[top: Mr Ang Chin Wah, who has been a cabby for more than 10 years and will turn 73 next year, feels that as he is still fit, he should be allowed to continue working.]
By Maria Almenoar
MORE than 650 cabbies will be out of a job in the next one to three years when they mark their 73rd birthday.
That is the age at which their taxi vocational licences issued by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will expire - even if these cabbies feel fit enough to carry on driving.
And given the current ailing economy, those who took up driving taxis as a 'recession job' do want to continue beyond this age.
Take Mr Ang Chin Wah, who turns 73 next year and who has more than 10 years of experience behind the wheel. The SMRT cabby, who drives from 8am to 8pm, said: 'I have no complaints from my passengers. I have no serious medical problems and I feel fine, so why can't I continue working?'
He said he always takes breaks when fatigue hits him, and he is not taking more breaks now than before. 'Anyway, we have to take a medical examination, and if we are found fit to drive, why can't we? I don't want to retire yet,' he said.
The LTA is not budging on the age ceiling at the moment.
It last raised the age limit in 2006 - from 70 to 73 - in response to appeals from older drivers who wanted to continue working.
It said it settled on 73 as the upper age limit after taking into account cabbies generally longer working hours and the fact that they handle more challenging driving conditions than most other drivers.
As these challenges intensify with age for most drivers, raising the age limit to 73 was 'deemed a prudent safeguard' of the well-being of both the cabbies and their passengers, said an LTA spokesman.
Cabbies now have to pass a medical test every year after they hit 65 years old.
They also have to undergo a 'therapy assessment', which is like a driving test, except that the tester is an occupational therapist who assesses their reflexes and hand-eye coordination.
Taxi drivers in cities such as Hong Kong, Sydney and London stay on the job as long as they please.
Mr Ang, noting that drivers of private passenger cars here are not subject to an upper age limit, said: 'It doesn't seem fair that you can drive your car for as long as you live, but you can't drive a taxi after 73.
'Maybe they can get taxi drivers to take medical tests more often.'
The Taxi Operators' Association, which represents cabbies from different companies, said it was working with the taxi operators on how to drum up more business during this downturn, but would not be drawn into commenting on whether the LTA should raise the age limit for cabbies.
ComfortDelGro, the largest taxi operator here with 32,000 drivers, is ready to vouch for its older drivers.
They are cautious drivers, and a majority have accident-free records, its spokesman said.
She added that many of these older drivers, who are more familiar with the roads in Singapore, are also able to offer passengers the option of shortcuts.
