<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Taxi fares are set by operators
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Mr Sadon Anwar's letter on Tuesday, 'Is it still necessary to impose a 35 per cent surcharge on taxi fares during peak hours?'.
Taxi fares are determined by the individual taxi companies. The setting of taxi fares and surcharges has been deregulated since September 1998 to give taxi
companies greater flexibility to cater to commuters' needs, based on factors such as demand and supply at different times of day.
Mr Sadon also asked LTA to consider reducing ERP charges because of the current economic slowdown. ERP charges are not fixed based on economic conditions.
The objective of ERP is to manage congestion and to ensure optimal traffic flow on roads and expressways. Hence, ERP rates are set based on traffic conditions on ERP-priced roads and adjustments can only be made when traffic conditions justify them. Geoffrey Lim
Deputy Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Mr Sadon Anwar's letter on Tuesday, 'Is it still necessary to impose a 35 per cent surcharge on taxi fares during peak hours?'.
Taxi fares are determined by the individual taxi companies. The setting of taxi fares and surcharges has been deregulated since September 1998 to give taxi
companies greater flexibility to cater to commuters' needs, based on factors such as demand and supply at different times of day.
Mr Sadon also asked LTA to consider reducing ERP charges because of the current economic slowdown. ERP charges are not fixed based on economic conditions.
The objective of ERP is to manage congestion and to ensure optimal traffic flow on roads and expressways. Hence, ERP rates are set based on traffic conditions on ERP-priced roads and adjustments can only be made when traffic conditions justify them. Geoffrey Lim
Deputy Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
