SINGAPORE — In a second major attempt at luring drivers from Singapore’s largest taxi operator, Grab is offering to scrap the 20 per cent commission it takes for every ride completed by its drivers and charge ComfortDelGro drivers who make the switch just 60 cents per ride.


To further entice the drivers to jump ship, the ride-hailing firm is also offering heavy rental and fuel discounts, as well as the option to choose incentives such as a minimum S$10 fare for every trip.
Grab’s latest offer was sent via text messages to thousands of ComfortDelGro drivers on Monday (November 6) afternoon. 


Responding to queries from TODAY, a spokesperson for Grab confirmed the authenticity of the message circulating among cabbies, and said the ride-hailing company decided to launch their latest initiative following “successful results” from their first campaign in September.


Their first effort, which offered significantly cheaper rentals, convinced over 3,000 ComfortDelGro drivers to switch to Grab or its five partner taxi operators: Trans-Cab, Prime Taxi, SMRT Taxis, Premier and HDT Singapore Taxi.
ComfortDelGro has seen the size of its fleet plummet in recent months.

According to the latest figures published by the Land Transport Authority, ComfortDelGro had 14,823 Comfort and CityCab taxis on its books in September — including those sitting idle — the lowest since September 2007.

It lost 304 taxis between August and September.
TODAY has reached out to ComfortDelGro for comments.
Grab’s latest offer has generated some debate online among private-hire drivers, with one likening it to a declaration of “war” against ComfortDelGro.


A copy of the message sent to the cabbies read: “60 cents? Yes! That’s what you pay for every trip! Grab is proud to introduce to all Comfort cabbies our brand new deals that were designed by you!”
In addition, Grab is offering a 25 per cent discount on fuel at all Shell petrol stations island-wide, and daily car rentals starting from S$56. 


While taxi rentals may vary as a result of factors such as rebates, drivers had previously indicated to TODAY that they pay between S$109 to S$122 for a Hyundai cab daily.