ComfortDelGro Taxi introduces temporary one-cent fare hike

Based on the proposed revision, fares will increase by about 32 cents per 10 km.

ComfortDelGro will introduce a temporary increase in distance fares on all its taxis effective 4 April 2022, resulting from the sharp increase in fuel prices in recent weeks.

It will be reviewed by the end of May 2022 and removed if fuel prices ease.

The proposed one-cent increase will affect distance and waiting time fares.The flag-down fare will remain unchanged. Based on the proposed revision, fares will increase by about 32 cents for a travelled distance of 10km. Assuming an average of 10 to 12 trips a day, cabbies' earnings are expected to improve by between $3.20 and $3.84 daily. This will help to cushion the impact of the recent surge in fuel prices, which has increased their daily fuel costs by between $3.55 and $13.50 in the last month alone.

CEO Jackson Chia said the decision to introduce the temporary fuel-linked fare hike was taken after 'very careful consideration.'

"In the last month alone, the price of petrol has surged by 21%. And even though we have been absorbing a large part of the increase in fuel costs so that our drivers can enjoy a lower rate of $2.20 per litre of petrol, compared to the $3.05 per litre if they had pumped outside, they are still paying close to 14% more than what they were paying in February," Cia said.

To further help cabbies cope with the steep fuel cost increases, ComfortDelGro Taxi has also extended a one-time rental rebate of S$90 to its hirers. This is separate from the ongoing rental waivers that have been in place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a two-month full rental waiver which was dispersed during the Circuit Breaker period of 2020, when demand for taxi services ground to a halt. In the last two years, a total of about $206.5 million in rental waivers has been disbursed.