LTA’s improved taxi availability scheme to get rolling by 2015

Expect even more taxis during peak periods.

The Land Transport Authority will roll out improvements to the Taxi Availability framework for 2015, aimed at improving taxi availability during peak periods in the island.

During the core peak periods of 7am to 11am and 5pm to 11pm, the minimum percentage of taxis required on the roads will be increased to 85% of each taxi company’s fleet, up from 70% in the scheme’s first year and 80% in its second year.

The minimum percentage of taxis plying at least 250km daily will also be increased to 85% on weekdays from the current 80%, as announced in 2012. However, this requirement will be lowered to 75% on weekends and on public holidays.

However, given that demand during the shoulder peak periods is lower than that of the core peak periods, LTA will not be raising the minimum percentage of taxis required on the roads during 6am to 7am and 11pm to 12 midnight timeslots. This adjustment also takes into account feedback from taxi drivers and taxi companies.

Since the introduction of the TA standards on 1 January 2013, the percentage of taxis on the roads during peak hours has increased from about 82% in 2012 to 87% in the first nine months of this year. This translates to over 1,400 more taxis being available to commuters during these hours.

Over the same period, the percentage of taxis plying at least 250km daily has also increased, from 75% to 79%. The daily taxi utilisation rate, or the proportion of total taxi mileage under hire, has likewise increased, from about 65% in 2013 to 68% in the first nine months of 2014.