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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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Fine, they can walk. The taxi doesn't exist to serve them. The taxi exists to generate profit.
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I disagree. The taxis are there to help keep other cars off the street. They are there to provide a service. If it was only about profit there would be fewer taxis on the road. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| This upcoming rate increase for taxis is all about passing along the increased price of fuel. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| dairyairy wrote: |
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Fine, they can walk. The taxi doesn't exist to serve them. The taxi exists to generate profit.
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I disagree. The taxis are there to help keep other cars off the street. They are there to provide a service. If it was only about profit there would be fewer taxis on the road. |
I'm guessing most daily taxi takers don't have cars. And as for people who don't want to drive drunk, if they have money to get drunk, they can afford the 800 won. |
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| nathanrutledge wrote: |
A 2013 Hyundai Sonata gets about 9 km per liter. If you only go the two kilometers that the base fare gets you, then you're only burning about 1/4 of a liter, or 500 won, or 20.8% of the cost goes towards fuel. |
That'd be pretty accurate if you were talking about a Sonata running, as most driven by the general public do, on petrol (gasoline). But taxi drivers MUST run their cars on LPG. And LPG, whilst admittedly cheaper, gives absolutely terrible fuel consumption, especially for start/stop city driving. I've known LPG car drivers who've been getting as little as 4-5 km/l for driving mostly around town.
And this is actually one of the taxi drivers' major gripes - that they have to use LPG, when diesel (or even petrol) would be much more economical for the kind of driving they have to do. Obviously, the pollution argument favours LPG and that's one major reason why they have to use it. But if they do, IMO it's not unreasonable that they ask for a better deal to make up for the financial consequences of that restriction. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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What bothers me about these specific price increases, is this statement:
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| �Our plan is to increase the cross-city bus fare in accordance with the increase in general prices,� a government official said. |
That other prices are going up seems to be a very poor reason for increasing bus fares--actually it seem like a good reason to not raise them, considering that buses are public transportation, a public service--and a strange way to manage a business.
Maybe it's just Korean benchmarking gone amok or maybe the current administration is in favor of anything that cuts energy usage, no matter the effect on Koreans.
And doesn't the fact that once one company decides to raise prices all the others follow suit make one suspect collusion? Besides, might it not be smarter for OB to not increase prices and advertise that fact, placing itself as the beer drinker's friend, etc.?
As for the taxi drivers, if they drove with some consideration for the other cars on the road and if so many of them didn't spend their free time at the race track and OTB, sites I'd have more sympathy for them. Don't forget many people take taxis because they don't have cars because they can't afford them. In other words, these types of fare hikes are regressive in nature. |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Don't you just love how these threads take on a life of their own.
But seriously, it's not just about taxi fares. Everything is going up.
But I'm sure that our kind and thoughtful bosses will do the right thing and raise our salaries to cover the rising prices. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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| dairyairy wrote: |
| viciousdinosaur wrote: |
| What I don't get is cabbies who turn down fares or drive right by you on the road (if you have a bag). If they really are idle a good portion of the day, wouldn't they jump at any fare? |
I wonder about that, too. Why not pick up everyone they can at all times? |
I'm no fan of taxi drivers, but there are a few reasons why:
1. They're on break - they're supposed to turn their light off but sometimes they forget or just like trolling.
2. They're reserved - the light will be on but say "reserved" in Korean.
3. Shift change - I don't know all of the shift change times, but anyone who has tried to catch a taxi right at midnight in a busy nightlife area knows how this goes.
4. They're going to a particular place - could be a lost cell phone they're returning, or they made lunch plans with a taxi buddy somewhere specific, but it's your unfortunate bad timing, or you're going in the totally opposite direction.
5. They're jerks - some don't like foreigners or don't want to deal with English, some want long fares, etc.
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Speaking of jerks that want long fares, if they bump up the minimum, I would like to see taxi drivers lighten up about short drives. I usually have to offer 5,000 won to get a driver to take me to my house up on Namsan from Itaewon. 3,200 won isn't that far off the mark. One more big hike and I'm going to be expecting most to say yes by that stage, rather than fly by with a dismissive wave of the hand. |
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alongway
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:29 am Post subject: |
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| This isn't a bailout. This is a rate increase. Entitlenomics need not apply. |
based on the numbers I've seen thus far, I think it is. If taxi drivers are only making 1.3 million a month as indicated above and working 24 hour shifts, (even at 12 hour shifts) they're only doing so because they're spending half their day sitting around. it doesn't add up any other way. cut the number of taxis on the road and wait 3 months and then see if an actual rate increase is needed. As already indicated this 800 won can't really be about fuel. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:37 am Post subject: |
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| Stan Rogers wrote: |
Don't you just love how these threads take on a life of their own.
But seriously, it's not just about taxi fares. Everything is going up.
But I'm sure that our kind and thoughtful bosses will do the right thing and raise our salaries to cover the rising prices. |
Yes they will because as we all know bosses the world over are always on top of things when it comes top raising the salaries of their employees to match the rising of prices.  |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Stan Rogers wrote: |
Don't you just love how these threads take on a life of their own.
But seriously, it's not just about taxi fares. Everything is going up.
But I'm sure that our kind and thoughtful bosses will do the right thing and raise our salaries to cover the rising prices. |
It's bizarre how some posters are not only justifying the rate increases but also seem to be strongly supporting them and acting as though the increases make no impact on any of us. For example, a 800 won increase in taxi fares is going to cost much more than 800 won. That's 800 extra won per trip. Some posters are obviously too young to understand how much that can add up over time. They must be between 22-25 because the rest of us understand that even slight rate hikes can cost money over the long haul. Oh, to be that young again. Save your money, kids. You'll need it if prices keep going up like this. |
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