Straits Times 25 March 2011 - Civil Servants To Go Cashless
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Straits Times 25 March 2011 - Civil Servants To Go Cashless For Cab Fares
Government set to save $100,000 a year when they are put on ComfortDelGro's Cabcharge.
AN AGENCY tasked with creating economies of scale in the Government has struck a money-saving deal with the largest taxi company here.
Vital.org, previously known as the Centre for Shared Services, said it aims to get officers from 40 government and government-linked agencies to use Cabcharge, a cashless fare-payment scheme offered by ComfortDelGro, when they take taxis for work-related trips.
Over the contract's four-year period, this is expected to save the Government close to $400,000 in cab fares, or about $100,000 a year.
The savings come from a discount on an administrative fee that Comfort levies for Cabcharge payments.
Asked why public officers cannot simply use cash and thus save on these administrative charges in the first place, Vital.org explained that cash payments exact a cost too - in the form of inconvenience and time spent making and processing transport reimbursements.
It added that some taxi receipts are handwritten and illegible.
Mr Clarence Ti, chief executive officer at Vital.org, said: 'Officers who travel for work often have to pay first and make a claim later. We now have an opportunity to reduce their burden of being out of pocket for travel expenses.'
The card-based payment system also gives the Government another way to review transport expenditure based on card records, he added.
Cabcharge is also valid in Australia and Britain, which means convenience for officers who travel to these countries for work as well.
Last year, the 40 agencies spent about $3.6 million on taxi fares.
The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is one of the first 16 government bodies to have signed up to go cashless for cab fares.Among the remaining 15 are the Singapore Tourism Board, International Enterprise Singapore, the Attorney-General's Chambers and the National Environment Agency.
Mr Tan Chee Sean, SAM's manager in charge of programmes for the ongoing Singapore Biennale, hailed the convenience of the scheme: 'We recruit hundreds of volunteers for the Singapore Biennale. Since December, these volunteers have made some 100 taxi trips.'
The 16 agencies on the scheme have jointly chalked up 5,413 cab trips worth $71,000 since December.ComfortDelGro said Vital.org's deal is the single largest one it has clinched so far.
Mr Yang Ban Seng, ComfortDelGro's taxi business chief executive, said: 'We have about 2,500 Cabcharge customers here. They make about 300,000 trips a month or a third of the total number of cashless trips our drivers make.'
Other cashless payment modes include credit cards and Nets.
Vital.org, which serves more than 100 ministries, government departments, organs of state and statutory boards, said it saved the Government $9.5 million in travel expenses last year - out of a total of $47.7 million that 95 public agencies spent on air tickets. -
More reason to join CDG Now ...
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hmm ...
2,500 cabcharge customers , totaling abt 300,000 trips a mth
divide by 30,000 drivers, each one gets abt 10 cabcharge trips a mth ... gao jiak bo ?
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How Government saving money from using cabcharge?
Taxi fare $5, swap $5, taxi uncle recieve $5 from comfuck,
how they saving?
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Originally posted by Red5xx:
How Government saving money from using cabcharge?
Taxi fare $5, swap $5, taxi uncle recieve $5 from comfuck,
how they saving?
Normally , example , Company XXXXXX Pte Ltd , used $100,000 a month on cab charge .CDG will charge this XXXXXX Pte Ltd $100,000 , plus GST and 10% service charge .
Now base on the report , those discounts has to be said like CDG not charging them that 10% service charge for Civil Service .
Meaning the calculate here calculate there . . . . amount less 10 , that's saving .
Perhaps CDG further rebate them 5% on total bills if achieve month quotas .
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Originally posted by Reliefdriver4u:
More reason to join CDG Now ...
Yes , a very good reason to join CDG now .TransCab in trouble once again .
Got whacked one more round .
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Day shift huat lar , night not really affecting us .
In fact , i see equally good opportunities , as far as LV is concern .
If all local civil servants call 6552-1111 , huat lar knn .......
Anyway , i don't really service LOCALS ..... i really do not wish to know where they stay .
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does not really affect me. i drive smart. still got pax outside.
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That could be one reason why they reshuffle the taxi structures late December .
They need taxis for such projects , if others non-cabcharge paxes kept calling their taxis , they where got taxis service civil service ?
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its true. They want to service the civil servant coz of the potential money which already there to take.
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Another point , if i Comfort , given two choices .....
2 that can only chose one , both can generate good revenue .
One if private MNC , and the other Government Civil Service .
The choice is clear , i'll opt for Civil Service !
