Taxis are doing their disappearing act again and, this time, it is just before peak hour charges kick in at Changi Airport, reported The Straits Times. Travellers said they have noticed that queues can start growing 15 to 20 minutes before the extra charges kick in and, in some cases, the wait for a cab can exceed 30 minutes.

Changi Airport Group spokesman Robin Goh explained, "The long queue for taxis observed on a Sunday was due to the combined effects of a peak in weekend flight arrivals, as well as the crunch in taxi supply generally observed islandwide between 3:00pm and 5:00pm, when taxi drivers change shift."

Airport ground staff have also noticed that some taxis intending to pick up passengers just before the start of the surcharge period may slow down. Customers have long complained that taxis vanish just before peak hour, but this is believed to be the first time the problem has surfaced at the airport.

For its part, the airport is taking extra measures. "We have deployed auxiliary police officers to patrol the roadways along Airport Boulevard, as well the taxi holding areas across all three terminals, to ensure that taxi drivers do not wait out in the taxi holding area," said Mr. Goh.