As petrol costs go up, Singapore’s taxi operators have already raised fares, making it more costly to flag one down.
Now, private-hire rides are set to also be more expensive on Gojek, as the company announced an increase to its starting fare by $0.50 or $0.80.
On top of that, they’ll also charge a temporary flat “driver fee” to help their driver-partners cope with rising costs.
The increase in Gojek starting fares for will take effect from 31 Mar, said the company in a press release seen by Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
For all GoCar rides, they’ll be $0.50 more expensive.
But for GoCar Premium and GoCar XL, the price increase will be $0.80.
However, GoTaxi rides will not be affected.
The driver fee will also be rolled out on 31 Mar, Gojek said.
While it’s only temporary, customers will have to be prepared to fork out for no less than 2 months, as they said it’ll be in effect “until at least May 31”.
How much you’ll have to pay depends in distance – if your trip is less than 10km, the flat fee is $0.50.
However, if you’re travelling more than 10km, an $0.80 driver fee is payable.
Again, GoTaxi rides won’t be affected as they go by meter.
The reason for Gojek’s driver fee is to support the earnings of their driver-partners, the company said.
It’s also to help them cope with rising costs, including fuel and operating.
As such, the temporary fee that customers must pay won’t be subject to their prevailing commission rates.
Thus, that means 100% of the extra amount will go to the drivers.
This move is just the latest one that supports their drivers, Gojek said, as in Jun 2021 they said they’ll cut their driver service fees to 10% till end-2022 at least.
As for customers, to help offset the rising fares, all trips will still be eligible for Gojek’s 925 promotion.
The ongoing offer refers to the magic time period of 9am-5pm on weekdays, where customers may save 50% on 5 rides, to a maximum discount of $5.
Gojek Singapore general manager Lien Choong Luen acknowledged that the company knows rising costs of living affects all their users.
Thus, he said they don’t take any decision to change fares lightly, adding,
We remain focused on ensuring we provide safe and reliable rides at fair and competitive prices for both riders and driver partners.
For those who take taxis and private-hire rides frequently, it might be frustrating to have to pay more.
This is especially since Gojek already added a $0.70 platform fee about 2 years ago.
However, that was before the pandemic and Ukraine conflict, and their drivers are now feeling the pinch from the after effects.
If you think Gojek drivers deserve more for their sterling service, perhaps a few cents might not be too much.
Do you think the latest price increase is reasonable? Do share your thoughts with us.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image by Tech In Asia on Facebook.
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