SG Life: Cab fare hike

This is the summary of the fare hike by cab company Comfort Delgro. It  will be effective on 12th Dec 2011. I find it appalling because the rates are excessive & it only serves to address current inflation. In times of need, cabs will continue to be unavailable, even phone bookings won't guarantee anything. I've also highlighted the peak period surcharge extension which will be 6 hours as opposed to the current 3 hours. Comfort Delgro needs to provide us empirical evidence to state if this extension is necessary & addressing an acute problem currently. Otherwise, to many of us, once the clock strikes 6 in the evening, cabs will serve the more affluent citizens in this country, not the ones who are in true need of cabs. The fact that the fare revision had been approved for implementation implies that some people up there are in agreement with Comfort Delgro- did they represent us, the citizens, in doing so? Was there any real representation other than the fact that there is a need to empathize with the cabbies as they are hit hard in this economic downturn as well? I'm not discriminating against the cabbies, I feel that the public would better understand the situation if the cab hire fee was reduced for them.

I take this cab fare issue to heart because taking a cab in this country is a penalty exercise. In addition to the excessive fare, we are served with supplementary surcharges where applicable. I recall an episode where I was in town with a hefty guitar-related gear & took a cab home because it was the evening rush hour, getting on the bus/ train with a bulky item was out of the question. I ended up paying $33, surcharges included. That's not money well spent.

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Summary of fare revision taken from The New Paper, 6th Dec 2011.