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Feb 8, 2011 The surcharge menace WHILE more passengers may be choosing to book a taxi instead of flagging one down, I think it is presumptuous to attribute it to a stronger economy ("More book taxis in stronger economy"; Jan 18). I was back in Singapore recently for a short visit and without a shadow of doubt, it has become extremely difficult to flag down a taxi in the streets. Every time, I had to wait for at least 20 minutes to 30 minutes before I could get one. Many empty taxis zoomed past with the "on call" sign on, but none stopped at the taxi stand. Even those that were dropping passengers at taxi stands did not pick up new fare. On several occasions, I have seen rows of taxis waiting with engines idling at side roads with their "on call" signs on. One of those places is Queen Street. The taxi drivers are very smart. They know that if they ply the streets hoping to pick up passengers, it would be a game of chance. However, if they just parked at a street corner and waited for a booking, their chances would be far better. When the bookings come in, they can select a preferred one - for example, those going to the casinos or airport - and ignore those that they don't want - for example, those going to Tuas. And by waiting at corners like Queen Street, they know their chances of getting a fare go up exponentially. Orchard Road and Bras Basah are busy areas and cabbies are confident they will receive a booking within a couple of minutes. The reason cabbies prefer bookings over casual street fares is the multitude of surcharges they earn from taking booked calls. After having been away for two years, I was shocked to note, on my return home, how costly a taxi ride had become. For instance, one taxi ride cost $4.60, but the surcharges bulked up the total fare to $11.40. Isn't it bizarre that the surcharges add up to more than the actual ride cost? If a Singaporean like me is confused and annoyed, imagine what a tourist would be thinking? Most likely, that he has been ripped off. I can't recall any other place with such a convoluted taxi fare system. If we cannot live with a free-market system, let's switch to a full booking system like in New Zealand. The Land Transport Authority should be under no illusion that all is well and there is no need to fix the problem. Patrick Tan Think he came back fm M'sia. With the currency imbalance against the SGD, how to compare?

my fav is koh brothers at Tiong Bahru hawker centre....soup is not so salty and clear, ingredients clean and no foul smell, cook till perfection think of it crave come already alternative is Wen Zhi Ji at lavender.....any good ones to share??