Ride-Hailing Apps/News/Discussion
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https://youtu.be/_yKYVLIcyAc
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Any new promo code to share?
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Peer-to-peer transfers on GrabPay to be introduced by next month
By next month, Grab users will be able to transfer GrabPay credits to other users, paving the way for greater uptake of the company’s payments platform that it ultimately hopes will be used for shopping and other transactions.
The new feature will allow employers to allocate credits to their employees for travel, or parents for their children. Each user may have up to S$999 in GrabPay Credits.
The “peer-to-peer transfer” can be done through a mobile number tagged to a user’s Grab account, said Grab’s Singapore country head Lim Kell Jay, 34.
“It’s particularly useful for commuters who don’t have a credit card … and it will allow them to also enjoy cashless payments,” he said. Not all commuters wish to disclose their credit-card information, he added.
The credit-transfer feature will be tested among a small group of riders before a bigger roll-out. The aim: To get more people to use GrabPay.
The ride-hailing giant’s longer-term ambition for GrabPay — which allows commuters to pay for Grab rides using their mobile devices — is for it to become a payments platform for “everything … outside transport”.
For this to happen, adoption is key, said Mr Lim.
The opportunity in the region for payments — valued at about US$500 billion (S$681 billion) — is “multiple times bigger” than that for transport. “There’s no single dominant player in that space yet,” Mr Lim added.
Grab recently announced it was raising US$2.5 billion in a record round of new fund-raising, and payments and transport are two key areas it will focus on, said Mr Lim.
Experts told TODAY that a payment platform’s success hinges on its acceptance by merchants and other users.
GrabPay has a long way to go because “without widespread merchant acceptance, this is good for settling accounts with friends who want transport services, but not so good otherwise”, said transport economist Walter Theseira of the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Agreeing, Assistant Professor Terence Fan, a transport specialist with the Singapore Management University, said the public may not be comfortable using a payments platform if few merchants are on it. “It’s important for Grab to try to expand this quickly,” he said.
Dr Theseira noted the potential for GrabPay’s growth in emerging South-east Asian markets, where millions do not do banking or are served poorly by traditional banks.
In Singapore, plans are afoot for the public transport system to be cashless by 2020. Last Friday (Aug 11), the Land Transport Authority and its subsidiary TransitLink announced that cash payments or top-ups for public transport services will be phased out by 2020.
For starters, cash top-ups at the passenger service centres will be terminated from Sept 1 at 11 train stations, including Pasir Ris and Buona Vista.
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this late afternoon/early evening Grab was down
Uber bery happy...... surge like nobardie's business
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LTA checking if GrabHitch plans comply with regulations
Days after Grab announced it will offer its social-carpooling service GrabHitch as a secondary option to commuters on its JustGrab service, the authorities are evaluating if the move complies with the rules.
In a statement last night, a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson said it was “in discussions with Grab on (its) proposal to add GrabHitch as an option on JustGrab, to assess if it complies with the regulations”.
On Tuesday, TODAY reported that the ride-hailing firm plans to offer GrabHitch rides as a secondary option on JustGrab, which comprises taxis and private-hire cars, in the coming weeks.
This means commuters will be redirected to GrabHitch when all taxis or private-hire cars are taken and there is a suitable match.
The LTA said GrabHitch rides are “carpooling trips” exempted from regulations that apply to private-hire car services, but certain conditions must be followed.
Each driver, for example, is limited to two carpooling trips a day. “The fees collected for each carpooling trip should also not exceed what is required to cover the costs incurred for making that trip,” the LTA spokesperson added.
Grab had said that under the move, riders will still pay GrabHitch fares, which are between 20 per cent and 40 per cent lower than taxi fares.
It also stressed that the arrangement was “within regulatory guidelines”.
GrabHitch comprises private-car owners who offer lifts to passengers who make advance bookings at “not-for-profit” fees to cover drivers’ petrol costs, for instance. Right now, GrabHitch rides have to be booked 15 minutes to seven days in advance.
