SINGAPORE — Commuters flagging down ComfortDelGro’s Mercedes limousine cabs and MaxiCabs will have to pay more in metered fares starting from May 13, the taxi operator announced in a notice printed in The Straits Times yesterday.

While the flag-down fare for the limo services remains the same at S$3.90 for the first kilometre, customers will have to pay 30 cents for every 400m thereafter up to 10km, and 30 cents every 350m after 10km. For every 45 seconds of waiting, the fare also increases by 30 cents. Currently, the meter jumps by 22 cents for all three components during a taxi ride.

In response to TODAY’s queries, ComfortDelGro Group Corporate Communications Officer Tammy Tan said: “The fare adjustments to our limo fleet have been proposed to align them to current market rates. Fares on our normal taxis remain unchanged.”

The operator — currently the largest here — had 850 Mercedes limo cabs and MaxiCabs in its fleet as of October last year.

Other operators TODAY contacted, such as SMRT and Premier Taxis, said they currently have no plans to raise fares for their limousine cabs, which also start at S$3.90 at flag-down and jump by 22 cents subsequently.

Taxi operators here last revised their overall fare structures in December 2011, with ComfortDelGro taking the lead in doing so.

Then, flag-down fares had increased by between 7 and 22 per cent depending on the cab model, while peak hour surcharges were extended by an hour on weekdays and to Sundays and public holidays.