Taxi fares in Kuala Lumpur - two tiers

I took a taxi from a hotel. The fares start at M$6. The journey cost M$14. I flagged a taxi from the road for teh return journey. The fare started at M$3. The return journey cost M$7. On both occasions, it was easy to get a taxi - no hassle (but it was on a Saturday afternoon).

I learned that there were two taxi fare system in Kuala Lumpur - the hotel taxis and the ordinary taxis. The taxis were marked clearly. A commuter can decide to go for the higher or the cheaper fare.  This is similar to the choice of economy or business class fares on an airline. It is transparent and give choice to the commuters.

I find the fare systems in Singapore to be too complicated. Perhaps, we should adopt  a system similar to Kuala Lumpur. Let us learn from our neighbor some of the time!

I wrote to the Straits Times Forum about suggestions to improve our taxi service. The letter was not published. I have posted it here.

Tan Kin Lian