Grab’s Singapore country head Lim Kell Jay, 34, had told TODAY that the service would be “on demand” as a secondary option on JustGrab. The plan is to offer GrabHitch as a secondary option on GrabTaxi and GrabCar, too.
The move, he said, will see the pool of vehicles available to commuters double to more than 100,000, up from the over 50,000 vehicles when JustGrab was launched in March.
Unlike private-hire car drivers, GrabHitch drivers do not require the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence.
Last month, Grab announced it was raising US$2.5 billion (S$3.4 billion) in a record round of new fund-raising, and Mr Lim told TODAY that transport and payments were its key areas of focus.
By next month, its GrabPay payment platform will allow users to transfer credit to other users, paving the way for greater adoption of the service which the company ultimately hopes will be used in shopping and other transactions.
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Baby born during GrabCar ride in Singapore
On Monday (21 Aug), GrabCar driver Alvin Riar uploaded a Facebook post detailing his experience with a baby that was born during one of his GrabCar rides.
He shared “a story of a pickup for two that ended with a drop-off for three” that happened on 12 Aug involving new father Musaddiq Khamis and his wife Nor Liyana Noor Mohammad, who gave birth to a baby boy in his Nissan Latio en route to the National University Hospital (NUH).
Riar said Liyana appeared to be in discomfort from labour as he picked them up from their home, but was able to give birth with the assistance of her husband.
He also recounted how Musaddiq was “cool as a cucumber”, trying to keep Riar driving as calmly as possible by holding a conversation with him despite the understandably nerve-wracking situation.
Describing his unique experience, the GrabCar driver said, “I can still remember the first few cries of the baby, and myself being absolutely stunned by what had just happened. I’ll never forget Mr Musaddiq telling me with the biggest smile on his face, ‘It’s a healthy baby boy, bro.'”
A Grab spokesperson said the company plans to offer a gift to the parents and driver to mark the occasion.
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ComfortDelGro in talks to partner Uber on fleet management, booking software
The main taxi operator here, ComfortDelGro, is in talks with ride-hailing provider Uber to form a “strategic alliance”, which may include collaboration on fleet management and booking software solutions.
In an announcement on SGX on Tuesday (Aug 22), ComfortDelGro, which has about 16,000 taxis across its Comfort and CityCab brands, said the talks include making its fleet available on the Uber app.
It added that “there is no certainty or assurance” that the discussions it is having with Uber will result in an agreement or an alliance materialising.
Earlier this year, when taxi operators sought approval from the authorities to implement dynamic pricing, ComfortDelGro, which has about 60 per cent of the taxi fleet in Singapore, opted to go it alone with its own flat fare option without any tie-ups.
In contrast, five operators — SMRT Taxis, Prime Taxi, Premier Taxis, Trans-Cab and HDT Singapore Taxi — partnered rival private-hire service provider Grab to roll out a new service called JustGrab.
ownself cmi liao so wanna "uberpool"?
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ComfortDelGro shares jump after news of possible alliance with Uber http://str.sg/4ruY
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Uber upgrades app to make it easy to set up multi-stop trips
SINGAPORE — Ride-hailing provider Uber has upgraded its app to make it easier for riders to add transit stops to their journeys, among other new features.
As of Friday (Aug 25), the app lets a rider indicate additional stops — up to three — at the point of booking, and find out the total fare upfront. The app has added a “+” tab in the field for users to fill additional stops for their destinations. They may also add and remove stops during their trips. Previously, riders could only do so by changing the destination in the app after they have hopped on.
Uber said one in five riders here have added stops during their trips.
The app now also has a chat function for drivers and riders to communicate, similar to what its rival Grab has. Messages are read out to drivers, who can respond with just a quick thumbs-up emoji with one tap. Previously, driver and user had to contact each other outside of the Uber app.
The ride-hailing firm made the news earlier this week when ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, announced it is discussing a potential strategic alliance with Uber. The tie-up could include teaming up on fleet management and booking software solutions, and making ComfortDelGro’s Comfort and CityCab taxis available on the Uber app.
