Singapore taxi operator Comfort DelGro fare revision comparison

Singapore largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro group announced yesterday decision to revise taxi fares coming Monday (12 Dec 2011) onwards to better meet the increased demand for taxis. The flag-down rate of ComfortDelGro taxis will increase between 20 cents and 70 cents depending on the model of the taxi. One seemingly weird decision is to extend the peak hour surcharge from 6am-9.30am in the morning compared to 7am-9.30am currently and 6.00pm-midnight daily from 5pm-11pm Mon-Fri currently. Even though the peak hour surcharge is reduced to 25% from 35%, it is going to include even early birds and families out for family outings on weekends.

The National Taxi Association is urging other operators to adjust their fares as soon as possible. Hmm... Shouldn't we leave it to the operators to decide on fares instead of influencing other operators to increase fare?

Refer to the following table for the taxi fare revision (before and after) [Source: Channel NewsAsia].

	Current	Revised
Flag Down - 1km	$2.80 (Crown); $3.00 (Sonata) $3.20 (Camry); $3.20 (Limousine) 1km to 10km: $0.20 for every 385m Above 10km: $0.20 for every 330m Waiting time: $0.20 for every 45sec	$3.00 (Crown); $3.20 (Sonata) $3.40 (Camry); $3.90 (Limousine) 1km to 10km: $0.22 for every 400m Above 10km: $0.22 for every 350m Waiting time: $0.22 for every 45sec
Peak Period Surcharge	35% of metered fare Mon-Fri: 7.00am-9.30am Mon-Sat: 5.00pm-8.00pm	25% of metered fare Mon-Fri: 6.00am-9.30am (not applicable on public holidays) Mon-Sun and Public Holidays: 6.00pm - Midnight
City Area Surcharge	$3.00 Mon-Sat: 5.00pm-Midnight	$3.00 Mon-Sun and Public Holidays: 5.00pm - Midnight
Call Booking Fees	Current Booking Peak Period: $3.50 Mon-Fri: 7.00am-9.30am, 5.00pm-11.00pm Current Booking All other times: $2.50 Advance Booking: $5.20	Current Booking Peak Period: $3.30 Mon-Fri: 6.00am-9.30am (not applicable on public holidays) Mon-Sun and Public Holidays: 6.00pm - Midnight Current Booking All other times: $2.30 Advance Booking: $8.00
Limousine Taxi Booking Fees	Current Booking: $8.00 Advance Booking: $16.00	Current Booking: $10.00 Advance Booking: $18.00
Public Holiday Surcharge	$1.00 From 6.00pm on the eve of a Public Holiday to midnight of the day of the Public Holiday	Removed

NOTE: Midnight surcharge of 50% surcharge from 12am-6am is still in existence.