Cabby: I can't use money which doesn't belong to me

SINGAPORE - A taxi driver Monday returned $1.1 million in cash that had been left behind by a Thai couple in his cab.

The money - in $1,000 bills - was inside a black paper bag left on the rear seat.

ComfortDelGro cabby Sia Ka Tian, 70, had picked up the couple - on vacation here - from The Sail condominium at Marina Bay at around 11.30am yesterday.

After he dropped them off at Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road, he proceeded to look for a parking space so that he could visit a toilet.

After returning from the lavatory, he noticed the black paper bag on the right side of the back seat.
In it was another white paper bag which contained stacks of $1,000 notes.

Said Mr Sia: "When I saw the money, I thought, trouble is here. I was sure there was at least $200,000 in the bag."

Afraid that someone else might get into his cab, he locked its doors and drove straight to ComfortDelGro's lost-and-found department in Sin Ming.

"The money is unimportant to me. It doesn't belong to me, so how can I use it?" said Mr Sia, who has been a cabby for 31 years.

His colleagues at the office were stunned when he handed over the bag of cash. They counted the money and realised it was $1.1 million.

At the same time, the couple had contacted ComfortDelGro via a friend. They went to Sin Ming, where Mr Sia was waiting at the lost-and-found department.

To express their gratitude, they gave him a reward for his honesty. Mr Sia declined to reveal the amount.

The couple also declined to be interviewed and did not disclose why they were carrying such a large amount of cash.

Mr Sia, who joined ComfortDelGro as a cabby in 1981, has made six reports to the lost-and-found department in the past three years.

The items left behind were mostly mobile phones and bags.

ComfortDelGro said this is the largest find to date. In 2009, another cabby returned 5kg of gold bars worth $377,000.

Spokesman Tammy Tan said Mr Sia had acted quickly and with great integrity by returning the money directly.

She said: "Finding $1million in cash is not an everyday affair and, in fact, we wonder how many people would have possibly been tempted by it.

"We are immensely proud of him, and are glad that the passengers recovered their money."

The taxi operator also intends to present Mr Sia with its Crystal Award which is given to cabbies who have provided good service.

Revised fares hit cabbies' takings

COMFORTDELGRO taxi drivers reported a drop in daily takings of at least 20 per cent yesterday, the first day the company's revised fares kicked in.

Cabbies my paper spoke to lamented that some passengers avoided getting into their taxis as a result of the fare revision.

"Even though they see that our cabs are empty, they choose to board those of other companies," said cabby S. L. Chua.

The 50-year-old, who has been a taxi driver for more than a decade, said his earnings yesterday had been "significantly" affected by the fare changes.

"Typically, I could easily make up to 20 trips in a day. But this morning, I had to go around hunting for passengers," he said.

Cabby Teh Kok Wah, 58, said he barely made enough money yesterday to cover the daily rental of his taxi and diesel costs of about $120.

"It is a lose-lose situation for both the passengers and us. They end up having to pay more while we see fewer people taking our cabs," he explained.

Even during the evening rush hour, cabbies said they faced similar difficulties.

When asked how business had been affected yesterday, ComfortDelGro spokesman Tammy Tan said that it was "too early to say".

ComfortDelGro's taxi companies, Comfort Transportation and CityCab, manage a fleet of about 15,700 taxis. Drivers of other taxi operators, too, reported a drop in earnings yesterday.

Trans-cab cabby H. W. Wong, 58, said: "When the biggest player increases prices, the passengers assume that all the cabs are charging higher fares and so avoid them altogether."

However, cabbies said they expect the situation to stabilise within the next two weeks, once passengers get used to the changes.

They also pointed out that December has traditionally been a slow period due to the school holidays, when people go on vacation.

However, it being the festive season, "people are in a festive mood and won't mind spending, so a clearer picture will emerge after Chinese New Year next year", said Mr Teh.

Yesterday, SMRT, the third-largest operator with some 4,000 taxis, also announced changes to its fare structure.

When contacted, two of the four other taxi companies said they are monitoring the situation.

Trans-cab and Smart Taxi said they are in discussions with their drivers to review their fares.