SINGAPORE: Singaporeans may soon come to associate ComfortDelGro with more than its quintessential blue and yellow taxis, as the transport provider broadens its business by expanding its pool of private-hire drivers and diversifying its services.
The firm has stepped up the transformation of its point-to-point taxi business by finding new ways to meet demand from consumers and businesses here and overseas, said Cheng Siak Kian, group chief executive of ComfortDelGro.
“The product that you will see is going to be beyond taxis,” said Cheng, who became chief executive officer (CEO) on Jan 1, 2023, after previously serving as the company’s group deputy CEO and CEO of bus and train operator SBS Transit, in which Comfort has a majority stake.
“What Singaporeans associate with (ComfortDelGro) in terms of taxis, that’s only one product.”
Cheng said customers could see shorter waiting times on its Zig app because its supply of drivers has grown.
While ComfortDelGro’s local taxi fleet fell 5% from around 8,000 in the first half of 2025 to 7,600 in the first half of 2026, its network of private-hire drivers, who can take on other jobs, grew by 27.9% to over 4,000 over the same period.
This came on the back of a shift in preference, with drivers increasingly wanting to lease a private-hire vehicle instead of a taxi. “We are happy to rent (out private-hire cars). What we really want is to meet the demand in Singapore, particularly during peak hours,” Cheng said.
“The more supply you have, the more you are able to fulfil the jobs that you can get.”
The firm has also started to offer larger taxis such as the Toyota Noah Hybrid 6-seater for those looking to travel in bigger groups. In addition, it is enhancing technology on its app to offer fares that are attractive to both drivers and customers.
Cheng said the firm is also pivoting its point-to-point business to focus more on enterprise-level jobs, such as long-term contracts to take passengers with mobility challenges to appointments and sending children to school.
He added: “It is mutually beneficial because we are able to negotiate very attractive rates (for clients) because it is a bulk buy. We also provide long-term job security for our drivers.”
Singapore’s largest taxi operator will also ramp up its other services, including non-emergency ambulances, buses and trains as “part and parcel of the network of multi-modal transport that we hope to provide more of going forward”.
ComfortDelGro’s plans to accelerate its growth come on the back of weaker profits in its taxi and private-hire business, as cost pressures mount and competition intensifies both at home and abroad.
The firm, which makes most of its revenue overseas, reported on Aug 14 that its net profit fell by 19.7% to S$85.1mil in the first half of 2026 from the same period a year earlier, due to “earnings pressures in the point-to-point businesses amid competitive market conditions”. — The Straits Times/ANN