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Grab to expand its payment platform to allow transactions for food, retail
Grab will expand its payment platform beyond transport to allow users to pay for food, beverage, retail, entertainment and other goods and services with their GrabPay credits, the ride-hailing company said on Wednesday (Aug 30).
The move, which Grab is testing in Singapore ahead of other markets, will see the company team up with more than 1,000 merchants by the fourth quarter of this year. Grab added that it is looking to join hands with merchants that are more heavily reliant on cash payments, such as hawker stalls and small retailers.
More than three-quarters of Grab users in Singapore pay for their rides via GrabPay, according to Mr Jason Thompson, who heads the company's payment platform.
"In the coming months, they can look forward to using GrabPay to buy food or other goods and services from physical shops," he added.
The firm believes that with Grab being one of the most widely-used consumer applications, it can achieve widespread adoption of mobile payments in Singapore and around South-east Asia.
Mr Thompson said QR (quick-response) code payment is one of the options being considered by the company for transactions between consumers and merchants, although he did not provide more details.
Earlier this month, TODAY reported that Grab users will be able to transfer GrabPay credits to other users, paving the way for greater adoption of the payment platform.
Users can do so by keying in a recipient's mobile number tagged to Grab or by scanning a QR code in the Grab app if the recipient is nearby.
Grab's iOS customers can start transferring GrabPay credits to other users from Wednesday. The feature will be extended to Android users after Sept 4.
grab becoming too ambitious?
shd just stick to transport?
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Private-hire cars adding to congestion, traffic jams?
Private-hire cars clock significantly higher mileage than normal passenger cars and may be contributing to congestion here.
According to a list of cars put up for sale by Uber-owned Lion City Rentals, they average 2,145km per month - 54 per cent more than the national average for passenger cars at 1,392km.
The data is culled from 32 cars that Lion City Rentals is auctioning off. They range from six to eight years old, with the majority having clocked some 2,000km per month.
The lowest mileage was that of a Honda Airwave, which clocked around 1,312km per month. The highest was by a Honda Civic which covered 3,074km per month.
In comparison, taxis clock between three and seven times the mileage of a regular car, or about 4,000km to 9,000km per month.
The data seems to support suspicions that the private-hire industry's explosive growth is contributing to traffic congestion.
Since Uber and Grab landed here in 2013, the number of cars offering taxi-like services has grown from zero to more than 40,000 - eclipsing a taxi population of around 25,700.
Indeed, studies in US cities such as New York, San Francisco and Seattle suggest that Uber and its rival Lyft have contributed to worsening congestion. Both firms refute these observations.
I am a sceptic of the notion that private-hire vehicles are part of the sharing economy.Singapore University of Social Sciences transport researcher Park Byung Joon
Transport experts say it is hard to pinpoint the causes of congestion, as there are many - from roadworks to weather to rail breakdowns.
Yet, they are not surprised that private-hire cars are clocking such high mileages.
Singapore University of Social Sciences transport researcher Park Byung Joon said: "I am a sceptic of the notion that private-hire vehicles are part of the sharing economy. There is no sharing as it is a paid service."
National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der-Horng said: "I do notice the surge of private-hire vehicles has caused some localised congestion at places like shopping malls and office buildings."
He said it may be necessary for building owners and the regulator to come up with pick-up and drop-off points for such vehicles, "just like taxi stands".
Some motorists believe private-hire vehicles contribute to jams.
"Since the car population has fallen, I expect traffic to improve. But I find congestion has worsened in recent years," said businessman Desmond Koh, 58.
Meanwhile, used car traders say it is difficult for them to buy rental or private-hire vehicles because of their high mileage.
"How to resell? Nobody would want because of the high mileage," said one who requested anonymity because his firm supplies cars to Uber.
According to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, Uber's Lion City Rentals sold up to 1,000 cars in the last two months - some as new as a year old.
Asked why it was off-loading so many cars, an Uber spokesman said: "As part of its regular operations, Lion City Rentals regularly refreshes its fleet inventory, so that hirers can choose more of the models they prefer."
