We refer to the report 'Public wants map of city area surcharges' (my paper, June 27).
The article reported that taxis from SMRT and Premier levy the city area surcharge (also known as the CBD surcharge) differently from those of ComfortDelGro. This is incorrect.
The $3 city area surcharge is payable on all taxi trips originating from the Central Business District (CBD) between 5pm and midnight, from Mondays to Saturdays. This applies to all taxi companies.
The CBD is demarcated by the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries in the Orchard Road, Bras Basah, Bugis, Chinatown and Shenton Way areas.
The public can check the street directory or they could refer to LTA's map of the CBD at www.lta.gov.sg/public_transport/index_pt_taxi.htm
All our taxi drivers are briefed on the locations where the city area surcharge can be collected, as well as the timings during which they can do so.
Moreover, the taxi drivers' knowledge of the CBD boundaries is tested during LTA's vocational licence tests.
The city area surcharge is reflected as part of the taxi fare in our receipts, which are available upon request on completion of the trip.
In case of any discrepancy or wrongful collection of the city area surcharge, passengers can contact our respective companies' customer service officers using the telephone numbers printed on the receipts or with LTA at 1-800-CALL-LTA.
Taxi drivers who knowingly collect the city area surcharge wrongfully can be fined up to $500 and given 12 demerit points under the LTA's Vocational Licence Points System (VLPS).
In the report, there were also errors in the comparison table on the surcharges. The following are the taxi fares and surcharges that are currently applicable on all taxis in Singapore.
Midnight surcharge
ComfortDelGro, SMRT and Premier: Midnight to 5.59am: 50 per cent of metered fare
Trans-Cab, Smart, Prime, individual Yellow-Top: Midnight to 6am: 50 per cent of metered fare
Peak period surcharge
All taxi companies: Monday to Friday (7am to 9.30am), Monday to Saturday (5pm to 8pm): 35 per cent of metered fare
City area surcharge
All taxi companies: Monday to Saturday (5pm to midnight): $3
By:
Ms Kuek Chor Ling
Manager, Media & Publicity
Corporate Marketing & Communications
SMRT Corporation
Ms Jasmine Tan
General Manager
Trans-Cab
Mr Tan Soon Chye
General Manager
Prime Car Rental & Taxi Services
Mr Niki Ong
General Manager
Smart Automobile
Ms Geraldine Liou
General Manager
Premier Taxis
Ms Yvonne Tang
Manager
Group Corporate Communications
ComfortDelGro Corporation
