The Government will look into simplifying the current taxi fare structure to make it less confusing for commuters, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo in Parliament yesterday, reported The Straits Times.
Among the issues under review are the extra surcharges levied on commuters who ride in premium taxi models like Mercedes-Benz, or hail a taxi in the city area.
Acknowledging that the current taxi fare structure is 'complex and confusing', Mrs. Teo told Parliament yesterday that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will work with the Public Transport Council (PTC) and cab operators to study 'if and how' to simplify the fare structure with the aim of allowing for easy fare comparison across the six cab companies.
Currently, there are close to 10 different flagdown fares, three different metered fare structures, and more than 10 different types of surcharges.
On ensuring enough taxis ply the roads during peak hours, Mrs. Teo said different surcharges have been imposed to better match taxi supply with demand by giving incentives to cabbies to serve locations where demand is high.
