ComfortDelGro to charge 70-cent platform fee from July 1 for rides booked via its app

Passengers will pay 70 cents more for taxi and private-hire car rides booked via ComfortDelGro’s CDG Zig app from July 1 – one of several fare-related announcements taxi and ride-hailing companies made on Monday.

ComfortDelGro said this new platform fee will also apply to limousine transfers made through its app, but not for rides booked via phone calls or text messages, or for street hails.

It is introducing the platform fee for app bookings so that it can continue to improve the quality of its point-to-point transport services, the home-grown transport giant said in a Facebook post on Monday.

It said it has been regularly improving the CDG Zig app by introducing features and services like merchant deals, restaurant reservation and private bus charter.

During the company’s annual general meeting in April, shareholders were also told that the next version of the app would come with new and improved user features and services.

Ride-hailing firms Grab, Gojek, Tada and Ryde all charge platform fees of varying amounts, with such fees going to the companies themselves. The stated purpose is usually to maintain, improve and develop app and product features.

ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, had a fleet of 8,840 cabs as at April, or about 63 per cent of Singapore’s taxi population. It also owns about 600 private-hire cars and has around 4,000 private-hire drivers on the CDG Zig platform.

Separately, Gojek on Monday announced that it will replace its fixed 70-cent platform fee for each trip made using its app with a tiered fee based on factors such as the duration of a trip and the distance travelled.

This will take effect on July 3, and fares may be up to 10 cents cheaper or up to 30 cents more expensive as a result of the change.

“We believe this structure more accurately reflects the range of trips people take on our platform, and helps to ensure prices remain fair and competitive,” Gojek said in a notice to customers and drivers.

The company will also be raising the starting fares for its Premium, XL and XL Kids services – a move that it said is aimed at compensating drivers more fairly.

From July 3, the starting fares for Gojek Premium, which are rides taken in higher-end vehicle models like the Toyota Vellfire and Mercedes-Benz E Class, will increase by $6.45 between midnight and 5.59am. At all other times of the day, such rides will cost 45 cents more.

Gojek said this is to create more parity with other industry players who levy similar surcharges.

Starting fares for Gojek’s XL and XL Kids services, which allow passengers to book rides that can accommodate up to six people, will go up by 30 cents come July 3.

Meanwhile, what were supposed to be one-off increases to distance and waiting-time fares for taxi rides have been extended by another year until June 30, 2024.

This applies to all five taxi companies here: ComfortDelGro, Trans-Cab, Strides, Premier and Prime.

This temporary taxi fare hike was introduced in April 2022 on the back of soaring pump prices at the time.

With the extension, passengers taking regular taxis will continue to be charged 25 cents for every 400m travelled up to 10km, and every 350m thereafter, as well as for every 45 seconds or less of waiting time – up from 24 cents previously.

For limousine and premium cabs, passengers will continue to pay a higher fare of between 34 cents and 36 cents for every 400m travelled up to 10km, every 350m travelled after 10km, and every 45 seconds or less of waiting time, depending on the taxi operator.

Temporary increases to taxi location surcharges that were introduced in 2022 have also been extended by a year until June 30, 2024.

Those taking a cab from Changi Airport will continue to pay an additional $8 between 5pm and 11.59pm and an additional $6 at all other times – an increase of $3 from the usual fee.

A $3 surcharge for taxi rides originating from the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders will be extended to the newly opened Bird Paradise in Mandai from July, and the surcharge will be applied from 1pm to 11.59pm daily, compared with 4pm to 11.59pm previously.

Also being extended until June 30, 2024, are temporary fees that Gojek and Tada have imposed on passengers since 2022 to help drivers cope with higher fuel costs and other expenses.

Gojek’s “driver fee” is 50 cents for trips less than 10km, and 80 cents for trips that go beyond 10km. Tada charges a driver fee of 50 cents for rides with fares $18 and below, and 80 cents for rides that cost $18.10 and above.

Both platforms have said that the full fee will go directly to its drivers.