Shock After Shock.

                                            (Source: The New Paper, dd 2nd April, 2013)

This is just horrific, after posting a blog about taxi drivers making Headlines and Stories on front pages of our daily Newspapers on Monday 1st April, 2013 at 1.20am, I received this shocking front page picture in The New Paper only about 5 hours later in the morning when it arrived. When is this madness going to stop? The Authorities must surely be aware that taxi drivers are easy targets for unreasonable and violent passengers and even general public abuse often getting cabbies badly bashed up and these incidents are on the rise. Heavier penalties and harsher punishments should be meted out by The Authorities against this sort of hooliganism and blatant violence with immediate effect. Taxi drivers are not allowed to retaliate nor engage in fights with whoever whilst in the course of their duties lest their vocational licence be revoked and livelihood abruptly ended.

On September 12th, 2012, a 58 year old cabby was beaten up on the head and kicked in the face by a passenger who accused him of taking a longer route from Grand Hyatt Hotel to Newton Road and then a few days later, on September 16th, 2012, a 65 year old cabby was attacked by young men who became annoyed and violent after being prevented from jaywalking because he drove too slowly on Coleman Street, the 2 young men were subsequently arrested. In another separate incident on this same day, a 45 year old cabby was attacked by a gang of motorcyclists along Upper Bukit Timah Road and he suffered a broken nose, a cracked jaw and multiple cheek fractures.

If this sorry state of affairs carry on unchecked, I dread to think what taxi drivers may resort to in order to protect themselves against sudden and untimely attacks, hopefully not to become fearful violent attackers themselves. I have heard quite often from other cabbies who received bad verbal abuse thrown at them and how they have kept their cool and restraint from hitting back not because they are weak or scared but fear for loss of livelihood. Lets hope The Authorities start serious Legal acts to protect our taxi drivers and safeguard them from further violent attacks.