 2.5 litres & although unfortunately that's also a naturally
aspirated diesel engine it's able to output 170 Nm torque with its
5 cylinder 20-valve design; around that of a 1.8 litre petrol engine's
for torque with only marginally less power levels.
And the earlier E 250 (W 124 version with the additional air intake
'gills' appearing only on the front right side) with essentially the
same but turbodiesel engine outputs a much more welcomed 231 Nm
of  torque, around that of many a (naturally aspirated) 2.5 litre petrol
engines.
As such, in the case of a less potent engine, it will definitely have to
'struggle' much harder as the engine needs to be revved higher &
longer to extract a similar or even then still lower level of output to
move & keep moving the car, resulting in more noise, harshness &
vibrations.

Secondly, adding to the inferior engine performance is the possible
lack of a lower ratio 5th gear. I recall taking the slightly earlier
Crown taxis which had only up to 4th gear, so that when going @
80 km/h (which isn't exactly very fast) the engine had already become
very noisy & vibrasive  & i saw the driver keep putting his hand on
the gear knob every now & then thinking of changing into 5th gear
only to be reminded that there's no higher up gear to engage!! so
no choice but to keep it on 4th & endure all the noise & vibration
in order to sustain the (pretty normal) speed!!
Anyway, even with the 5th gear, i seriously doubt the noise, harshness
& vibration levels would drop very noticeably as the basic deficiency
lies with the engine.

The thing is, are they actually as cramped as they look to be ??
What i'm aware is that the Mercedes stylists like to make their
vehicles look smaller than they actually are. Because, when one looks
up the specs for measurements, it's actually bigger than it looks seem
to suggest! e.g. the A-Class which looks as small as a Hyundai Atos
is in fact some 300mm (12 inches!) wider @ 1719mm, making it
in the same overall width category as the C-Class (@ 1720mm).
But hardly obvious at all from just looking at it, unfortunately!
The Atos, which have roughly the same overall external length as the
A-Class, but with far less usable interior length!, are only around
1400mm wide though it's obviously styled to try to hide the actual
narrowness so that Atos drivers etc. might think they are just as big
as the A-Class but in reality, it's certainly NOT the case at all
if one looks hard & long enough to spot the differences.
Design , specification & in many properties, the 2 are nowhere
near each other at all although a rough look might mislead some into
thinking it's the 'same' thing.
Another e.g. is the new S-Class.
Its rear end, with similar C-Class like light clusters, looks as narrow
as a C-Class's but in actuality it's of course a much wider & bigger car
upon checking the dimensions & looking more thoroughly. The mind
can be funny. Psychologically it perceives something as 'small' so the
person feels uncomfortable although physical measurements can
show that it's not exactly as small as its looks suggest!

The new Crowns, i suspect getting some ideas from the Volvo 740's,
does have a very 'right-angled' rear pillar which can give somewhat more
head & shoulder room in the rear. Functional to a certain extent yes,
but aesthetically pleasing, not @ all! At least in the Volvos the body
linework was more able to blend the 'uprightness' more smoothly
into the overall shape of the car resulting in less awareness of the
more unsightly areas!
Also, the aerodynamic issues to consider such as the incidence of
increased wind noise (though might not be noticed due to the noisy
engine!) & resistance around the almost vertical rear windscreen.

The Crown's strongest points would have to be the interior spaciousness.
For those who go for space & almost nothing else, that car would much
surfice. But for me, i'll definitely prefer something that offers a more
overall better & finer balance between the issues of not just space,
but
also ride comfort, performance, vehicle running smoothness, design
ergonomics, safety, trim finishing quality & even aesthetics, all of
which do matter significantly in varying levels to me.
Hence, i'll still go for the Mercedes-Benz, nicknamed the 'king' of
taxis by a regular Citycab driver of mine! Not surprising that he
sees it that way as the concept of providing a taxi service
(i.e. the 'invention' of the taxi) originated indirectly @
Mercedes-Benz as Benz vehicles were known to be the 1st to be
also used as taxis!

