Passengers taking ComfortDelGro's current fleet of taxis, excluding its limousine taxis, will soon need to fork out an additional S$0.50 in flag-down fares and an additional S$0.01 for distances and waiting time fares.

The adjustment will include the Hyundai i40, Hyundai Inoniq, Hyundai Kona, BYD E6, Toyota Prius, and Toyota Sienta taxis, ComfortDelGro announced in a media release on Dec. 6.

This translates to an estimated 6.8 per cent fare increase of S$0.94 from S$13.80 to S$14.74 for a 10km off-peak normal taxi trip.

This fare increase is part of ComfortDelGro's fare structure revision, which will come into effect at 6am on Dec. 13.

Below is a rundown of the changes that will be implemented next Wednesday:

Limousine taxis

The flag-down fares for limo taxis will remain the same following its revision on Nov. 30, which saw the flag-down fare increase from S$4.10 to S$4.80.

ComfortDelGro's limo taxi fleet includes Mercedes Benz, Maxi Cab, Toyota Vellfire Hybrid, and Lexus Hybrid taxis.

The distances and waiting time fares will increase by S$0.01, from S$0.35 to S$0.36.

New weekend surcharge & extending evening peak hour

Additionally, ComfortDelGro will also be extending the evening peak hour surcharges for all taxis by one hour to cover the period from 5pm to 11:59pm, effective from Monday through Sunday, including public holidays.

A new peak hour surcharge will also be implemented from 10am to 11:59pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

Reasons for fare changes

According to Tommy Tan, chief executive officer of ComfortDelGro's taxi business, the company's revision of its fare structure is "carefully considered" and "necessary", as it will ensure taxi drivers receive "fair earnings with the rising cost of operations".

"For the past few years, our cabbies' earnings had been impacted first by the pandemic, and then by higher operating expenses due to increase in fuel prices and high inflation," said Tan.

Additionally, after analysing taxi demand patterns, ComfortDelGro also identified "a need to review the evening peak hours and introduce weekend peak hour surcharge" to ensure "adequate taxi supply to meet increased commuter needs during peak hours".

The company added that it had consulted with the National Taxi Association (NTA) before proposing the recent fare changes.

"The NTA expressed its support for the fare adjustment, acknowledging the challenges faced by taxi drivers due to rising costs," the statement read.

Top image via ComfortDelGro Taxi/Facebook