Over 1,000 ComfortDelGro cabbies express interest in Grab’s latest offer

SINGAPORE – More than 1,000 ComfortDelGro drivers have indicated their interest in making the switch to Grab or its five partner taxi operators, the ride-hailing firm said on Thursday (Nov 9), some 72 hours after it announced a fresh attempt at poaching drivers from Singapore’s largest taxi operator.

Grab’s latest offer, sent out to thousands of cabbies via text messages on Monday (Nov 06) afternoon, came after it successfully lured over 3,000 ComfortDelGro drivers with a campaign in September offering significant rental discounts.

The ride-hailing firm upped the ante in its latest offer by offering to scrap the 20 per cent commission it takes for every ride completed by its drivers. Instead, it will charge ComfortDelGro drivers who make the switch just 60 cents per ride.

Cabbies who switch over will also enjoy heavy rental and fuel discounts, as well as the option to choose incentives such as a minimum of S$10 fare for every trip, Grab said.

TODAY understands that the 1,000 ComfortDelGro drivers who have contacted Grab in recent days have mostly asked about the latest offer, and have not all made the crossover. The first step to making such a switch would be to sign up for a Grab driver account.

Grab did not provide a deadline for its latest offer.

Its first campaign was extended three times after its launch in September. By the time the offer ended on Oct 7, more than 3,000 ComfortDelGro drivers had jumped ship to Grab or its five partner taxi operators: Trans-Cab, Prime Taxi, SMRT Taxis, Premier and HDT Singapore Taxi.

One driver, who only wanted to be known as Jimmy, 39, was among the first few to make the switch on Monday, hours after Grab launched its latest offer.

The cabbie, who has been driving with ComfortDelGro for about three years but gets half his monthly earnings from Grab bookings, said he had to pay a S$1,000 penalty for prematurely ending his contract with the taxi operator. The contract allowed him to enjoy reduced rental rates but required him to stay with ComfortDelGro until next year.

“I decided to pay them and just move on … It’s rather hard to get a decent earning (through) street hails or even bookings from (ComfortDelGro),” added Jimmy, who was drawn to Grab’s offer to charge just 60 cents per ride.

When TODAY visited Grab’s office at Sin Ming Lane on Wednesday (Nov 08), a handful of ComfortDelGro drivers had turned up to find out more about Grab’s latest deal.

One driver who only wanted to be known as Mr Lim, 52, said he was keen on making the switch to Grab because the recent offer was “too good to pass”. But he wanted to find out how long the benefits and perks would last.

Another driver, who only gave his name as Mr Gan, 66, said he decided against crossing over after talking to a Grab staff for half an hour on Wednesday.

He was initially lured by the claim that Grab drivers could earn about S$7,000 a month. But after he made his own calculations, including the rental and fuel costs, he reckoned that he would not be earning more than what he is taking home right now.

“When we drive taxi, to me, it’s for the earnings, not to pass time,” added Mr Gan.