MaxiCabs to charge extra for taking in more than four passengers

ComfortDelGro will join other cab operators in levying a surcharge when there are more than four passengers in a limousine taxi, reported The Straits Times. 

From next Monday, ComfortDelGro's seven-seater MaxiCabs will have an additional fee of $3 per person, for the fifth, sixth and seventh passenger. The fee, however, will not apply to flat-rate transfer services, ComfortDelGro said in an advertisement placed in the classified section of The Straits Times on Friday.

ComfortDelGro, which reportedly has a fleet of close to 160 MaxiCabs, did not respond to queries about why it decided to implement this surcharge now. Sources said the majority of its drivers had signed a petition requesting the levy, to cover the high daily rentals of over $160.

The additional passenger surcharge has been a common practice at cab firms such as Premier, Prime and SMRT. Since 2011, SMRT has levied a $2 surcharge for every passenger exceeding four adults in its seven-seater Ssangyong and London taxis. Premier, which also has a similar $2 per passenger surcharge for its seven-seater SilverLux fleet, has no plans to change its pricing policy. Prime, which operates several models of Multi-Purpose Vehicle taxis, levies a flat surcharge of $9 per trip, as long as there are more than four passengers in the vehicle.