AT LEAST two taxi operators will take steps to help offset their drivers' costs, with Electronic Road Pricing charges set to go up in July.

Cabbies are worried that they might not pick up a fare in the city after they pay increased ERP charges to get there. They also fear that commuters, turned off by the new rates, will give up taxi rides altogether.

With more gantries coming up, Comfortdelgro, the biggest player in the market, said it will expand its reimbursement scheme for drivers.

Currently, its drivers can get their ERP charges back if they drive through a gantry but do not find a passenger within 15 minutes. This applies from 5pm to 8pm on weekdays.

From July 1, the reimbursements will extend to call bookings.

A taxi driver who accepts a call booking and then passes through an ERP gantry to pick up the passenger can get the ERP charge back if the passenger cancels the booking or does not show up.

This reimbursement will be available all day on Mondays to Fridays, said Comfortdelgro spokesman Tammy Tan.

The company currently processes about 250 reimbursements a day, she added.

Comfortdelgro is the only taxi operator that has such a reimbursement scheme in place as other operators do not have the technology for it.

But smaller player Smart Taxis said it is considering giving its drivers a monthly cash rebate to help those who pay ERP charges but could not pick up a passenger in the city.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20080617-71357.html