I recently discovered the amazing Singapore taxi system. I have visited no place in the world whose taxis were as efficient, clean, fast, and cheap as this.
The taxi system here starts with the phone. Taxi dispatchers are computerized and automated based on the caller’s phone number. The computer remembers the caller’s previous three destinations and provides a single button to confirm a taxi’s destination. A fourth option brings a person onto the phone to add a new location that will replace the oldest of the previous batch.
I have used this phone system now and have never waited more than five minutes for a cab. Presumably the computer uses GPS in cabs to find the nearest available cab to send to the pickup spot. In the early morning when partiers are clogging the streets by the hundreds looking for an available cab I have still received a taxi within minutes. And I live in the middle of Singapore’s party central.
During the business hours Singaporeans queue at taxi stands to await their fair turn. Cabbies are fined heavily for picking up passengers that are not properly queued. Passenger fairness is guaranteed by the Singaporean government.
The taxis are incredibly cheap, too. The ride from Changi airport to my home takes about 20 minutes and covers 12-14 miles. The ride has cost me about $13USD for each trip. And the two major taxi companies universally support credit cards to pay the fare. By Singaporean custom, taxi drivers are not tipped.
Everyone asks me if I will ever get a car while I reside at Singapore. Most people do eventually. But, given that import taxes drive automobiles to about three times their cost in the US, one can get a hell of a lot of taxi rides for the cost of a car.