So he has a blog. Fresh from his swearing-in, Mr Khaw Boon Wan is already on to his first order of business: to review the transport ’sharing economy’. And by this, it means beloved apps like Uber, GrabTaxi and the likes.
Claiming to be ‘intrigued’ by the emerging sharing economy, Mr Khaw shows that he is aware of how the new kids of the block have revolutionised how people travel these days but feels that a balanced approach is called for. This is important because while these services have been of a great advantage to us, and to some taxi drivers — according to him, some of them have found it ‘unfair’.
With over 3 million downloads for GrabTaxi, and over 75,000 drivers on it network, they have been booking an average 7 bookings per second and have enjoyed over 400,000 active users monthly. Uber on the other hand is established in 290 cities, and have made it attractive to jump onboard for first-time users with a $20 voucher. On top of that, the cashless payment option means that you don’t have to worry about having cash in your wallet all the time. Advantage!
But the advent of Uber and GrabTaxi in Singapore, has also brought its share of skeptics and and problems. Khaw said himself: “Like all new business models, there will be winners and losers. But if consumers benefit, the models are likely to survive or even flourish, no doubt, with modifications along the way as dictated by the market.”
Good observation, Watson.