SINGAPORE: Commuters using four taxi or private-hire platforms to book their rides will continue to pay a surcharge until the end of September, to help drivers manage higher operating costs.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 22), the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) said that CDG Zig, Grab, Gojek and Tada will extend their respective driver fees until Sept 30.
The association, which is affiliated to NTUC and represents the interests of private-hire drivers for point-to-point services, added this decision follows continued engagement with platform operators on drivers’ expenses and operating costs.
ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, had introduced a driver fee of $0.50 or $0.80 per trip in March 24.
In a separate Facebook post on July 22, ComfortDelGro said the additional fee of $0.50 will be added for fares below $15, and an extra $0.80 added otherwise. The fee applies to trips booked through its app, cross-border rides, limousine car services and hourly trips.
It will also retain the $0.01 increase in its rate for distance travelled, till Sept 30. For example, $0.27 will be charged every 400m travelled in a ComfortDelGro Toyota Prius cab, for a trip with a total distance of less than 10km.
Ride-hailing platforms Grab, Gojek and Tada also implemented a $0.90 driver fee in April, with TADA charging $1.20 for trips over $18.
The driver fee was first introduced in 2022 to help drivers cope with rising fuel costs, the association said in its post. These fees are passed on fully to drivers and are not subjected to platform commissions.
Retail fuel prices are generally higher than they were in March, after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb 28, which resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping route.
In March, a litre of 95-octane petrol cost between $2.91 and $2.92. It costs $3.36 or $3.37 across the five major petrol stations – Caltex, Shell, Esso, SPC and Sinopec – as at 1pm on July 23, according to the Price Kaki app. The latest 95-octane petrol prices listed on the app for Cnergy and Smart Energy, both with three petrol stations each, are $2.54 and $2.62 respectively.
The NPHVA said it will regularly engage platform operators to advocate for practical measures that support drivers on the ground. - The Straits Times/ANN