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Taxman calls on Grab, Uber drivers
Dodging the taxman will become more difficult in the gig economy, as going cashless allows for better electronic tracking of payments. And the taxman has his sights next on Uber and Grab drivers.
The Sunday Times understands that the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) has approached the two ride-hailing firms, which have amassed over 40,000 drivers since arriving here in 2013, to work out an arrangement for the drivers to file their tax returns automatically. Doing so also limits their ability to underdeclare earnings.
Unlike cabbies' earnings, the takings of ride-hailing drivers are captured by their respective phone apps.
An Iras spokesman said: "To simplify tax filing and ease compliance for our taxpayers, Iras continually seeks ways to explore initiatives with third parties and platform providers to automate the transmission of income information directly into our tax systems."
She said the authority has done the same for property and insurance agencies. "Likewise, Iras is collaborating with Uber and Grab to make it more convenient for drivers with pre-filling of their income information in their electronic tax form."
When e-filing is available, the tens of thousands of Uber and Grab drivers will be unable to avoid paying taxes or under-declaring what they earn.
Driver Elliot Lin, 32, said: "If you have to pay, you have to pay."
Mr Lin said he is driving part-time, and the extra income he draws from driving would mean "an incremental tax increase of less than $100".
Not so for others. A 50-year-old who drives for Grab and Uber and claims to be drawing around $9,000 a month said: "This is going to be a problem. Not just for me. I think a lot of drivers will have an issue. I don't think self-employed people declare their full income.
"I'm very shocked. I may go back to driving taxis."
While there is no similar arrangement for cabbies - who accept mostly cash fares - ST understands that once Singapore goes cashless, taxing taxi drivers according to their actual take-home pay should become more feasible.
Likewise, hawkers, market stallholders and other business people may not be able to dodge the taxman once cashless payments become the norm.
Iras is also reaching out to others in the so-called "sharing economy", which includes people who rent out their homes - fully or partly - via platforms such as Airbnb. Iras said it has made available information on its website on "the taxable income of those in sharing economy".
As for Uber and Grab themselves, Iras said companies are liable for corporate tax on any income just like any other company operating in Singapore. Both Uber and Grab said they were working to comply with Iras' requests.
Singapore University of Social Sciences economist Walter Theseira said: "It's only fair that people pay the same income taxes regardless of whether the money was earned through self-employment or wage employment."
He added that it was more important to look at Central Provident Fund contributions. "Self-employment through private-hire or taxi-driving is excessively attractive financially because drivers do not have to pay CPF contributions.
"This raises their take-home earnings significantly... While this may appear 'good' in the short run, it puts the drivers at risk of not being able to finance their homes, or support themselves in retirement," he said.
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Private-hire drivers should be taxed with 'fairer approach', says National Private Hire Vehicles Association
Private-hire vehicle drivers should be taxed "in a fair manner, like other businesses of a similar nature", said the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) on Tuesday (Sept 19).
In a statement, it called on the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) to review the allowable business expenses for such drivers.
NPHVA's executive secretary Mohd Randy said: "Unlike taxis, private-hire vehicle expenses such as fuel, vehicle rental fee, ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) expenses and other running expenses are, at present, not tax deductible."
This comes after The Sunday Times (Sept 17) reported that Iras had approached two ride-hailing firms, Uber and Grab, to work out an arrangement for the drivers to file their tax returns automatically.
Both firms have amassed over 40,000 drivers combined since arriving here in 2013.
While NPHVA said Iras' efforts to allow e-filing of tax returns will help drivers, especially those who spend most of their working hours on the roads or tending to vehicle-related matters, it added that these regulations should continue to be reviewed as well.
"Where a private-hire vehicle is owned by a driver, there are also other overheads such as repair, maintenance and vehicle insurance to consider," he added.
But Mr Randy conceded that there may difficulties providing tax deductibility if a vehicle is not used primarily for business.
"One possibility is to explore tax deductibility based on the mileage clocked on private hire driving, as practiced overseas," he said.
