>> ASIAONE / NEWS / THE STRAITS TIMES / STORY

		April Chong Tue, Mar 18, 2008 The Straits Times
Cabbies, taxi operators welcome rule change
SIX in 10 of the 353 buildings in the Central Business District (CBD) have driveways and most of the rest have a taxi stand or side road for taxis to stop at. And with another 10 taxi stands to be added by the end of this month, catching a cab in the city centre should now be less of a hassle, say both taxi drivers and cab companies. Cabbies who had to deal with angry passengers clueless about the taxi-stand rule imposed two weeks ago said yesterday that they were relieved to hear they can now pick up or drop off passengers at side roads not served by public buses.

For taxi driver Mohalal Sahara, 69, the change will help ease the unhappiness of passengers. 'They didn't understand why we could not stop anywhere they wanted,' he said, adding that he too had trouble locating all the taxi stands in the CBD.

The decision to ease the rule was reached after the Land Transport Authority (LTA) considered feedback from the public, cab companies and taxi operators' associations.

The companies had voiced their reservations about the rule and the inconvenience it would cause cabbies and passengers. Last week, six taxi operators' associations wrote to The Straits Times, voicing their concerns.

Yesterday, the mood was more positive. Mr Foo Chi Yong, president of the Premier Taxi Operators' Association, said: 'I'm relieved to know that the authorities have exercised flexibility regarding the new policy.'

MP Seng Han Thong, adviser to the taxi operators' associations, said the groups believe most of the problems will be solved by the change. It will 'go a long, long way to resolve the ground situation', added chief executive officer Yang Ban Seng of ComfortDelGro's taxi business.

Even without the change announced yesterday, cabbies and passengers were slowly adjusting to the restriction, going by the dip in the number of drivers warned for flouting the rule: from 67 on March 1 to 28 on March 15, according to LTA.

But there were calls for more flexibility to reduce inconvenience for the elderly and disabled. Cabby Daniel Lee, 46, suggested they be allowed to board and alight at main roads, perhaps during off-peak hours.

'When they make a call booking, we should be allowed to pick them up from where they are,' he said.

LTA acts on commuters' concerns

THE LTA yesterday eased the taxi-stand rule in the CBD and addressed other commuter concerns:

COMPLAINT: Inconvenience in hunting for a taxi stand, especially for the disabled and elderly.

LTA's solution: Taxis can now stop along side roads not used by public buses.

Almost all 353 buildings in the CBD have access to a taxi stand, driveway or side road. Only eight do not, because of site constraints, but they are within 100m of a cab stand or side road.

COMPLAINT: Not enough taxi stands or lots for waiting cabs.

LTA's solution: Ten more stands to be added by the end of this month, bringing the total number in the CBD to 115.

The new stands will be located at Bencoolen Street (two stands), Circular Road, Club Street, Collyer Quay, Mosque Street, Raffles Quay, Tanjong Pagar, Temple Street and Yan Kit Road.

The number of waiting lots will increase to 267 by the end of this month, with more than half having at least three lots. This is up from the 101 stands last year.

COMPLAINT: Taxi stands are open to the elements.

LTA's solution: All CBD taxi stands will be covered, where feasible, within the next two to three months.

COMPLAINT: Commuters cannot find taxi stands.

LTA's solution: By the end of this month, at least 230 new signs will be put up near road junctions to point the way to the nearest stand. Existing signs will be made more prominent by the end of next month. Maps with locations of taxi stands in the CBD will be given to hotels and commercial buildings, and will be included in the public transport information guide for tourists.