ComfortDelGro introduces new temporary driver fee, increases meter fare amid rising fuel costs

[SINGAPORE] Taxi operator ComfortDelGro (CDG) will roll out a temporary driver fee for ride-hailing bookings and raise metered taxi rates, as part of measures to support cabbies grappling with higher operating costs amid rising fuel prices.

Under the changes, bookings made via its app will incur a drive fee of S$0.50 for fares below S$15, and a S$0.80 fee for fares of S$15 and above. Separately, metered trips will see a S$0.01 increase in the distance time rate. 

In a press release on Tuesday (Mar 17), the listed transport behemoth said all of these fees will go directly to CDG’s drivers. 

The temporary measures will take effect from Mar 24 to May 31. 

The move comes on top of earlier support initiatives introduced earlier this month to cushion drivers’ cost pressures amid the ongoing Iran war. This includes absorbing a portion of increased fuel costs at its petrol pumps. 

The group also introduced a taxi fuel credit incentive programme on Mar 15 to further support drivers. 

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and remain committed to ensuring operational stability for our partners during this volatile period,” said CDG head of Singapore point-to-point mobility business Michael Huang.

Singapore’s pump prices have steadily risen since the recent conflict in Iran effectively closed a waterway critical to oil supplies. 

The Straits Times previously reported that petrol station operations have increased prices, at times more than once a day, as global crude prices climbed up alongside developments in the Middle East. 

Records from the Consumers Association of Singapore’s price tracker Price Kaki indicated that prices of 95-octane petrol ranged from S$3.46 to S$3.47 a litre as at Mar 17. This surpasses Caltex and Shell’s previous high of S$3.42 a litre, set during the Ukraine crisis in 2022. 

Posted prices of 92-octane petrol, 98-octane petrol and the so–called “premium” 98-octane petrol also crossed Ukraine-war highs in recent days. 

In the Tuesday press release, Teo Siew Pan, executive secretary of the National Taxi Association (NTA), said the recent fuel hikes have stressed taxi drivers. 

CDG’s latest measures will help offset some of these costs in a tangible way, National Private Hire Vehicles Association executive secretary Raven Lee added. 

CDG shares closed 0.7 per cent or S$0.01 lower at S$1.44 on Tuesday, before the news.