Taxi Drivers' Frustration
Speaking of December, it is the last month of the year, and the month for year-end parties. After eleven o'clock at night, in the bustling entertainment districts of large cities, quite a few people can be seen rushing home after year-end parties. Alcoholic drinks are a major feature of these parties, made of various groups of workplace contacts, office colleagues and friends. Since bonus payments are normally paid in December, many people, due in part to alcohol-fueled extravagance, treat themselves to taxi rides home, so there are longer queues at taxi terminals than in other months.
People regard taxis as a welcome, if unavoidable, alternative to public transport when they miss the last train home or are caught in a sudden shower, but give little thought to the working conditions of taxi drivers.
Taxi drivers' working conditions have changed drastically since 2002, when the government, which had controlled the setting up of new businesses, fares, and so on to protect the industry, revised the Road Transport Law, hoping to revitalize the industry via the market mechanism. This created a slight variation in fares and the nature of services given by taxi companies, but because of the stagnating economy, the demand for taxis saw no expansion at all during this period. On top of this, many existing taxi companies increased their number of vehicles, which resulted in a drop in overall earnings. So now, taxi drivers with companies whose wage systems are commission-based are experiencing a fall in incomes - in some cases to below the minimum wage.
Concerned with this state of affairs, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport have held joint meetings, for the purpose of identifying the present state of affairs, and for the promotion of the degree of compliance with related laws in the industry. The results of meetings concerning compliance with the Labour Standards and other related laws, published in October by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, reveal that 30.0 percent (2,057 business establishments) out of 6,867 establishments which returned answers need to improve conditions for their employees in terms of, for example, the presentation of working conditions including guaranteed salaries, and on-duty hours.
Nowadays, quite a few middle-aged and elderly workers who have been dismissed from large firms, as well as former owners of small or medium-sized enterprises which were obliged to close down, are driving taxis for a living. With the situation affecting the industry changing drastically, today's taxis are vehicles carrying their own burden of irritation and frustration.
*In the Tokyo area most taxis charge 660 yen for the first 2 km plus 80 yen for each additional 274 m. However, the fare system is a combination of time-based and distance-based systems, and 80 yen is charged every 100 seconds if the vehicle is traveling at 10 km/h or under. There are also some extra fares and discount services: an extra 30 percent is added from 11 pm to 5 am; the disabled receive a 10% discount; and fares exceeding 9,000 yen may also receive a 10% discount.
US$=\119 (December 1, 2005）
