A senior government official was quoted in The Sun today as saying the move would assist conventional cabbies to better cope with the upcoming transformations in the taxi industry, which includes the proposed legislation of e-hailing services by year-end.

“It will be a dynamic fare structure and may include the installations of new taxi meters with GPS for performance assessment,” said the official, who was not named.

The last metered taxi fare hike took effect in March last year.

According to the report, app-based transport network operators (TNO) like Uber and Grab would not be subjected to the regulated fare rate when the e-hailing service takes off.

“It is up to the TNOs to offer lower fares than the taxi rates.

“Besides, there is no law stating that it is wrong for taxi drivers or transport providers to offer fares lower than regulated fare rates,” said the official.

He added that under the e-hailing system, Uber and Grab drivers would not be allowed to queue at taxi stands in shopping malls, hotels, transport hubs or LRT stations.

They would also have to display a logo at their vehicle door or windscreen for identification purposes.