(Featured photo: Fortune)

If you’ll be taking a taxi anytime from March 1 onwards, here’s some news for you if you haven’t heard already: Taxis in Singapore will now cost you more. 

This comes following a recent announcement made by ComfortDelGro that it’ll be increasing both its flag-down and metered fares, which was then followed by other taxi operators including Trans-Cab, Prime Taxi, Premier Taxi and Strides Taxi. The price hike is set to happen for the first time in about 10 years.

What does the taxi fare change look like?

Total Estimated Fare (10km Off-peak Trip): Increase from $10.98 to $11.82 (~7.7% or $0.84 increase)

Note: All other tariffs remain unchanged.

Why are taxi fares increasing?

ComfortDelGro said in its press release on 8 February 2022 that the fare hike was to help taxi drivers cover increasing operating costs that are a result of rising fuel prices and inflation.

Fuel prices have increased by 10% in the last six months alone due to a leap in global oil prices as the world continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carsharing: The cheaper, more convenient alternative

As consumers, we ultimately want value for money and convenience. While ride-hailing may seem like the next reliable alternative, it’s important to take into account its demand-based pricing which may not be that economical or reliable a solution after all.

This is why carsharing might be the better option for you not just in terms of cost but also convenience.

New to carsharing? Read our introduction blog post to carsharing to learn more.

The difference between taxi fare and carsharing costs

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical scenario. A passenger flags down a taxi at 7am on a Monday, which is a peak hour. He or she would be travelling for 10 kilometres. The following is a breakdown of his or her fare:

Flag-down charge: S$4.10

First 10km fare: $6

Peak Period surcharge: +25% of metered fare

Total fare: S$12.60 (single trip)

Now, let’s compare this with GetGo’s booking cost. Say, a passenger books a Standard tier car for 3 hours on Monday at 7am and goes on a 20-kilometre drive (round trip). The following is a breakdown of his or her fare:

Hourly charges: $12

Mileage charges: $7

CDW charge: +5% of total booking cost (optional)

Total booking charge (with CDW): $19.95

Total booking charge (without CDW): $19

You may be wondering why we said that carsharing is a better alternative than taking a taxi given that the total booking charge of a GetGo car costs more. Let us explain further.

Value for money

One of the most obvious differences between taxi and carsharing is that for the former, you pay for a one-way trip, while the latter is calculated as a round trip. This means that you pay less for more. So, using the earlier calculation, a round taxi trip would cost you about $25.20.

Not only that, when you rent a car with GetGo, you’ll also need not worry about refuelling or recharging because that’s completely on us — and no need to fret about rising fuel prices either. You may also easily gauge how much you’d be expected to pay with us, while taxi fares may vary based on demand and additional surcharges like Late Night surcharge, City Area surcharge, Peak Period surcharge and Changi Airport surcharge.

Convenient and flexible

(Photo: @idaaaaa.tiaaaaa)

With carsharing, you can pretty much drive to any number of destinations that you want during your booking period. A taxi ride, however, doesn’t allow that freedom as rides are strictly from your pickup point to a single destination. Carsharing also allows you to make more memorable experiences on the road whether you’re driving alone or with your loved ones.

You’ll be able to book for as short as 1 hour and even make an advance booking up to 30 days ahead of your trip, so it’s safe to say that carsharing is flexible and reliable!

Accessible

Like ride-hailing, flagging down or getting hold of a taxi on a booking app can prove to be a hassle sometimes because availability depends on demand. Instead, simply find a car near you and take it for a spin. With over 1,000 cars in more than 900 locations across Singapore, you can be sure that the #FreedomToDrive is just a stone’s throw away.

Which is a better choice?

We won’t deny that taxis do come with their advantages too. For one, those who don’t drive or have just started planning to get a driving licence will definitely need someone to drive them. Then, there are also people who feel that traffic jams are the bane of their existence and would rather catch up on some sleep in the backseat.

But if you can or love to drive, the island is your oyster and carsharing might just be the answer for you!

Download GetGo now to rent a car from $3/hour and use promo code G50BLOG to get 50% off*(capped at $8) your first drive.

* Code is only valid for the first booking. Other T&Cs apply.

Enjoy your drive!
Luna 🥰