"catch me if you can....."

Fare CHEATS are getting bolder and on the rise this year. Each time I pick up young teenagers (most common group types) in twos and threes, I become very wary. I would scrutinise and engage them in chit chats as well as listen in on their conversations and trust my instincts through their behaviour patterns after having encountered five bad experiences with them in the past.
It is very difficult and impossible to recover our losses from them. The Public Transport Council Act, though quite strict with punishments meted out previously, have not really deterred these 'dodgers'. First timers are fined $1000 and repeat offenders $2000 including 6 months behind bars.
I remembered in 2005, there was this serial cheat who dodged fares from at least 18 cabbies, was finally caught and sentenced to 3 years in jail. Fare cheats are usually young 'thrill seekers' similar to those petty thieves and snatchers with their 'catch me if you can' mentalities.
Well, how I wish we can be allowed to install cctv gadgets in our cabs, it could possibly be an effective deterrent I think.........

the 4th bad memory of being cheated...

It was on a different day with the fourth group of cheats, this time they consist of three Indian school boys, I think from Sec. 3 maybe around 16 years of age whom I picked up at Pioneer North St. opposite City Harvest Church. They wanted to go to Lower Delta Road and requested me to travel by the AYE. When I finally reached the Link road to go into Lower Delta Road, one of the boys said, "Uncle, please go straight and do a U-Turn at the traffic junction and drop us by the roadside before the entrance to the carpark", which I duly complied. "Here can already, thank you".

The same thing happened, just like the previous group, two of them got out first and slowly walked away whilst the third, took out his wallet, flipped it open and started to look for his money. Acting cool and calm, he said, "Sorry uncle, wait a minute", I was about to turn to look at him when all of a sudden, ZOOM! he was out in a flash and joined his other two friends in a record sprint and disappeared into thin air. This time, already resigned to being cheated once again, I came down, shut the opened door and just drove off silently, cursing and swearing at the three cheats.

"Carry on, there's nothing you can do about it, the fare is only $14/-" I mumbled and consoled myself, then sped off to hunt for a nearby coffee shop for 'kopi' and get D-Stressed. What's going on with these young people? Don't they feel any shame at all? Are their parents and teachers not doing their part in teaching them about honesty? and many more questions asked as I slowly drank my coffee.....

the 3rd bad memory of being cheated...

Final term school holidays are starting soon and this time around, I will be extra wary of school children passengers. Why? Well, twice during the past school holidays, I was cheated by two different groups of 13 or 14 year old school kids. (Their ages are revealed through their chit chats). The 1st group, all chinese, comprised of 3 boys and a girl I picked up at the Zion Road side of Great World City taxi stand. They wanted to go to Pasir Ris near Downtown East. It was about 6.30pm and slowly getting dark. The school girl sat beside me while the three boys sat in the back seat. Along most of the way, they were chatting mostly in singlish about their parents, teachers and classmates, gigling and laughing. Just before reaching Downtown East, the girl requested me to drop her first after the traffic junction by the left side of the road which I did and the boys needed to go further up near White Sands.

One of the boys said, "Uncle, go to St.51" and when we arrived he directed me to go into the 2nd carpark, turn here and there, do a U-turn and stop. As soon as I stopped and pull up my handbrakes, two of them got down and started walking off whilst the third one sitting near the opened door, pretended to dig into his pocket seriously for his wallet with one leg already getting out. Suddenly jumped out and ran together with the other two in front and the three of them simply disappeared out of sight before I can even shout "Hey!"

The metered fare showed more than $20/- I was flabbergasted. "Again!!" X#F@xss!! I knew it would just be a waste of time hunting for them, felt like an idiot for being cheated the 3rd time, and of all people, innocent looking young school children.

Cheated a second time

Just after midnight I was in the queue at the Orchard Tower taxi stand when two Malay men, I think in their thirties, boarded my taxi.

"Uncle, Jurong West Ave 4".

I said "Okay" and started driving. All the time along the way, the 2 guys just sat quietly and did not even say a word to one another. I looked in the rear mirror and noticed that one of them was in a reclining position, as though resting or maybe sleeping. I did not suspect anything unusual. As I drove near and turning into Jurong Ave 4, I asked them to direct me to where they wished to alight and one of them said, "Go straight and turn into 1st carpark on your left".

And as I turn into the carpark, the same guy said "Can stop near the rubbish chute".

I replied "Over there? ok" and came to a stop.

Before I can even tell them the fare, my left and right rear doors swung opened and the two of them jumped out and sprinted off in opposite directions. I was stunned, looked left and right and saw their shadowy figures running at top speed into the void decks of the HDB flats ahead of them and simply disappeared so quickly. What should I do? Chase after them? Which one, the left or the right? Its just a hopeless thought. I got down from my cab, walk around it to shut the two doors left ajar and then leaned against the driver side of my cab, had a smoke whilst feeling very disappointed and disgusted. Its not about the fare... around $18/- but the thought that this was indeed planned before hand and I was chosen as their target, that made me look stupid. I got into my cab and slowly drove around the neighbouring block of flats hoping to see if I could spot the culprits and after a while, I was thinking its useless to waste my time any longer and drove off. The memory of what happened that night will be hard to erase.

unforgettable episodes

In all my years driving a taxi and plying my trade, I was cheated 5 times. The very first incident, not easy to forget, happened one evening when I picked up a businessman from the queue at Changi Airport Terminal 2.  This guy had a big luggage which he put in the boot and held on to another sling bag. 
"Good evening" I said as I helped him load his luggage. 
He replied "Good evening, could you  please send me to Pasir Ris Street 72." 
I said "Okay" as he boarded my cab and sat in the back seat. In my mind I was thinking, no luck, so nearby, and I had been waiting at the queue for more than 20 minutes, but never mind I can always come back and line up again. He was wearing a dark business suit and looked smart and presentable. 
"Returning from a business trip?" 
"Yes, from Vietnam" as I started driving. We did not chat much except for the usual greetings like 'how's your flight?', 'had your dinner?' and so on. 
We soon arrived at his residence and his fare was exactly $11.00. He pulled out a S$100.00 note and gave it to me. I said "Mister, I don't have enough change for that much, do you have smaller notes?" He said no but maybe he can go up to his flat on the 7th floor and get some small change if I can just wait awhile it would just take less than 5 minutes. I said okay, that's fine with me and since he is going upstairs I told him he might as well carry his luggage home first. I still had my cab's hazard lights on, stood outside and lighted up whilst waiting for my fare. 5, 10 and then 15 minutes went by, I kept looking up at the corridors especially the 7th floor and then I started getting that funny feeling that this guy wasn't coming back. I waited 5 minutes more and then decided to move off knowing that I've been had. 
I was angry and felt rather stupid for being so trusting and even asked him to take his bag up first. I can still picture this incident clearly in my mind as I type this cos this was the first time I was cheated. I am constantly reminded and promised myself to be more careful and wary of future cheats but alas this was not to be, will let you know the next and the next later on, meanwhile, have a thought with this short quote "Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped......"