SINGAPORE: Customers of Singapore's largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro (CDG) will soon face cancellation and waiting fees of at least S$3 (US$2.33).

The new policy will be rolled out on Jul 31, but there will be a "waiver period", said ComfortDelGro. Therefore, customers will only be charged cancellation fees from Sep 1 and the waiting fee from Oct 15.

The waiver period will allow customers to be familiar with the policy, adapt their booking habits and provide feedback to ComfortDelGro, it said.

According to ComfortDelGro's website, a customer can cancel up to four rides per month if their driver has not arrived at the pickup point. A S$4 fee applies if they have used up this monthly quota.

If the taxi has arrived at the pickup point, the customer will have to pay a S$4 fee if they cancel. This is regardless of their monthly quota.

If a customer has not shown up at a pickup point for over five minutes after their taxi arrives, they will be subject to a S$5 no-show fee.

ComfortDelGro's new waiting fee policy states that customers will not be charged for the first four minutes of waiting.

After that time limit, S$3 will be added to their fare for every additional five minutes of waiting, up to a maximum of S$9.

Customers using cashless payment methods will have their cancellation fees automatically deducted. For those using cash, the cancellation fee will be added to their next ride's fare.

Waiting fees are automatically added to fares at the end of the trip.

HOW FEES WILL BE INCURRED

Additional scenarios where customers may incur a cancellation fee include when the driver cancels after waiting for more than five minutes at the pick-up point and when the customer's suitcase exceeds the stated capacity of their selected vehicle.

According to information on ComfortDelGro's website, drivers will only be allowed to cancel rides when they are shown to be at the pickup location according to GPS data and when they have waited for over five minutes.

"Our policies are in force to ensure that both parties are treated fairly," it said.

Customers who feel they were wrongly charged for a fee can call the taxi operator's hotline at 65524525 or use the in-app message function in the CDG Zig app.

The waiver period will help drivers and passengers "get familiar with the changes", said ComfortDelGro.

The company added that it was implementing this policy on its app "to boost reliability and ensure fairness for all our users".

"Cancellation and waiting fees help compensate drivers fairly for their time and effort.

"This policy also encourages more responsible booking and cancellation habits, improving the overall experience for everyone on the platform and aligning us with prevailing industry practices," the operator said.

ComfortDelGro said that only one of the cancellation or no-show fees will apply in one instance.

Customers will incur a waiting fee only if they complete the ride and vice versa, while cancellation or no-show fees will only apply if the trip is not completed.

On Monday, several users on the CDG Zig app reported that they had received a notification informing them of the fee, which "applies for last-minute cancellations and extended wait times". 

The notification also stated: "Thank you for valuing our drivers' time."

Later, another notification to users stated that "the new cancellation policy is not live yet".

ComfortDelGro said that the launch date and further details of the policy would be shared soon, apologising to users for the confusion.

Ride-hailing companies also have similar charges.

Grab, for instance, has a free cancellation period of three minutes for most rides booked on its platform.

A S$4 fee applies if a passenger cancels a booking more than three minutes after getting a driver. This applies to service types including JustGrab, standard taxi, GrabCar, Grabcar Premium and GrabFamily.

Passengers will also be charged S$3 per block of five minutes of waiting time for most ride types, if they keep the driver waiting for longer than three minutes.

Gojek users are given a grace period of four minutes from when they have been matched to a driver before a cancellation fee of S$4 is applied.

They are also charged if their driver has already arrived or if the driver cancels after arriving and waiting for more than four minutes.

An initial waiting fee of S$3 applies for Gocar and GocarXL passengers if a driver has waited more than four minutes. Another S$3 subsequently applies for every five additional minutes, with the total capped at S$9.