On 17th March 2017, SMRT Taxis announced that they had signed an exclusive partnership with Grab, the leading ride-hailing platform in Southeast Asia. Both SMRT Taxis and Grab offer dynamic fixed fares via a new Grab service that I would be sharing in another article post.
Here are some key information and details from the SMRT Taxis announcement of their exclusive partnership with Grab –
- All SMRT taxi drivers to use Grab as the only ride-hailing app for taxi bookings. Both companies are also collaborating to offer customers dynamic fixed fares for their taxi trips booked via Grab.
- The dynamic fixed fare scheme, via a new Grab service which will launch soon, lets customers know the fare for their intended trip before the start of the journey. Dynamic fixed fares are displayed upfront, and already accounts for travel time, distance, booking fees, and real-time demand and supply for taxis. SMRT taxi drivers who accept bookings via this new Grab service enjoy fixed, competitive fares for their service.
- Metered fares continue to apply for street-hail pickups as well as phone and GrabTaxi bookings.
Mr Tony Heng, Managing Director for SMRT Taxis and Private Hire Services said: “The market has evolved and matured significantly, and more customers are now open to having dynamic fixed fares for their taxi rides. This partnership with Grab allows us to keep the pricing for our services competitive, catering to different customer needs and preferences. In addition to our SMRT Taxi booking app and hotline, Grab’s platform will expand our taxi hirers’ access to meeting customer demands.”
Melvin Vu, Head of GrabTaxi Singapore said: “Grab has been engaging the authorities since December on implementing dynamic fixed fares for taxis, and we are glad that they have given the green light. The current taxi fare model does not account for real-time passenger demand and driver supply, which often means that passengers pay a surcharge even when there are many available taxis within the vicinity. Dynamic fixed fares ensure that taxis are better utilised throughout the day and passengers enjoy more affordable rides based on real-time market demands, while not eliminating metered fares. We look forward to working with SMRT Taxis and our partnering operators to start bringing the benefits of dynamic fixed fares to the community soon.”
*Information courtesy of SMRT Taxis and Grab Southeast Asia*