ComfortDelGro to launch dynamic pricing fare option from 19th January

Singapore's largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro will launch a dynamic pricing system for its 13,600 cabs from 19^th January. For customers, this means that fares for Comfort and CityCab taxis could be lower than the metered rates during the off-peak hours, but also surge during periods of high demand.

The dynamic pricing option for ComfortDelGro taxis will be offered through the Uber app, and a new UberFlash function. The service dispatches the nearest ComfortDelGro taxi or Uber private-hire car to the user who requests a ride.

The move to pool the supply of ComfortDelGro taxis and Uber cars on a common platform follows an alliance between the two companies announced last month.

The deal, which is still under review by the Competition Commission of Singapore, will see ComfortDelGro acquiring a 51 percent stake in Uber's rental car subsidiary, Lion City Holdings. According to a newspaper notice put up by ComfortDelGro on Thursday (11^th January), UberFlash charges a base fare of $3, with a per kilometre rate of 45 cents.

In comparison, the metered rates for ComfortDelGro taxis are higher, with a base fare of between $3.20 and $3.90, and a distance charge that works out to 55 cents a kilometre for the first 10km, and 63 cents per kilometre thereafter. ComfortDelGro customers can still go by the meter for street-hailed cabs and taxis booked via ComfortDelGro's booking hotline or company app.

Like other Uber products, UberFlash will levy a fee if passengers are late in meeting their drivers or if they cancel their bookings. A 20-cent per minute charge will apply if drivers wait longer than three minutes at the pickup location. Customers who cancel their bookings after five minutes will be charged $6.

There are no such penalties for customers who book ComfortDelGro taxis via the phone booking system or on ComfortDelGro's booking app. An Uber spokesman said on Thursday that the company will share more details of UberFlash later on.

He said, "We are excited about our partnership with ComfortDelGro to improve the overall transportation landscape, giving Singapore more choices to move around at the tap of a button."

Following ComfortDelGro's tie-up with Uber, all 23,000 taxis in Singapore will offer a dynamic pricing option. Since March last year, close to 10,000 taxis from the five other taxi firms - SMRT, TransCab, Premier, Prime and HDT Singapore Taxi - started offering dynamic pricing, if the rides are booked through the Grab app.