SINGAPORE - Commuter satisfaction with private-hire car services declined slightly last year, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Public Transport Council (PTC).

The Point-to-point Transport Services Customer Satisfaction Survey - which aims to understand the expectations of users of both taxis and private-hire cars - saw the mean satisfaction score for private-hire car services dip from 8.2 in 2017 to 7.9 last year.

About 1,500 respondents to the survey, the results of which were released on Friday (Feb 22), rated their satisfaction with issues such as waiting time, ease of booking and driver's road knowledge on a scale of one to 10.

Satisfaction in all these areas - as well as others such as safety, comfort of rides, and driver service - dropped for private-hire cars.

Meanwhile, commuter satisfaction with taxis held steady with a mean score of 7.9.

One factor in particular, the ease of booking for taxis, ranked higher last year at 8.3, up from 7.8 two years ago.

"Commuters attributed the improvements seen in taxi services to initiatives to meet the competition from private-hire cars, such as the introduction of booking applications for taxi services," said a council spokesman.

Though there was no clear preference between taxis and private-hire cars among respondents, pricing and availability were among the most important factors in determining which mode they chose.

Being able to hail a taxi off the street was highlighted as a significant reason among those who chose taxis.

Of the respondents, 99.6 per cent indicated they were satisfied with taxis, while 98.8 per cent said they were satisfied with private-hire cars.

The high satisfaction levels indicated a balance had been achieved between safeguarding commuter needs and encouraging the development of different service modes, said PTC chairman Richard Magnus, adding that this would ultimately benefit commuters.

Mr Ang Hin Kee - executive adviser to both the National Taxi Association and the National Private-Hire Vehicle Association - said the high level of commuter satisfaction pointed to high levels of service quality among both sets of drivers.

This could be because of several factors, said the Ang Mo Kio GRC MP.

He suggested competition between the private-hire car and taxi sectors, as well as the driver rating system found in booking apps, could be spurring drivers to offer better service.

"It would be good if PTC, as well as the Ministry of Transport or the Land Transport Authority, affirm the effort by these self-initiated, self-employed drivers with generous training grants," said Mr Ang.

The results of the survey come at a time when the authorities are reviewing the current regulations governing the taxi and private-hire car sectors.

In a Facebook post, Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said public consultations for the ongoing review ended on Thursday (Feb 21).

He added: "I would like to thank all our industry stakeholders and respondents for their valuable feedback and time, and look forward to sharing more on the outcome of the review in the coming months."