NETIZENS CRITICISE LTA'S "USELESS" TAXI APP. Taxpayers' $ Down the Drain AGAIN!

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NETIZENS CRITICISE LTA'S "USELESS" TAXI APP

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17 Dec 2014 - 10:38pm








The LTA should most probably refine its already poor regulatory skills before trying to barge into the world of mobile applications and shame itself while doing so.

This is perhaps the most apt way to describe LTA's latest attempt to create an app which does basically nothing useful.

In short, the LTA is trying to be a jack of all trades but master of none.

Already, LTA has been slammed by Singaporeans for being ineffective in regulating the public transport industry. Of course, the LTA's hands are more or less tied since its role has been reduced to regulating a de facto duopoly, which leaves it with little room to function as an effective regulator.

But now, the LTA has decided to jump into the action of being an app developer as well.

After introducing new regulations last month to curb third-party taxi apps from being able to function fully, the LTA decided to create their own, seemingly to compete.
But the LTA's app is severely disappointing.

The LTA's app does not allow you to call for cabs.

Then what is the app meant for?

According to the LTA’s Group Director for Innovation and Infocomm Technology Mrs Rosina Howe-Teo, “This is part of LTA’s on-going efforts to explore innovative solutions to meet various transport needs. Here, we are translating data gathered from the six taxi companies on the locations of their 28,000 taxis into useful information to better match the demand and supply of taxi services.

"Commuters who wish to hail a taxi can get a quick sense of the number of available taxis near them, and decide whether it may be better to book a taxi instead.

"Meanwhile, taxi-drivers can find out where there is high demand for taxis and reduce empty cruising," it said.

But even with its redundancies, the LTA seemed to be very proud of its app.

"Unlike third-party taxi booking apps which facilitates the booking of taxis, Taxi-Taxi@SG helps commuters who wish to hail a taxi on the street by allowing them to see if there are available taxis nearby.

"With this information, commuters can better decide whether to continue waiting for a taxi on the street, walk to a location with more available taxis, book a taxi instead, or make alternative transport arrangements," its press release said.

"Another difference is the universe of coverage: some third-party taxi booking apps also show the locations of taxis, but only those taxis which have signed up with them, whereas Taxi-Taxi@SG shows the location of all available taxis from the 28,000 taxis registered in Singapore.

"The app also enables street hail commuters to broadcast their current locations, allowing taxi drivers to find out where there is a high demand for taxis."

However, even as the LTA seems to want to create a niche for itself by developing an app which does not have the functions that other more established taxi apps have, the LTA might now be questioning the wisdom of being too smart aleck about it.

What is the point of creating an app which fulfils a certain niche but might not be what is currently demanded for? Also, why did the LTA create an app that serves half the functions, making it either a half-baked app or redundant?

Moreover, even as the LTA's app is able to cover all the taxis, where it does not actually perform anything useful between the passenger and the taxi, such coverage is as good as none.

Of course, some might question if LTA even thought carefully about the technical design of the app.

But worse still, the app does not seem to do what it is purported to do.







LTA said that users can broadcast their locations and allow taxi drivers to find out where there is high demand, and possibly drive there, the expectation is.

However, taxi drivers already have current channels which they can use to gauge demand - mainly by experience.

Otherwise, they would go to where the queues are. Why else would LTA restrict taxi drivers to be able to pick up passengers at only taxi queues in town?

Also, what would also more likely spur taxi drivers to want to respond to demand is if it brings in additional revenue. Again, this is what LTA should have known - this was precisely why there are booking fees and why taxi drivers have responded to certain surcharges. It is curious why LTA did not factor this into their thinking when developing the app.

Of course if you are a passenger and you would actually prefer to look at the LTA app and then decide to walk to where a taxi is, you might actually want to do that. But this is assuming you can walk faster than the taxi and it does not drive off by the time you get there. Of course if you could actually walk faster than a taxi, you would not have needed a taxi in the first place. But what would we know? We are not LTA, right?

Otherwise, for a passenger in town, chances are they would more likely walk to where the nearest taxi stand is, rather than to walk to where there would be more taxis but would be much further away. And this is also assuming that by the time they get there, the queue is not equally long, if not, longer than the queues of taxis.

Perhaps the LTA's idea of the app is unique and appealed to the planners, on paper. But when the rollout is met with even the queries and question marks now, many would venture to ask if the LTA had actually consulted passengers and taxi drivers prior to developing the app. Also, did the LTA actually look into what the needs of passengers are, in relation to taxi apps, and vice versa?

For LTA which is supposed to be a national transport regulatory body, and for it to not be cognisant of these issues is not only perplexing but also questions whether the LTA is best placed to perform its duty.
And the new taxi app by the LTA which does not seem to function or address any significant demand only exposes the fundamental ineffectiveness that now clearly plagues the LTA.
Of course, all these problems would only arise if you are able to find LTA's app in the first place.

It is called Taxi-Taxi@SG but even if you type in the name in full to search for it in the app stores, you would have to scroll down quite a bit before you are even able to locate the app.
The is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.


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