SINGAPORE - A $3 hike to the surcharge on taxi rides taken from Changi Airport and a one-cent increase in distance-based fares for all cab rides will continue until June 30, 2023, after taxi operators here decided to extend the increases by another six months.
A $3 location surcharge imposed since August on all taxi trips taken between 4pm and 11.59pm from the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and Night Safari will also continue until June 30, 2023.
Taxi companies ComfortDelGro and SMRT-owned Strides Taxi announced these moves in separate Facebook posts on Monday, while Prime Taxi updated the fare charts on its website to reflect the extensions.
Second-largest taxi operator Trans-Cab also confirmed with The Straits Times on Monday its intention to continue with the higher fares.
In its Facebook post, Strides Taxi said the extensions are aimed at helping drivers cope with the continued increase in fuel and electricity prices.
Under current regulations, taxi fares here are determined by the operators. Any changes must be lodged with the Public Transport Council in advance and publicised at least seven days beforehand.
With the continued hike, taxi rides starting from Changi Airport, Changi Air Freight Centre, the Airport Police Station and the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore will cost an additional $8 every day from 5pm to 11.59pm, and an additional $6 at all other times.
Before the increase first kicked in on May 19, the surcharge was $5 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 5pm to 11.59pm, and $3 at all other times.
The decision to raise the airport location surcharge had come amid a reluctance by cabbies to go to Changi Airport to pick up passengers despite a revival in international air travel, resulting in a shortage of cabs and long queues at the airport’s taxi stands.
Changi Airport Group told ST in June, when the hike was last extended, that the increased surcharge had improved the supply of taxis at the airport, though the spokesman did not provide more details then.
Transport Minister S. Iswaran said on Sunday that up to 150,000 passengers are now passing through Changi Airport daily, with about a million each week, or about 75 per cent of the average number of weekly passengers before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the uptick, the airport is well equipped to handle the higher volume, Mr Iswaran said in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, the extension of the temporary increase in distance-based fares for cabs – which was introduced in April on the back of soaring fuel prices – means that passengers on regular taxis will continue to be charged 25 cents for every 400m travelled up to 10km, every 350m travelled after 10km, and every 45 seconds or less of waiting time.
This is up from 24 cents before the fare hike.
For limousine and premium cabs, passengers now pay between 34 and 36 cents for every 400m travelled up to 10km, every 350m travelled after 10km, and every 45 seconds or less of waiting time, depending on the taxi operator and taxi model.
ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, with about 8,700 cabs, had previously said this temporary hike amounted to a fare increase of about 32 cents for a standard 10km taxi ride.
Assuming they make 10 to 12 trips a day, ComfortDelGro cabbies could expect to earn between $3.20 and $3.84 more daily to help defray additional fuel costs ranging between $3.55 and $13.50 each day.
Since then, pump prices have been on a downward trend, and it was reported on Dec 14 that the prices across the five mainstream fuel brands here are now close to their lowest levels since January.
Diesel is now $2.61 at Sinopec and $2.62 elsewhere, while 92-octane petrol is $2.63 at Esso, SPC and Caltex – the three companies offering this grade of fuel. The popular 95-octane petrol is $2.67 at SPC and $2.68 a litre elsewhere, while 98-octane is $3.15 at Esso, Sinopec and SPC, and $3.17 at Shell.
