Gojek to raise start fares, charge 'driver fee' from March 31

SINGAPORE - Trips on Gojek will cost more from March 31, with the ride-hailing firm raising start fares and charging a 50 cent temporary flat fee on all trips under 10km and 80 cents for longer distances.

The start fare for all GoCar trips will cost 50 cents more, while GoCar Premium and GoCar XL services will be 80 cents more expensive, said Gojek on Saturday (March 19).

It added that the temporary "driver fee" is to support its driver-partners' earnings and help them cope with rising fuel and operating costs.

The fee will apply to all GoCar, GoCar Premium and GoCar XL rides, and is expected to remain in place till May 31.

Taxi group ComfortDelGro, as well as taxi operators Trans-Cab, Prime Taxi, Premier Taxis and Strides Taxi, had earlier announced higher fares starting this month.

The rises impact flag-down fares and metered charges.

Taxi operators had previously said that inflation and fuel prices have been increasing since mid-2020 and ridership remains lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic, all of which affect cabbies.

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Russia's invasion of Ukraine has further impacted pump prices here.

Gojek said that the driver fee is an addition to the incentives and measures, such as a reduction in service fees to 10 per cent on all rides, that were announced last year to support driver-partners and help them take home more earnings per trip.

Mr Lien Choong Luen, general manager of Gojek Singapore, said: "Our driver-partners are the backbone of the Gojek platform and our priority is on maintaining their welfare and ensuring that they can build a sustainable livelihood on our platform.

"Rising costs at the pumps directly impact our driver-partners' ability to work and earn, and we've heard first-hand the challenges they're facing.

"The introduction of this fee will help provide much-needed financial support and earnings protection for them."

To help consumers, up to five Gojek trips from 9am to 5pm on weekdays will still be eligible for a 50 per cent shaving off the fares, subject to a maximum discount of $5.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, ride-hailing rival Grab said it will continue to find ways to support its driver- and delivery-partners to mitigate the rise in operational costs.

"Currently, our driver- and delivery-partners have access to fuel rebates, and we have just introduced a three-month commission rebate of 5 per cent for the first 199 completed trips to help our qualifying driver-partners defray some of their costs," said a spokesman.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.