All ComfortDelGro cab drivers may now spend less time driving around for passengers and earn better with the launch of a new service by Uber Singapore today (18 January 2018).
Called UberFLASH, the new service matches commuters with the nearest ComfortDelGro taxis or uberX vehicles.
In a media release, Uber Singapore said that fares for UberFLASH rides will be, on average, 5–10 per cent lower than a regular uberX ride. The new service will be activated from 6am on 19 January 2018.
Speaking at the launch, Uber Singapore General Manager Warren Tseng said: “Technology can help use existing resources more efficiently. For riders, it means having options for fast, reliable and affordable rides. At the same time, Uber driver-partners and ComfortDelGro taxi drivers can now look forward to better-earning opportunities.”
ComfortDelGro Taxi’s CEO Ang Wei Neng said that UberFLASH will be the first in a series of collaborative efforts between them and Uber Singapore.
Opportunities for Cabbies
On how the new service will impact the livelihoods of taxi drivers, National Taxi Association Executive Advisor Ang Hin Kee said: “Other third-party operators and taxi operators are already exercising such an arrangement. Many of the drivers there found it convenient to use as it allowed them to reach out to a group of commuters that they previously may not have had access to.”
Mr Ang added that many ComfortDelGro drivers are looking forward to serving a new group of commuters. He also gave feedback that many ComfortDelGro drivers are hoping to receive incentives for clocking a certain amount of jobs – which they did not receive previously on a conventional taxi model – to supplement their income.
ComfortDelgro taxi driver Frankie Chew welcomed the opportunities that come with the new service.
“With the new UberFLASH, I can get even more jobs, so this is definitely good news,” said Mr Chew, who has been a cabby for the past 20 years.