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		Nur Dianah Suhaimi Sun, Mar 16, 2008 The Straits Times
LTA to tweak CBD taxi rule to ease woes
ADJUSTMENTS will be made to the rule restricting where taxis can pick up and drop off passengers in the Central Business District (CBD) and an announcement will be made soon, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said yesterday. He told The Sunday Times that the Land Transport Authority's principal consideration in imposing the rule is safety and that this remains 'a valid consideration which we should not lose sight of'. 'Scrapping the rule will not help in this regard. However, LTA is taking in feedback and will make adjustments to the rule to minimise inconvenience to both passengers and businesses,' he said.

'When we implement the modifications, we seek the understanding and support from both passengers and taxi drivers,' he said.

He did not elaborate on how the rule will be eased or when any changes will take place.

The adjustments will come amid calls on LTA - by the public, cabbies and the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport - to ease the unpopular rule which started on March 1.

Commuters in the CBD can now board and get off cabs only at taxi stands and the vehicle driveways of commercial buildings. The rule prevents taxi drivers from swerving across lanes and stopping anywhere they please to pick up fares.

The main objective is safety, said LTA. With more bus lanes in the business district, it will be more difficult and dangerous for taxis to stop along the roads.

But commuters are livid that they now have to search for taxi stands and that they cannot alight at their destinations.

The rule has been particularly a bane for the elderly and disabled passengers, clueless tourists and cab commuters on rainy days.

Cabbies say they are trapped in the middle. Upset passengers often lash out at them, even storming out without paying up.

GPC for Transport chairman Cedric Foo welcomed LTA's promise to ease the rule. He said that the elderly, disabled and people with heavy luggage should be exempted from it. Exceptions should also be made on rainy days.

His deputy, MP Ong Kian Min, agreed that more flexibility is needed. 'Taxis should be allowed to stop along smaller, side roads which have no buses travelling along them,' he said.

MP Seng Han Thong, adviser to the taxi operators' associations, said LTA's decision to ease the rules will greatly help cabbies.

He said cabbies have, in general, three main grouses: not enough taxi stands in the CBD; no directional signs to help commuters find taxi stands; and how taxis strictly cannot stop anywhere else apart from taxi stands.

Yesterday, the six taxi associations met LTA representatives to explain the difficulties caused by the new rule, said SMRT's taxi association president Chia Hock Peng.

'Hopefully, the LTA will allow cabbies to let passengers alight at their destinations as long as we don't cause danger or inconvenience.'

Said Mr Seng: 'I hope the LTA will make the changes soon so this issue can be resolved quickly.'

ndianah@sph.com.sg