ComfortDelgro Will Trial ‘Grab-Style’ Fares From 15 May & May Include Private-Hire Cars In The Future

You are late again and you’ve got to get a cab. While regretting all of the last nights’ choices – be it one more episode of Game of Thrones / re-watching all the high school musical music videos/ watching IG stories till 3:00 a.m., you scramble to get ready and book a cab.

Uber (RIP). Grab. Go-Jek. These ride-hailing services have revolutionized the way we travel through tech.

Gone are the days that we need to call a number to book a taxi or stand at the side of the road and flail your arms. Now, all you need to do is to simply open up the app (that has vouchers #5dollaroff) and book a cab.

Some wondered if the arrival of these tech-based ride-hailing providers would mark the beginning of the end of old school taxi companies.

However, it is UBER that has been made the first to go.

What About ComfortDelgro?

To all the sentimental people out there, fear not! ComfortDelgro’s recognizable blue and yellow fleet of cabs will remain on Singapore’s roads for a while longer.

And with their latest move, that “while longer” could extend to a lot more time.

With its new pilot programme, ComfortRIDE, passengers will be able to get fixed fares that are pegged to the demand for rides at the time of booking.

On-Demand Fares

If you don’t get what on-demand fare means, think Grab, just dressed in blue and yellow.

When there’s low demand (non-peak hours or sunny weather), the ComfortRIDE fare will be lower. 

And when it’s raining or during peak-hours where more people are calling for cabs, the price is going to go up.

Sounds like another Grab, doesn’t it? Except ComfortDelgro promises to monitor peak demand fares & said it’ll be “limited and not exponential”.

Come 15 May 2019, a select few will be able to trial this new feature. If successful, this will be rolled out in the coming future.

For passengers

We will no longer have to worry about which route the taxi driver chooses to take as the price is fixed.

There will be no need to break out in a sweat as the price climbs. Only if the price on your app differs from the price on your driver’s app.

Then you would need to prepare $7 or more to top up.

Also, with one more fixed-price ride-hailing service in the market, it would mean that the surge prices will be more competitive.

Just remember that the common car today has the auto-lock function. And no, it is not because you are Chinese.

For drivers

This would mean that they would be able to get more rides in a day and not lose business to the Grab or Go-jek.

In addition, Comfortdelgro is also toying with the idea of using private hires for its ComfortRIDE feature.

But that’s not set in stone, just like how Dark Avengers’ just a rumour.

So.. i guess download the app and look forward to more comfortable rides ahead!