Offer dedicated airport taxi service

SINGAPORE - The taxi woes at Changi Airport ("Curbing cabbies' vanishing act"; last Friday) could be resolved if the authorities had a fleet of dedicated airport taxis.

Fares could be a fixed amount regardless of distance, or be based on whether the drop-off point is in the city centre or in other parts of Singapore. Such a service would complement the limousine services at the airport.

We cannot allow taxi drivers, who are already a pampered lot, to hold us to ransom. Where else can you find multiple surcharges, different flag-down fares and phone booking charges, all tailored to cajole them to ply the roads at certain hours?

Passengers who wish to travel to the airport could pre-book the dedicated taxis, which can pick them up on the way back after dropping off travellers. They would no longer have to try desperately to flag down taxis during peak hours, while being bogged down by large suitcases.

The airport taxi drivers would be paid a monthly salary plus a commission based on the charges levied. If hard-working drivers do more turnarounds, their remuneration should match their efforts.

It is imperative that arriving tourists have a good impression of Singapore.

Lin Howard

This article was first published on Sep 16, 2014.
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