Government's money surely can get back ! 100% of them , 0% bad debt .
It's a matter of time the return came back .
But i am not too sure about private MNC .
I believe CDG faced a massive amount of bad debt from their corporate clients .
If Lehmann Bros can collapsed , anything can happen .
Clever move .
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Now things still go back to the taxi drivers .... if the taxi drivers dun take such jobs given to them , however amount of jobs also no point .
If no taxis willing to support them , they can only have one problem , complaints coming up the next day .
i give one example ....
8pm , Sherwood Road , MFA .
I was given the job at Takashimaya SC , do i reject them ?
Of course i rejected them , why should i take a job 5 km away , with just $3.50 , after levy $2.93 , and infront of me , it's a long Q of pax waiting for me with a nett extra of CBD surcharge $3 ?
Give me 10 reasons why should i support the call ?
I will take , only if ... The MFA's job was given a destination i simply cannot reject , eg , MFA to MBS .
I will take , if it's $5 booking and not $3.30 .
But both will not happen .
Sekali i from Taka fly there with 10 minutes , and pax said : " Uncle , Upper Thomson Road , near Springside , opposite Yishun Camp , u go by Farrer Road ."
Is it knnbccb ?
It is .
It's about taxi drivers .
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And base on my experience , such job , title will not have any names .....
but i guess It will be only with a simple VIP .
And this VIP , they do not simply dial 6552-1111 , they will be designated a special number for Civil Service , a number specially for them to get a cab from prioritise arrangement .
Like Merc booking , it will be 65522828 , instead of the normal 6552-1111 .
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If such projects are to put it into ranking from bookings ....
VIP - No 1 priorities .
Corporate clents - No 2
E-vouchers for staff - No 3
CBD regulars - No 4
The rest - siow liao .
Like those from outside cbd without that $3 city surcharge .
Back to Sq-1 .
Meaning huat lar knn
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I can only say ..... CDG a bit looking for trouble .
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if one are to study their moves from 17th December 2011 , u'll see very clearly their overall intentions now .
Fare adjustments , tied up with Civil Service , up Sonata rental .
Cos they know , with such projects , many will sign up as their drivers .
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Sad thing is , other taxi companies like TransCab are following blindly their fare structures , which can only benefit CDG , not the rest .
So those decision makers , who opt to follow CDG's fare , will need to be replaced by someone with better visions .
Sack the bugger !
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So for night shift drivers like me .....
does this CDG's Project benefitted me since 25th ?
Yes a bit , not as a Comfort , but as a TransCab .
Except from 4pm onwards , a bit quiet in town .
After 5pm . . . . busier than usual .
And i am happy to hear one classfied hotel are back with their " 10 taxis , 6 taxis , 5 taxis , 4 taxis " Open Call .
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I think day shift for CDG taxis huat big time ..... dun huat also cannot .
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Dun wait anymore lah, chief. Join Cdg if you want to be a TD.
Taxi business went into privatisation is the brainchild of Cdg, with it, they merge with citycab and Delgro, as cooperatives, they cannot go far, so delgro will give them the leverage to go global with a open market trading at Simex and set up all Asia.
Privatisation also provide them the competitive edge against other taxi company, with it, people can really exercise their comparative views and opinons. And with their strong market and research capability, they can now really aims to be the best providers.
Once civil servants organisation find that they can save alots, the next group will be the GLC, most of these govt companies have investment in cdg shares, they are the shareholders, so naturally, the support will go to cdg for a better R2i (return in investment)
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huh?? service government serpents go back ah wood ???ah kang??
where got time??
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Originally posted by Poolman:
Government's money surely can get back ! 100% of them , 0% bad debt .
哎呀�肥 水 � � 外 人 田。
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Originally posted by komade:
huh?? service government serpents go back ah wood ???ah kang??
where got time??
, as the saying goes..我�入地�誰. 入地� -
Speculating on how CDG operate on their Cablink business is always interesting and debating.
How individual Taxi Stands work on their voucher jobs is exactly how CDG work, not until so complicated except CDG voucher jobs is widely diversify.
Earning from credit card, nets and those cashless payments is peanut to Cablink. Their main core is Cab-charge, just like your LV voucher jobs, how much your boss been earning for each voucher completed by drivers? Same go to CDG.
Civil servants paying by cabcharge won't be another new things, cause at this present moment, cabcharge is everywhere, no where we can avoid unless we choose not to drive Comfort.
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before they go cashless, ground people will go penniless first....