text: After Gojek’s move to raise fares as fuel prices rise in Singapore, other ride-hailing firms and taxi companies have followed suit.
  The ride-hailing giant will introduce a temporary driver fee to help its driver-partners defray higher operating costs.
  From Apr 1, 2022 to May 31, 2022, a temporary driver fee of S$0.50 per ride will be added to all transportation services except for standard taxi service.
  Grab said this amount will go fully to its driver-partners.
  The firm is providing “upsized” fuel discounts for Grab driver-partners of up to 51 per cent and is providing a five per cent commission rebate for eligible driver-partners. Those eligible will get the rebate for the first 199 completed trips from Mar 1 to May 31.
  “Our priority is to ensure that our driver-partners earn a sustainable income on our platform. We have heard from them about how rising fuel prices have impacted their earnings, and have been exploring different ways to support them. We hope the driver fee, together with the ongoing commission and fuel rebate programmes will help to defray their operating costs. We will also continue to monitor the situation,” commented Alvin Wee, Head of Transport at Grab.
  For selected (Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire ranked) delivery-partners, Grab has partnered with Caltex to provide 20 per cent fuel discounts.
  The ride-hailing startup will be implementing a temporary driver’s fee from Apr 4, 2022 to May 31, 2022 on all Tada rides.
  There will be a S$0.50 flat fee added to all rides for trip fares S$18 and below. A S$0.80 flat fee will be added to rides S$18.10 and above.
  “The main goal of the driver’s fee is to help reduce the burden of increasing fuel prices on the drivers, and the entirety of the increment will go directly to them. For transparency, the fare adjustment will be reflected separately from the ride fare and will be itemised distinctly on the rider’s receipt as they complete a booking,” said Tada.
  Tada will also be providing fuel rebates of S$10 a day for its drivers if they complete 19 trips daily for a limited period.
  The ride-hailing firm commented that pump prices have risen exponentially over the last month as a result of the current geo-political situation in Europe, hitting a peak on Mar 10, 2022 when 95-octane petrol was at S$3.23 a litre.
  As of March 22, 2022, a 95-octane petrol is going for S$3.05 a litre – a drop from the peak, but still a staggering 12 per cent increase compared to prices less than a month ago in February when the same went for S$2.70 a litre.
  The taxi company will raise fares temporarily for all its taxis from Apr 4.
  The fuel-related price increase is being introduced following “strong feedback” from its drivers, ComfortDelGro said. There will be a review conducted in May to decide if the fare increase will be removed.
  Distance and waiting time fares will rise by one cent. This means that distance-timed rates which are 24 cents for normal taxis and 33 cents for limousine cabs will soon be at 25 cents and 34 cents respectively.
  Flagdown fares will be unchanged.
  “This will help to cushion the impact of the recent surge in fuel prices, which has increased their daily fuel costs by between S$3.55 and S$13.50 in the last month alone,” said the taxi company.
  “Assuming an average of 10 to 12 trips a day, cabbies’ earnings are expected to improve by between S$3.20 and S$3.84 daily,” it said.
  Featured Image Credit: Carro, Tada, Nikkei Asia