Taxi service in Singapore

15 years ago, Singapore had a good taxi service. It was affordable and reliable.

Today, we have a poor taxi service. Our taxi fares are high and the service has become quite unreliable. Prior to the peak hour, taxis are not available. The taxi drivers wait for the peak hour, to be able to levy a 30% surcharge. Taxis are not available in some areas without locality surcharge, but plentiful in other places with the surcharge. There is long queue at taxi stands, but if one is willing to pay a ransom (i.e. the call booking charge), the taxis become available immediately.

We also have a convoluted system of taxi fares, perhaps the most convoluted in the world. Singapore used to be a place with good governance. How did we get into t his sorry state of affairs?