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Taxi in Limo Clothing

Although it might be easy to tell the difference between a taxi and limo service once you get into the vehicle, the truth is you might end up paying for a limo hire service and in reality end up riding in a taxi.

Despite tougher penalties and enforcement checks by the Land Transport Authority, taxi touts are back - this time at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Entrepreneurial drivers have seized on the demand for ferry limo transfers.

Last Sunday night, about 15 SMRT Mercedes-Benz taxis and MPV cabs lay in wait, evidently for unsuspecting tourists. They were parked in front of the exit, just opposite the regular taxi queue.

Each time ferry-loads of passengers from Batam or Bintan arrived, the drivers, in their white shirts and black pants, would approach the passengers exiting the terminal, offering rides at a flat rate of $40 for one stop, or $50 for two. To the uninformed tourist traveller they appeared as if they are being approached by a limousine hire company, offering limousine service and quality.

The reality is that these Mercedes-Benz limousine cabs are really nothing more than an upmarket taxi, preying on unsuspecting tourists, charging around four times the amount of a regular metered fare, simply because they are using a more upmarket looking vehicle.

Some tourists requiring a ferry limo transfer, who had initially shunned the touts, finally gave in after a 20-minute wait in the taxi queue, which was not moving. In fact, after the last ferry comes in, even some Singaporeans, faced with a dearth of cabs and a desire to get home as quickly as possible, also succumb to the touting and accept the $40 rides

While SMRT does run a limousine booking counter at the terminal and said the fares quoted by the limousine hire cabs were legitimate, considering the quality of the service. The Land Transport Authority's rules state that limousine cabs can only be booked at the official counter or on the phone, i.e.  drivers should not be the ones negotiating with or approaching customers.

So don’t risk it, contact HireLimos to hire a quality limousine well in advance of when you need. That you will be sure to get the exceptional service you have paid for.

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