I've been using the Vito taxi from time to time over the past year &
have to say it's somewhat more like sitting in a Mercedes-Benz estate
car than in just any typical minibus or van, which is more made obvious
from the atmosphere in the interior than from the exterior!
Like in a Mercedes-Benz car, you also feel safe & secure here,
due partly to the very thick car-like padding treatment @ the front &
intermediate pillar posts, car-like approach to blending the windows
with the thick interior paneling & of course, the all familar
instrumentation panel & steering-wheel designs & the car-like
single & bench type seats.
Compared to a typical van or minibus, the atmosphere here is more
private & cosy, the suspension ride comfort more car than van-like
& generally, the interior is on the quiet side with little vibration
though the engine sounds harsher when provoked!
Not surprising since it's only a 2.3 litre 4-cylinder diesel here but
when compared to likely all the other 4-cylinder diesels in taxis here,
this one still tends to be the most smooth running & the quietest.
In addition, behind the driver, you get the use of a seperate telephone
& watch videos on the LCD screen mounted @ the centre on the
ceiling.
In essence, it feels much more private & secure, quieter & more
comfortable here than in a typical van or minibus so it's definitely
a more exclusive 'higher level' travelling experience here!
The Vito's also used as taxis, in addition to the C, E & S-Class
saloon cars, in Europe & i'll view it as Mercedes-Benz's answer
to the London Cab! Afterall, looking @ the London Cab carefully,
it's really much more van-like in its proportions & height anyway
although it has a rather imposing big car-like bonnet!

As for charges, it depends. If you manage to board one by the road side
then it's normal (same as in E-Class taxis) meter rates starting $2.40 &
so on. If it's via advance booking is $12 (compared to $16 for the
E-Class saloons) & current booking (30 mins or less in advance) is $8
(same as in E-Class saloons). For airport, it's the usual E-Class rates
(though not all drivers might charge the standard rates, some might
charge less upon negotiation etc.) However, the Vito taxis are mostly
used for plying flat rate trips, meaning you can hire it (via advance
booking) for say $35 one way, going from say, Orchard Road to the
Night Safari or almost from anywhere to anywhere else within
Singapore! Obviously the longer the distance the more attractive it
becomes + the fact you can carry 6 persons (excluding driver) in
good comfort & including luggage!

Strictly speaking, i would not view the Vito as a van in the true sense
of the word. That's because the vehicle that's known as the Vito
in the commercial vehicle market was produced from scratch, at the
design level (that's where an important difference lie compared to
most other manufacturers), to actually live '2 lives',
i.e. not only marketed as Vito vans & mini-buses in the commercial
vehicle sector but also as the V-Class MPV's (of course with much
more enchanced equipment & trim levels & more car-like styling
modifications) in the private personal vehicle sector!
Contrast this with the situation with some other manufacturers whereby
they take a purpose built van design (i.e. meant to be used as a van &
nothing else..at least @ that vehicle's design stage that was the sole
intention!) & then try to trim it (with limited success because the
fundamental van-only design traits can't be changed without substantial
modfications) as an MPV only as an afterthought, which are of course
far from the case with the Vito/V-Class!
Then of course, at the other extreme, you have most of the MPV
manufacturers who prefer to churn out an 'uniquely' designed vehicle
only to be marketed as an MPV & nothing else. What's noteworthy
in such cases (e.g. Renault Espace, Mitsubishi Spacewagon,
Ford Galaxy, Honda Oddessy & Toyota Priva, Peugeot 806--
-also used as taxi in Singapore etc.) is that if you look @ their design
traits in detail thoroughly hard enough, are that their overall body
shape,
proportions & dimensions are indeed more resembling that of a
van's rather than that of a car's! In essence, that's a very common
universal truth. Also, the ...

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but apparently on quiet week nights or late evenings where fares are hard to come
by...the driver would obviously prefer longer routes rather then roaming the
streets empty.

but apparently on quiet week nights or late evenings where fares are hard to come
by...the driver would obviously prefer longer routes rather then roaming the
streets empty.

but apparently on quiet week nights or late evenings where fares are hard to come
by...the driver would obviously prefer longer routes rather then roaming the
streets empty.