ComfortDelGro to trial new ride-hailing service with private hire cars on Feb 4

COMFORTDELGRO Taxi will be embarking on a beta trial of its new ride-hailing service on Feb 4, the company announced on Thursday.

The move, which will serve to supplement ComfortDelGro's current fleet of 10,000 taxis, will involve a small number of private hire cars (PHCs) as the company gauges reception to the service. The company will assess the response to the service and gradually open it up to more PHC drivers after the completion of the trial period in March.

Starting Jan 28, ComfortDelGro Taxi will also be recruiting a small group of PHC drivers for the ride-hailing beta trial to collect feedback from them.

During the trial period, the company said, the commission fee for booking jobs will be lower than the current market rate.

The PHC offering will be available only on the ComfortRide booking option, and it will be served by both PHCs and taxis.

Passengers can choose from two options - either "taxi or car" or "taxi only" - when making a ComfortRide booking. The former will be served by both PHCs and taxis, while the latter by ComfortDelGro taxis only.

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The multiple stop feature which was added recently to the ComfortDelGro Taxi Booking App is also available for its ride-hailing service. Additional fares for the extra stop are automatically factored into the total fare.

Only in-app cashless payments are accepted for the ride-hailing option, and there are no administrative fees for credit/debit card payments or other cashless payment modes.

Drivers who have been asked to join the programme will undergo a two-hour training session to help familiarise them with the driver app where they will receive ComfortRide jobs.

ComfortDelGro Taxi, which received the Ride-hail Service Operator Licence (RSOL) and Street-hail Service Operator Licence (SSOL) in November last year, said it will gradually invite more drivers to come on board when demand grows.

Shares in ComfortDelGro closed 2.5 per cent or S$0.04 lower on Thursday at S$1.59.