He added that NPHVA looks forward to "a fairer approach in the treatment of income from private-hire vehicle driving, and stands ready to discuss this further with Iras".
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What’s wrong with Uber?
The rise of San Francisco-based Uber has been meteoric. Personal transportation in many of the world’s cities has been revolutionised with increasing numbers of users being attracted to the ride-hailing company’s services.
A survey conducted last year by the Public Transport Council, a statutory body that acts as an advisor to Singapore’s Minister for transport, found that Singaporeans were very satisfied with Uber’s performance.
Predictably, the greatest advantage that Uber offers is its ease of booking. The survey found that rival Grab and Uber jointly scored 8.1 on a scale of 10 for their ease of booking. Singapore’s traditional taxis scored a respectable, but lower, 7.2 on this criteria.
Despite Uber’s success in Singapore, the company is facing a host of difficulties and has been in the public eye in the recent past for all the wrong reasons
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Allegations of technology theft
Google has filed a suit against Uber, saying that the latter has stolen its patents and trade secrets connected with its self-driving car project. Anthony Levandowski was a key member of Google’s car project. Soon after leaving Google, he founded Otto, a company specialising in driverless trucks. Subsequently, Otto was bought by Uber in a US$680 million deal.
What did Levandowski do to attract the lawsuit? Google says that he used a Google-issued laptop and “downloaded over 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary design files” before leaving the company. Uber denies that it has used stolen technology for its driverless car project.
Senior management exodus
Uber has lost a several of its top staff members even as it battles mounting losses, regulatory issues, and allegations of harbouring a toxic and misogynistic work culture. Jeff Jones, president of ride sharing and second-in-command of the company has left, while other high-profile departures include that of Brian McClendon, president of maps and business platform at Uber.
Travis Kalanick, chief executive of Uber, says that he is looking for a Chief Operating Officer, “a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey.”
This follows a well-established practice in the tech industry where experienced executives are recruited to provide the top management with a degree of maturity and stability. Eric Schmidt played that role at Google as did Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook.
Rivals form cross-border alliances to fight Uber
How do local competitors fight Uber, which has an international presence? This map gives an idea about Uber’s global footprint.
Source: Bloomberg
To combat Uber, its rivals entered into cross-border alliances that permit their users to seamlessly switch over to the partner company’s services when travelling out of the country.
Grab, a ride-hailing company with a presence in Southeast Asia has partnered with San Francisco’s Lyft to offer its users local services when travelling to the US. This facility is available in over 200 cities where Lyft operates.
But battling Uber will not be easy. When Uber wants to launch its services in a new city, it simply makes its app available after making minor adjustments. Rival companies have to carry out extensive changes to their apps and their computer programs when they enter into tie-ups.
But is the company making any money?
As Uber is privately held, it does not publish its financial data. But a Bloomberg report points out that the company is expected to report a loss of US$3 billion in 2016. However, revenues are still climbing, although at a slower pace than earlier. In the third quarter of 2016, the company made bookings, the value of fares that passengers pay, of US$5.4 billion. This was more than the US$5 billion in the previous quarter and US$3.8 billion in the first quarter of the year.
Why has revenue growth slowed? In the middle of last year, Uber withdrew from the huge Chinese market after coming to an understanding with local rival Didi Chuxing.
But the mounting losses do not seem to have deterred Uber’s investors. The company is reportedly valued at a staggering US$69 billion.
Is it even safe to take an Uber ride?
Source: Shutterstock
While the vast majority of the millions of trips that riders take in Uber vehicles are safe, some disconcerting news has emerged from Massachusetts in the US.
Last year in November, Lyft and Uber agreed to allow the state authorities to carry out background checks on their drivers. The usual practice is that the ride-hailing companies carry out their own checks.
Of the 70,000 drivers who applied, over 10% were rejected. Over 1,500 drivers were denied the approval to drive a ride-hailing taxi because of violent crime charges. Among the other reasons for rejections were earlier driving offences, felony convictions, and sex offences.
The ride-hailing companies look only at the past seven years records of their drivers because Massachusetts law does not allow consumer reporting agencies to look back further than this period. The state does not have this restriction and this could be a reason that some of the drivers failed the background check.
