It seems like we’re always entering each new year with new price hikes – but with Singapore being one of the most expensive cities in the world, does anything really surprise us at this point? In 2024, our New Year’s ‘gift’ was a GST increase. For 2025, we’re not just saying hello to additional charges for McDonald’s condiments like curry sauce – there’s also going to be an increase in platform fees on various ride-hailing apps.
This includes apps like Grab, Gojek, Tada, and CDG Zig by ComfortDelGro. Read on to see exactly how much more you’ll be paying to cruise around the island by cab.
New increased ride-hailing platform fees in Singapore:
- CDG Zig: $1 to $1.20 (previously 70 cents)
- Grab: 90 cents (previously 70 cents)
- Gojek: 90 cents to $1.50 (previously 60 cents to $1)
- Tada: $1.05 to $1.25 (previously 55 cents to 75 cents)
In short, the biggest increase on the list is 50 cents, and you can expect to fork out up to $1.50 more for each ride from January 1, 2025 onwards.
Do note that this is on top of other charges including GST and drivers’ fees. The latter tends to range from 50 to 80 cents, depending on the platform used and distance travelled.
While these sums may sound negligible at best, the small cents and dollars do add up to quite a significant sum over time.
It is not known as to whether Ryde will also be following suit, as there has been no word on that at time of writing.
Why are ride-hailing app platform fees in Singapore increasing?
Many have questioned the need for such platform fee hikes. According to Grab, these additional charges are meant to help contribute to its drivers’ Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts, along with corporate welfare benefits including compensation for injuries and other mishaps.
However, plenty of consumers remain unconvinced, with many questioning why they should be the ones carrying the burden of such costs on behalf of the various ride-hailing corporations, especially since base fares have only increased steadily over the years with the disruption of the private hire taxi market.
What gives? At least we have a solid public transport system, made even better with the seven new Thomson-East Coast Line MRT stations and the freshly opened Punggol Coast MRT station. That said, public transport fares have also just increased by 10 cents, as of December 28. Oh well.
Guess the only thing we can do now is to wait for another round of CDC voucher handouts to help defray the costs of living in other aspects. In the meantime, check out our compilations of fun and free date ideas in Singapore and cheap but good food under $10 so you can still have a great time in the city without emptying your pockets.
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