Part-time drivers with SMRT were suddenly slapped with a cleaning fee yesterday (Feb 1) by a SMS notification from SMRT to pay a compulsory S$0.40/hr cleaning fee:
“With effect from 1 Feb, you may visit any of our appointed cleaning kiosks (located at 30 Esso stations) to have your taxi cleaned up. The cleaning fee of $0.40/hr is included in all Taxi Share bookings.”
SMRT did not give prior notification and sent out the notice effecting yesterday (Feb 1). Taxi drivers complained that they now have to spend an hour everyday at the cleaning kiosks and questioned why can’t they clean the taxi by themselves. One taxi driver posted on a Facebook group saying that the cost of cleaning fee elsewhere is only S$4, and that since he rented for 24 hours, he had to pay double the price for one cleaning.
The state-owned transport operator did not issue a press release to address the matter. State media TodayOnline has published a propaganda article saying that the S$0.40/hr charge is “fair and reasonable”.