I am a regular patron at Boat Quay, a popular area in Singapore for bars and restaurants.
For years, I have been relying on the traditional taxi booking system to get around the area in the evenings. Unfortunately, over the last few years, I have found getting a taxi at Boat Quay to be a nightmare.
I remember the good old days when I could just stand on the street corner and get a taxi in no time. I could even book a taxi in advance by calling a taxi company. But these days, getting a taxi at Boat Quay is almost impossible. The street corners are always crowded with people waiting for taxis and the taxi companies don’t pick up the phone.
The reason for this is the rise of ride-hailing apps like Grab, Tada, and Gojek. These apps have made it much easier for people to get around the area. Instead of having to wait for a taxi to come, you can simply open up the app and book a ride in a few taps. This has made it much easier for people to get around, but it has also made it much harder to get a taxi at Boat Quay.
The drivers of ride-hailing services have more freedom to choose where they want to go. They can choose to go where the demand is higher and the fares are better. As a result, there are fewer taxis and private hire edrivers around Boat Quay as the drivers prefer to go to other areas where they can get better fares.
There was once I tried to book a Grab or Tada ride from Boat Quay to the north and it was over $60!
If I top up a bit more I can get a plane ride to Kuala Lumpur.
On top of that, the surge pricing that is implemented by the ride-hailing apps can make it even more expensive to get a taxi at Boat Quay. During peak hours, the fares can go up to twice the normal price, making it even more expensive to get a taxi. This can really add up over the course of a night and make it much harder to get a taxi.
Overall, getting a taxi, Grab, Tada, or Gojek at Boat Quay has become a nightmare. The drivers prefer to go to other areas to get better fares and the surge pricing can make it even more expensive to get a taxi.
This has made it much harder to get around the area in the evenings.