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The minibus service has since been suspended and the process is being reviewed.
Prioritised own vehicles
A driver, who gave his surname as Wu, said that in the past, taxi drivers of these premium rides would line up outside the arrival hall of Changi Airport to pick up passengers.
But since the start of February, they began to notice that they had to wait much longer to pick up passengers.
They later realised that it was because the reception counter staff had begun to give priority to minibuses from Woodlands Transport, the 44-year-old said.
This led to taxi drivers picking up fewer passengers — from an average of five to six per day, to just one or two.
Their income also fell by about half.
Sent representatives
According to Wu, the drivers sent representatives to negotiate with the transport company multiple times, but did not receive any explanation.
They hence decided to gather on Feb. 13 to complain about the "unfair" practice, according to Shin Min.
This was in hopes that "representatives from all parties would come together to resolve the issue", said another driver.
The 73-year-old, who had been appointed as a representative for the taxi drivers, said the drivers' income had been "greatly affected".
"We have reported the problem but there has been no response," he told Shin Min.
"We just hope that things can be more transparent."
Revert to old system
In response to Mothership's queries, Yeo Wan Ling, assistant secretary-general of NTUC and advisor to the National Taxi Association (NTA), said it had received an email from a taxi driver regarding concerns over alleged unfair job distribution at the Changi Airport taxi concierge on Feb. 11.
Upon being made aware of this, NTA "took immediate action" and liaised with Changi Airport Group (CAG) to address the concerns, she said.
CAG explained that it had introduced a trial mini-bus service to meet the needs for large passenger groups.
Following the discussions with NTA, CAG told the vendor to stop the trial and return to the previous concierge management system.
CAG is currently reviewing the process to ensure greater transparency and fair job distribution, Yeo said.
"While the above negotiations were taking place, we understand that several taxi and minivan drivers had met to give their candid feedback at the airport yesterday.
NTA’s representatives went down as well to engage with and listen to the drivers. The drivers expressed appreciation that NTA had stepped in to negotiate on their behalf."
She clarified that the taxi drivers did not go on strike, and that there was no disruption to the services provided.
In a statement to Lianhe Zaobao, Yeo also shared that at the time of the incident, the drivers who provided feedback were at a resting area.
When there were demands from passengers, the drivers continued to provide their services.
Yeo added that NTA has assured its members that it will work with CAG to find a fair and long-term solution for the drivers.
"NTA stands ready to protect the interests of our members," she said.
A spokesperson from CAG separately confirmed with Mothership that the incident had transpired due to a "misunderstanding" during the implementation of the trial, and that the trial has since been suspended.
He added that CAG did not approve the prioritisation of the minibus service over the large taxis.
"CAG is consulting the various stakeholders including the National Taxi Association to resolve the matter. We appreciate their understanding and cooperation," he said.
Mothership has reached out to Woodlands Transport for more information.
Top image from Shin Min Daily News
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14-Feb 2025 Friday
9:00 PM (26 days ago)
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