ComfortDelGro, SMRT undertake initiatives to help their cabbies take on food delivery jobs

Singapore

TRANSPORT operators ComfortDelGro Corp and SMRT are helping their cabbies - hit by dwindling passenger numbers - by tying up with food establishments to do delivery runs.

ComfortDelGro has launched a dedicated food and beverage (F&B) delivery service, ComfortDelivery.

F&B outlets can now sign up for an account at cdgtaxi.com.sg/comfortdelivery to have immediate access to a fleet of 10,000 taxis.

ComfortDelivery will be available daily from 9 am to 10 pm. It was set up to support the group's taxi drivers during the novel coronavirus pandemic and, in particular, Singapore's ongoing 'circuit-breaker' period.

The service has been on trial since last Thursday, to familiarise cabbies and F&B outlets with the system and iron out any teething problems, ComfortDelGro said on Wednesday.

Deliveries will be charged a distance-based rate starting from S$6.50 per trip. Outlets that book cabbies for two drop-off locations in a single booking will pay a discounted rate starting from S$8.50.

All fees go directly to the taxi drivers' pockets, ComfortDelGro said. There will be no fee imposed on the cabbies or the F&B outlets during the 'circuit-breaker' period which ends on June 1.

F&B businesses with more than one outlet will need to set up separate accounts for each pick-up location.

At any one time, about 20 orders - with up to three different destinations per order - can be made.

Cabbies will bid for the delivery jobs via the ComfortDelivery Driver app. Upon collection, the outlet simply pays the taxi driver through PayNow or cash. The app also tracks the location of the taxi and the time when the driver delivers the order.

Ang Wei Neng, chief executive officer of ComfortDelGro Taxi, said: "As a company we are not taking any fee from either the F&B outlets or the cabbies during the 'circuit-breaker' period. What the merchant pays is what the cabby receives."

With ComfortDelivery, the company aims to give F&B businesses access to a fast, reliable and affordable service, while helping its cabbies earn extra income "during these very challenging times", Mr Ang added.

Unlike food delivery platforms where consumers order food through the apps, ComfortDelivery caters for merchants' use. After an F&B outlet receives orders through its own system, it can visit the ComfortDelivery website to arrange for delivery.

ComfortDelGro also announced two weeks ago that some of its taxi drivers will deliver groceries for RedMart, Lazada's online supermarket. More than 1,000 drivers had indicated their interest for the temporary role, ComfortDelGro said on April 14. The RedMart initiative and other such tie-ups will run concurrently with ComfortDelivery.

Shares of ComfortDelGro closed flat at S$1.55 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, SMRT Taxis has been expanding its collaborations with F&B operators to take on delivery orders. "We have also received interest from other F&B providers to collaborate with us on deliveries," Tony Heng, senior vice-president of SMRT Road, told The Business Times on Wednesday.

So far, SMRT has recruited 400 taxi drivers to support its F&B partners, including restaurant reservation firm Chope which recently joined the initiative.

It aims to recruit over 500 drivers in total to support these delivery tie-ups.

"We continue to match interested drivers with F&B partners, and work alongside our F&B partners to support, customise and smoothen the end-to-end delivery process," said Mr Heng. SMRT will also continue to provide the full rental waiver for its cabbies until June 1. This extension will cost SMRT an additional S$6 million, bringing the total support for its cabbies to around S$20 million.

SMRT has also been helping its cabbies find other short-term job options as well as opportunities for a career change to become bus captains with SMRT Buses.

"We're constantly exploring other ways to support our taxi partners," Mr Heng said.