RIDE-HAILING service Gojek and Grab are extending till end-December a temporary fee to help Singapore drivers cope with fuel price uncertainties, following a similar move by taxi operators.

Gojek trips under 10km are subject to a S$0.50 flat fee, while those 10km and above incur an S$0.80 fee. This applies to all GoCar, GoCar Premium and GoCar XL rides, but not for taxi rides, which are based on the meter. First announced in March, Gojek’s fee was originally slated to last until May, before the company extended it to end-July.

The latest extension to end-2022 “will provide much-needed earnings protection and security” for drivers, said Lien Choong Luen, general manager of Gojek Singapore. The fees are passed on to drivers without Gojek taking a cut.

Grab is similarly extending its temporary driver fee of S$0.50 per trip until Dec 31, 2022 due to ongoing high fuel prices. This applies to all transportation services except the standard taxi service.

“The additional amount will not be subject to the prevailing commission rate and will fully go to our driver-partners. We will continue to monitor the situation,” said a Grab spokesperson.

The moves come as taxi operators in recent weeks extended a 1 Singapore cent increase in distance and waiting-time fares for standard rides until Dec 31, also in light of rising fuel prices. These operators are ComfortDelGro, Transcab and Prime Taxi, Strides Taxi and Premier Taxis.

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Like Gojek, rivals Grab and TADA also announced temporary driver fees in March to cushion the impact of fuel prices. These were similarly set to last till end-May and later extended to end-July. Grab’s fee is set at S$0.50 per ride. TADA has imposed a S$0.50 flat fee for all rides on fares of S$18 and below. A S$0.80 flat fee applies to rides with trip fares of S$18.10 and above.

Fuel prices appear to have come off earlier highs, but are still elevated from the start of the year. According to the Consumers Association of Singapore’s pump price tracker, Fuel Kaki, 92-octane petrol costs S$2.89 per litre as of 11:26am on Monday, while a litre of diesel costs between S$2.91 and S$2.93.