What does the future hold for Uber?
Uber’s problems seemed to have peaked in February this year when CEO Travis Kalanick was recorded berating an Uber driver by a camera mounted in the car. He later apologised for his outburst and, in an email to his employees, said, “I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up.”
Despite the multitude of issues facing the company, Uber is still the most valuable private firm in the world. Its taxi app is ranked #1 in 108 countries. If it can ride out its current problems, it is likely that the firm will continue to dominate the ride-hailing industry in the coming years.
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Car rental firms offer salary, leave for Uber drivers
Terms like a monthly salary, Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, medical coverage and annual leave have been dangled as carrots to entice potential Uber drivers.
Last week, the ride-hailing firm announced on its website that its "exclusive fleet partners" - car rental companies which lease cars to Uber drivers - are hiring full-time and part-time drivers as employees.
The New Paper found at least six car rental firms which have been trying to recruit drivers through ads on their Facebook page and websites like Carousell and Gumtree from as early as July.
Car rental firm AMV started hiring such drivers last November and now has more than 300 drivers.
The terms offered by the rental companies differ - most offer a fixed salary of at least $2,500 a month if the driver makes a minimum of 125-135 trips a week, with incentives given for each extra trip after they hit the target.
The driver also keeps the car without paying for rental, and gets an allowance for petrol and parking.
An Uber spokesman reiterated that these "driver-partners" are not employees of Uber, but that this is part of their continuous efforts to promote flexible earning opportunities for all.
She added: "We are helping interested drivers be aware of possible employment options with fleet partners, as a way to drive with Uber."
Car rental firms told TNP that they have been getting many enquiries.
They also said that offering employment opportunities was an alternative to slashing rental rates in the increasingly cut-throat industry.
According to Land Transport Authority data, there were more than 65,000 rental cars on the roads last month, more than double the number in 2015.
Mr Desmond Wong, 43, managing director of SD Progress, which has 10 to 20 drivers, said that the employment model will be more attractive after recent reports that the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has approached the ride-hailing firms to require their drivers to file their taxes automatically.
Unlike taxis, expenses such as fuel, vehicle rental fees, and Electronic Road Pricing charges are not tax-deductible for private-hire cars, noted the National Private Hire Vehicles Association.
Mr Wong added: "One of my drivers told me that he is more disciplined now because there is a quota to meet, unlike when he was a freelance driver."
Mr Derrick Ho, 46, manager of YSC Premium, which employs more than 100 drivers, said that some drivers are attracted to the employment scheme because they can't afford to pay the deposit, or want to try out the job without getting locked into a rental contract.
Transport experts said that some private-hire drivers might be enticed by the stability of this employment model, given its "respectable" salary and benefits like CPF contributions.
Assistant Professor Terence Fan of Singapore Management University said: "The aggressive marketing of Grab and Uber has raised the profile of private-hire drivers, and it is now seen as (just) another job.
"But the ride-hailing company also has to ensure that there is sufficient demand to allocate rides to the drivers."
Singapore University of Social Sciences economist Walter Theseira pointed out that the pool of private-hire drivers might decrease as the job market recovers.
"The industry also recognises that there is an excess of vehicles, but too few drivers," he added.
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#GrabRewards can be converted to #Krisflyer miles as #SIA, #Grab announce new partnership http://bit.ly/2fKzCw0
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3,000 Comfort cabbies defect to Grab
More than 3,000 ComfortDelGro taxi drivers have signed up with Grab over the past month, the ride-hailing firm revealed yesterday, with the majority choosing to switch to become private-hire car drivers.
Last month, Grab began offering ComfortDelGro cabbies aggressive rental discounts - $50 a day, or about $1,500 a month, to join one of its partner taxi firms, or up to $1,688 a month to sign up as a driver with its private-hire car service GrabCar.
Grab's salvo came after ComfortDelGro - the largest taxi operator here - announced in August that it was in talks with Grab's American rival Uber for a possible partnership.
