Transport Minister Raymond Lim yesterday cited figures to show passengers can now get a taxi within two to six minutes at taxi stands in the city area, down from five to 22 minutes.

At the Suntec City taxi stand, for example, they wait on average six minutes, down from 22 minutes previously.

Major taxi player ComfortDelGro has also reported that those who call for its cabs can get one 98 per cent of the time, up from 91 per cent before the changes.

Mr Lim gave this update in Parliament, four weeks after ComfortDelGro revised its fares on Dec 17.

It tripled the city surcharge from $1 to $3 from 5pm to midnight, and upped peak-hour premiums to 35 per cent of the metered fare, compared to a $2 flat fee before.

It also raised the flagdown fare from $2.50 to $2.80, and metered fares to 20 cents for every 385m, up from 10 cents for every 210m.

Other cab companies have since followed suit, raising fears that cabbies would end up with lower takings and passengers would find the charges too high to stomach.

But the higher cab fares have not put off passengers like IT consultant Gerald Lam, 28, whose office is in Shenton Way.

'After a hard day's work, you just want to get home fast,' he said.

He finds it much easier to take a cab these days, waiting five minutes or so at the taxi stand.

'I used to have to wait 20 minutes, and I might give up and call for one, only to wait 10 minutes more and they tell you there's no cab available.'

So, while cabbies say they see a drop in the number of passengers, Mr Lim cited a survey of 5,000 cabbies by ComfortDelGro to show their earnings have increased.

Each collects about $318 a day on average, up from $307 previously, he said.

Still, some cab drivers have told The Straits Times they worry that cab companies will take the opportunity to raise taxi rental charges. Others say they are watching if their takings will improve after Chinese New Year, before deciding if they will call it a day.

Mr Lim said the authorities will continue to monitor the effects of the fare increases on commuters and cabbies.

Responding to Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar GRC), he said he expects the market to take three to four months to stabilise,

He also assured Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) that the greater ease in getting a cab in the city area has not come at the expense of passengers in suburban areas like Tampines.

The taxi fare increases are part of a larger land transport review, he added, with changes in bus, rail and car policies to be announced this month.

chinlian@sph.com.sg