App provider, GrabTaxi, is removing a function in Singapore that allows passengers to 'tip' the drivers more to hail a cab. According to The Straits Times, the decision was based on 'guidance' from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and evaluation of customer response to the feature. The rewards function remains in GrabTaxi's other markets - Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Additionally the local paper, via a LTA a statement issued yesterday, reported taxi drivers are not allowed to collect fares in excess of those set by their companies. The popular app's rewards function, which was added just a month ago, could be seen as a form of touting, which is discouraged.

GrabTaxi detects a passenger's location and scans the vicinity for drivers using in-built maps on smartphones. Currently, it does not collect booking fees from passengers during its trial, which ends next month, yet allows passengers to pay an extra sum to the drivers at their freedom of choice.

Some cabbies told the English daily, while tips are uncommon, they receive anything between $8 and $20 during peak periods.

Cabbie Chris Wan, who has used GrabTaxi for two months, said the removal will not deter him from utilising the app. He explained, "It's still an additional tool for finding passengers. I get tips only once in a blue moon anyway."