DBS Bank and ComfortDelGro have entered into a strategic partnership that allows customers in Singapore to book and pay for taxi rides directly through an in-app booking function on DBS PayLah.
They will enjoy the same booking and payment functionalities offered by the ComfortDelGro taxi booking app, and do not need to download an additional app, the companies said in a statement yesterday.
ComfortDelGro Taxi chief executive Ang Wei Neng said that to help stop the spread of Covid-19, both companies want to encourage customers to switch to using in-app payments like DBS PayLah.
Booking a taxi through their apps would also make contact tracing easier.
The move follows the roll-out in March of DBS PayLah as an in-app payment option in the ComfortDelGro taxi booking app, with passengers able to select DBS PayLah as a default QR code payment option in the app.
DBS and ComfortDelGro first partnered in 2017 to introduce QR code payments for taxi rides.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, DBS said it recorded about 20 per cent of QR code transactions taking place in the transport segment.
In February, the companies teamed up, offering discounts and fee waivers to encourage commuters to use cashless payment for street-hail fares to help facilitate contact tracing.
Mr Jeremy Soo, DBS' head of consumer banking group in Singapore, said ComfortDelGro Taxi is the bank's first transport partner on the DBS PayLah platform.
Other companies on the platform include cinema operator Golden Village and restaurant booking platform Chope.
Mr Soo said: "This marks a significant milestone in... our mobile ecosystem platform, where we leverage technology and artificial intelligence to proactively piece together individual journeys for our customers.
"For example, when a customer has booked tickets for a movie at Golden Village in VivoCity, our intelligent banking capabilities will be able to provide a timely reminder to book a taxi through ComfortDelGro Taxi an hour before."
To commemorate the launch of its latest partnership, DBS PayLah is giving its users up to two $5 instant rebates for ComfortDelGro taxi rides taken next month and in August.