In March, five taxi operators - SMRT, Trans-Cab, Premier, Prime and HDT Singapore Taxi - announced a partnership with Grab, a move that introduced upfront fares and dynamic pricing for cabs here.
Only ComfortDelGro held out, introducing its own upfront pricing option on its mobile app a month later.
While Grab said that the current promotion, which had received "strong interest", would end today, observers said the ride-hailing firm could continue offering such deals to entice ComfortDelGro cabbies in the future.
National University of Singapore professor Lee Der Horng, who specialises in transportation systems, said Grab could afford to do so, noting that it had already raised almost $3 billion in its latest round of funding.
MORE INCENTIVES
"I do not rule out the possibility of Grab offering even more incentives should the partnership between ComfortDelGro and Uber go through," he said.
Singapore University of Social Sciences transport researcher Park Byung Joon said: "To compete with Grab, ComfortDelGro has to decide whether it is willing to spend as much (as Grab) to attract and retain drivers, and stop its market share from eroding further."
ComfortDelGro did not respond to The Straits Times' request for comments regarding this latest development by press time.
Grab's announcement came even as the latest figures from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) show that the taxi population here has continued its downward trend, dropping to a seven-year low of 24,863 as of August.
ComfortDelGro's combined cab numbers - under its Comfort and CityCab brands - also dropped, to 15,127 from a high of 17,143 in April last year.
In comparison, the number of chauffeur-driven private-hire cars stands at 42,000 as of July.
In July, The Straits Times reported that the number of idle taxis hit 9.1 per cent in the first five months of this year, almost double as compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, as of Monday, the LTA has approved 53,000 private-hire car driver's vocational licence applications, since it began accepting applications in March.
This is more than half the number of taxi driver's vocational licence holders, which currently stands at 97,467, down from 100,271 in January this year.
Dr Park, however, believes that the number of applications will slow down in the near future.
"This won't go on for too long," he said.
"The private-hire car market is already very saturated."
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Dear all, I would like to share my 2 articles I published in REACH. Please share your options, comments. Thanks!
https://www.reach.gov.sg/participate/discussion-forum/2017/10/14/innovation-versus-regulation-4-years-on-my-perspective-on-privatelyhired-vehicles-phvs-part-1-of-2#
https://www.reach.gov.sg/participate/discussion-forum/2017/10/14/innovation-versus-regulation-4-years-on-my-perspective-on-privatelyhired-vehicles-phvs-part-2-of-2#
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Grab testing out a flat membership fee that will give riders ‘surge-free’ rates http://bit.ly/2yLLrXP
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Grab, in second salvo at ComfortDelGro, offers to scrap 20% commission for cabbies who switch
In a second major attempt at luring drivers from Singapore’s largest taxi operator, Grab is offering to scrap the 20 per cent commission it takes for every ride completed by its drivers and charge ComfortDelGro drivers who make the switch just 60 cents per ride.
To further entice the drivers to jump ship, the ride-hailing firm is also offering heavy rental and fuel discounts, as well as the option to choose incentives such as a minimum S$10 fare for every trip.
Grab’s latest offer was sent via text messages to thousands of ComfortDelGro drivers on Monday (November 6) afternoon.
Responding to queries from TODAY, a spokesperson for Grab confirmed the authenticity of the message circulating among cabbies, and said the ride-hailing company decided to launch their latest initiative following “successful results” from their first campaign in September.
Their first effort, which offered significantly cheaper rentals, convinced over 3,000 ComfortDelGro drivers to switch to Grab or its five partner taxi operators: Trans-Cab, Prime Taxi, SMRT Taxis, Premier and HDT Singapore Taxi.
ComfortDelGro has seen the size of its fleet plummet in recent months.
According to the latest figures published by the Land Transport Authority, ComfortDelGro had 14,823 Comfort and CityCab taxis on its books in September — including those sitting idle — the lowest since September 2007.
It lost 304 taxis between August and September.
TODAY has reached out to ComfortDelGro for comments.
