CAB operators hoping to win the tender to provide taxi services at this year's SEA Games have to be able to provide 10,000 trips between May 18 and June 22, and pick up SEA Games delegates and athletes within 10 minutes ("Taxi! Take me to the SEA Games"; Jan 17).
On top of this, they must ensure that 85 per cent of their fleets are on the road during the peak hours, and clock at least 250km daily on weekdays.
Why did the SEA Games organising committee and Land Transport Authority dictate such restrictive terms and conditions?
It is no easy task for cab operators to meet both regulatory and contractual obligations.
It will require financial muscle, economies of scale and logistic resources. Hence, it will be no surprise if ComfortDelGro ends up as the sole bidder.
For competitive tenders to achieve their objective, they must be able to appeal to a spectrum of bidders.
It would be fairer to break the tender up into smaller packages. In this way, smaller taxi firms will have a chance to compete.
Taxis are a form of public transport and are not meant to serve as a chartered service.
How will any taxi operator be able to cater to public demand if its fleet has to give priority to the SEA Games delegations?
The organisers should instead approach car manufacturers and dealers to allot new vehicles to shuttle delegates. The vehicles can be sold after the games.
Francis Cheng
On top of this, they must ensure that 85 per cent of their fleets are on the road during the peak hours, and clock at least 250km daily on weekdays.
Why did the SEA Games organising committee and Land Transport Authority dictate such restrictive terms and conditions?
It is no easy task for cab operators to meet both regulatory and contractual obligations.
It will require financial muscle, economies of scale and logistic resources. Hence, it will be no surprise if ComfortDelGro ends up as the sole bidder.
For competitive tenders to achieve their objective, they must be able to appeal to a spectrum of bidders.
It would be fairer to break the tender up into smaller packages. In this way, smaller taxi firms will have a chance to compete.
Taxis are a form of public transport and are not meant to serve as a chartered service.
How will any taxi operator be able to cater to public demand if its fleet has to give priority to the SEA Games delegations?
The organisers should instead approach car manufacturers and dealers to allot new vehicles to shuttle delegates. The vehicles can be sold after the games.
Francis Cheng
