THE Government will relook the taxi fare structure to make it simpler and easier to compare across cab operators, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo.

Admitting that today's taxi fare structure is "complex and confusing for commuters", Mrs Teo said on Tuesday that the Land Transport Authority will work with the Public Transport Council and cab companies to look into retooling the fare structure.

This will take into account "the impact on taxi drivers, ultimately to have a taxi fare structure that best serves commuters' interests", Mrs Teo told Parliament.

Responding to Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland- Bukit Timah GRC), Mrs Teo said taxi fares were deregulated in September 1998 to allow cab operators to set their own fares to be "more responsive to market conditions".

On whether fare structures now ensure enough taxis ply on the roads, Mrs Teo said the different surcharges have been imposed to better match taxi supply with demand by giving incentives to cabbies to serve locations and time periods where demand is high.

Taxi companies are required to publicise fare revisions at least one week in advance in the media and on their websites.