Grab’s latest offer has generated some debate online among private-hire drivers, with one likening it to a declaration of “war” against ComfortDelGro.
A copy of the message sent to the cabbies read: “60 cents? Yes! That’s what you pay for every trip! Grab is proud to introduce to all Comfort cabbies our brand new deals that were designed by you!”
In addition, Grab is offering a 25 per cent discount on fuel at all Shell petrol stations island-wide, and daily car rentals starting from S$56.
While taxi rentals may vary as a result of factors such as rebates, drivers had previously indicated to TODAY that they pay between S$109 to S$122 for a Hyundai cab daily.
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Uber lands investment from Singapore's largest taxi operator in blow to rival Grab
Uber has struck a major deal in Southeast Asia after ComfortDelGro, Singapore's largest taxi operator, announced [PDF] it has agreed to buy a majority share of the ride-hailing giant's Singapore-based business.
The deal will see a joint venture valued at SG$642 million (US$474 million) established to run Uber Singapore. Comfort will contribute SG$295 million in what is the largest investment outlay in its forty-plus-year history.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval, but if and when completed it will give Uber exclusive access to Comfort's fleet of more than 15,000 vehicles in Singapore. That would more than double Uber's drive numbers in Singapore. While its fleet has decreased over the past year, Comfort -- which also operates the CityCab brand -- has a dominant share of Singapore's total of 25,325 taxis.
"ComfortDelGro has been in the taxi business for close to five decades and we have seen the industry evolve significantly. Despite the many changes that have taken place, taxis have remained a relevant option for people get around the city. The question many have been asking is: For how long?" ComfortDelGro Chairman Lim Jit Poh said in a statement.
"We are confident that taxis will be around for a long time to come. But we are also aware
that the personalised mobility business is a very different one now. By working
together, we feel that we will be able to unleash a lot of synergy which will benefit
consumers and drivers alike," he added.Comfort, which is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, announced it was in talks with Uber over a "potential strategic alliance" in August so the tie-in doesn't come out of the blue. Following that disclosure, however, Uber's fierce rival Grab began aggressively approaching Comfort drivers with the aim of converting them to its platform. Singapore-based Today suggested that as many as 2,000 drivers were considering jumping ship, but Grab's efforts haven't scuppered the deal itself.
The deal Comfort is part of a new focus on business development from Uber's recently appointed Asia Pacific chief Brooks Entwistle. A former Chairman of Goldman Sachs Southeast Asia, Entwistle told TechCrunch in a recent interview that he is focused on doing deals with governments, taxi firms and other entities that would traditionally be more akin to foes than friends of Uber.
To that end, Uber has struck deals with taxi firms in Taiwan, it inked its first mobile wallet deal in Southeast Asia with Vietnam's Momo, and it is looking into the potential to enter the bike sharing space, Entwistle said.
The Comfort deal is a major blow to Grab, which is estimated to have built a fleet of around 10,000 drivers in Singapore. The company was originally founded in Malaysia but it now counts Singapore as its HQ. Grab raised $2 billion from SoftBank and China's Didi Chuxing in July and, while reliable market data is hard to find, most observers believe the firm has edged ahead of Uber in overall marketshare across Southeast Asia.
If Uber can hunt down influential alliances like this deal with Comfort in the other six markets where it rivals Grab in Southeast Asia then the battle is likely to be even more competitive in the future.
- This article originally appeared on TechCrunch.
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Uber's 2016 data breach affected 380,000 in Singapore, biggest reported breach here
Personal information of 380,000 riders and drivers of ride-sharing app Uber in Singapore - including names, e-mail addresses, and mobile phone numbers - were exposed in the app's data breach in 2016, making it the largest reported breach here to date.
In a statement uploaded on Uber's help page, the company said individual riders do not need to take action as the company has not seen evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident.
The data breach incident, which occured in October 2016, saw hackersstealing the personal data of about 57 million riders and drivers globally. Uber only disclosed the hack a year later, on Nov 21, 2017.
Information such as trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or dates of birth were not exposed, according to Uber's outside forensics experts.
The story is developing.
