SG: Taxi drivers protest new queueing system

Silviu Ionescu, a former Romanian diplomat which was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Singapore in 2009, has passed away on Tuesday in a Bucharest jail hospital. At the time of the crash, he was Romania's charge d'affaires in Singapore. After his conviction, he was sentenced to a six year jail term by a Bucharest appeals court. Ionescu died of cardio-respiratory problems. He was found guilty of manslaughter for hitting three pedestrians in December 2009 while behind the wheel of a car belonging to the Romanian mission. One of the victims, a 30 year old Malaysian, died.Pictures used for illustration purposes only.

Hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular with both motorists and taxi drivers. Cost was the factor that drove people away from such vehicles. However, now that many car makers have successfully made their hybrid models cheaper, more are making the switch; in 2009, only 3000 odd vehicles on our roads were hybrids. The latest figure is close to double of that, with about 6000 odd hybrids registered for road use. The rising fuel costs may be a factor as well. In 2009, the lowest cost 92-octane fuel was $1.60 a litre. It will now cost almost $2 a litre. This means that the higher initial purchase price would be offset by the long term fuel savings. All that said, hybrids still only make up a small percentage of the total vehicle population in Singapore. Petrol-electric hybrids only make up 0.9 and 5.3 percent of cars and cabs here, respectively. But, with the decreasing price gap between the modern hybrids and a typical vehicle, the figure is set to significantly increase. Pictures used for illustration purposes only.

A collision between an SBS Transit bus and Comfort taxi occurred at Upper Serangoon Road yesterday evening. The impact resulted in injuries to the taxi driver, the taxi passenger and 11 bus passengers. SCDF has said that one was sent to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, four were sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the remaining eight were transferred to Changi General Hospital.  Investigations are ongoing. Pictures used for illustration purposes only.