YESTERDAY, pump prices went down by another 5 cents a litre - the tenth straight reduction since July.

Yet, taxi companies have been slow to remove their 30 cents fuel surcharge, introduced in July as a reaction to rising fuel prices then.

Why? Disgruntled commuters have been quick to call the newspapers, complain on online forums, and write to forum pages.

One such unhappy commuter is Mrs Nor Aishah Ali, a housewife in her 50s.

The price of diesel has dropped from $1.83 a litre in July to the present level of $1.47 a litre after discount. Yet the surcharge remains.

Even some airlines, including SIA and British Airways, have cut their fuel surcharge.

Said Mrs Nor: "Now that the price of oil has plummeted, I don't understand why taxi companies are still keeping quiet."

She says she has no option but to use taxis as she has an elderly mother who needs to go to the hospital often.

"I try not to take taxis, but it's unavoidable when you have an old person to shuttle around," she said.

But two cab companies, responding to The New Paper, said they had maintained that the surcharge would remain until prices returned to $1.19 per litre for diesel. (See report, right).

Call for response

Most readers appear to agree with MrsNor, citing extraordinary times and calling for extraordinary measures by cab companies.

Said Mr S Ravichandran, 33, civil servant: "It may be 30 cents, but it still adds up to a considerable amount."

Housewife Jane Yeo, 58, agreed: "With the economy getting worse, fewer people would want to take taxis."

Mr Sanjeev Thavarajaloo, a 22-year-old executive, pointed to logic: "If fuel prices have come down, the surcharge should be abolished." Simple as that.

But there are some who are resigned to the surcharge.

Miss Noorlin Wahidah, owner of Noorlin Seafood restaurant, said simply: "Everyone has problems; what can we do?"

She points out that both taxis and passengers are at a stalemate: Taxi drivers need to survive, passengers need to save.

Said student Desiree Tan, 20: "As a passenger, I want a price drop, but it's hard for cabbies to make money in the first place."

Chauffeur Jeffrey Ang, 56, feels that it's not a matter of business - taxi drivers can still earn money during peak hours anyway.

But student Kelvin Yap, 19, said: "I think the taxi drivers deserve it. Petrol prices are still higher than they once were. It may be 30cents, but it's still worth something."

Additional reporting by Eoin Ee

This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 24, 2008.