Fewer people taking taxis in Singapore?
Passenger numbers have dropped as a result of the recent taxi fare
revision, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew in Parliament on
Tuesday.
According to a report by Channel NewsAsia, Lui said that there were
more taxis on the roads after the peak surcharge period was
adjusted.
Waiting times have also been shortened from nine to five minutes in
the city area, while waiting time outside of the city was reduced
from four to two-and-a-half minutes, the report said.
CNA also said that Lui rubbished claims that
ComfortDelGro’s market share of 58 per cent constituted market
dominance, and that the ministry had no plans to regulate taxi
fares.
He pointed out that Comfort’s market share dropped from 86 per cent
in 2003 with the introduction of more taxi companies.
As it stands, there are now seven taxi companies in Singapore, as
opposed to only three before the deregulation in 2003.
Taxi companies here recently introduced a fare revision, as well as
extending the evening peak period for taxis from 5pm to 8pm
previously, to 6pm to midnight, which was criticised by some MPs in
Parliament.
In a video clip on CNA from his speech in
Parliament, the Transport Minister said, “With the peak period in
the past ending at 8pm, there was a lot of feedback on the
difficulty in getting a taxi, including through call bookings.
That’s the reason why taxi companies, starting with ComfortDelGro,
decided on the need to extend the peak surcharge period.”
