Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Taxi Fares
The long expected rise in taxi fares is finally going to take place next Monday. ComfortDelgro is raising the flag down rate to $2.50, and it will cost 10 cents for 215m for journeys less than 10km, and 10 cents for 175m after 10km.
The reason is the high cost of fuel. It seems that many cabbies have been complaining that high fuel prices are eating into their already thin margins. I suppose this is justified, considering that fuel prices have really risen a lot lately. However, many cabbies, and also many drivers in general, have astoundingly inefficient and short sighted driving habits. These bad habits waste fuel, then they gripe about the prices. It's true that prices are high, but instead of griping about them and doing nothing, they can easily cut down their fuel consumption, it's just that they don't want to.
I have seen many drivers who do not look very far ahead. When I see a red light in the distance, I'll release the accelerator and let the car coast to it. Some drivers behind me think I'm too slow. They'll cut to the right, overtake and zoom forward. This is about the time they realise that they can't go any further because the light is still red. A few seconds later, I'll coast up beside them, and may even end up ahead, depending on the actual traffic in each lane. Of course, some will come back to the same lane after overtaking, but now they're only one car ahead, and at what cost?
Other cases include attempted overtaking on the left, only to find out that everyone is on the right because of an obstruction. They accelerated, and are forced to slow down to wait for an opening to move back to the lane.
Next, we have the drivers who think they're in a race. They're first off the line when the light turns green, and accelerate quickly. Next they realise that there is another red light ahead, and they're forced to stop. Meanwhile, the cars who chose to take the more fuel efficient option of accelerating at a slower pace end up right beside them.
While an aggressive driver may reach a destination sooner, how much will this cost in fuel? Is it worth it? Consider driving on an expressway. A driver going at 90km/h will be about 10% faster than one who travels at 80km/h. For a 15km journey, that's only about 1 minute. At high speeds, air flow is turbulent and drag increases at the square of the speed. The car at 90km/h will experience about 20% more drag. However, the power required will be about 30% more. For those who want to know why, search wikipedia for "air resistance". (I hope I got my maths right.) Let us assume that power and fuel consumption are directly related. Say I need 1 litre of fuel for the 15km at 80km/h. The driver who goes at 90km/h will need 1.3 litres. With those 300 ml, I could have travelled another 4.5km. The advantage the faster driver gets is one minute.
Say I spend $200 a month on fuel. The faster driver will spend $260. I can buy another week and a bit more with the difference. And the faster driver only saves 1 minute for every 15km, assuming both vehicles maintain their respective speeds. In addition to that, the more aggressive driver will wear out his brake pads faster.
If taxi drivers ever thought about this, they can save a lot on fuel, especially if they cut down on the very silly act of accelerating towards red lights just to go there and stop. Personally, I think that is the most stupid thing to do. At least fast driving on an expressway gets somewhere, even if it may cost more fuel. However, accelerating quickly to stop again soon after is a total waste.
Note: The people referred to here are those who drive like that. If you don't, there is no need to get all worked up. I know that not all taxi drivers drive like that, but there is no denying that there are those who zoom towards red lights. I've seen them.
The reason is the high cost of fuel. It seems that many cabbies have been complaining that high fuel prices are eating into their already thin margins. I suppose this is justified, considering that fuel prices have really risen a lot lately. However, many cabbies, and also many drivers in general, have astoundingly inefficient and short sighted driving habits. These bad habits waste fuel, then they gripe about the prices. It's true that prices are high, but instead of griping about them and doing nothing, they can easily cut down their fuel consumption, it's just that they don't want to.
I have seen many drivers who do not look very far ahead. When I see a red light in the distance, I'll release the accelerator and let the car coast to it. Some drivers behind me think I'm too slow. They'll cut to the right, overtake and zoom forward. This is about the time they realise that they can't go any further because the light is still red. A few seconds later, I'll coast up beside them, and may even end up ahead, depending on the actual traffic in each lane. Of course, some will come back to the same lane after overtaking, but now they're only one car ahead, and at what cost?
Other cases include attempted overtaking on the left, only to find out that everyone is on the right because of an obstruction. They accelerated, and are forced to slow down to wait for an opening to move back to the lane.
Next, we have the drivers who think they're in a race. They're first off the line when the light turns green, and accelerate quickly. Next they realise that there is another red light ahead, and they're forced to stop. Meanwhile, the cars who chose to take the more fuel efficient option of accelerating at a slower pace end up right beside them.
While an aggressive driver may reach a destination sooner, how much will this cost in fuel? Is it worth it? Consider driving on an expressway. A driver going at 90km/h will be about 10% faster than one who travels at 80km/h. For a 15km journey, that's only about 1 minute. At high speeds, air flow is turbulent and drag increases at the square of the speed. The car at 90km/h will experience about 20% more drag. However, the power required will be about 30% more. For those who want to know why, search wikipedia for "air resistance". (I hope I got my maths right.) Let us assume that power and fuel consumption are directly related. Say I need 1 litre of fuel for the 15km at 80km/h. The driver who goes at 90km/h will need 1.3 litres. With those 300 ml, I could have travelled another 4.5km. The advantage the faster driver gets is one minute.
Say I spend $200 a month on fuel. The faster driver will spend $260. I can buy another week and a bit more with the difference. And the faster driver only saves 1 minute for every 15km, assuming both vehicles maintain their respective speeds. In addition to that, the more aggressive driver will wear out his brake pads faster.
If taxi drivers ever thought about this, they can save a lot on fuel, especially if they cut down on the very silly act of accelerating towards red lights just to go there and stop. Personally, I think that is the most stupid thing to do. At least fast driving on an expressway gets somewhere, even if it may cost more fuel. However, accelerating quickly to stop again soon after is a total waste.
Note: The people referred to here are those who drive like that. If you don't, there is no need to get all worked up. I know that not all taxi drivers drive like that, but there is no denying that there are those who zoom towards red lights. I've seen them.
posted by cosine @ 9:24 PM 
