A Tourist Guide To Understanding Singapore’s Taxi Fares

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Public transportation in Singapore is a fast and efficient system that can get you from point A to point B without much fuss. The MRT and bus lines can take you to most of the destinations throughout the city which can make the daily commute to and from work relatively a breeze.

But if you’re in a hurry and can’t be bothered to take public transport, taking a cab is your next best option to get you where you need to be.

There are 26,000 air-conditioned cabs on the road at your disposal 24 hours a day and can take you where you need to go in comfort and at reasonable costs.

As a general rule, it’s important to remember that cabs charge fares according to the taximeter on board the vehicle, and that different surcharges can apply depending on when, where, and how you hire a cab.

Here’s what you need to know about taxi fares:

  • You can hail a cab from most roadside areas, or you can queue for your ride at the taxi stands found at the different malls and hotels throughout the city. The normal flag-down rate is $3.00-$3.40, the flag-down for limousines are at $3.90, and the flag-down for Chryslers are at $5.00. For normal cabs and for limousines, the meter will run up 0.22 cents every 400m up to 10km and every 45 seconds of waiting time. For Chryslers, the rate is at 0.33 cents every 400m up to 10km and every 45 seconds of waiting time.
  • Cabs that are flagged down in the Central Business District from 5:00PM to midnight have a surcharge of $3.00.
  • If you’re headed to popular destinations like Marina Bay sands or Resorts World Sentosa, you will be charged an additional surcharge of $3.00.
  • On taxi companies including SilverLux MPV, London Cab, and Space MPV, an additional passenger fee of $2.00 per passenger can be applicable if there are more than four adult passengers in the vehicle.
  • All Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges incurred during your trip will be charged to you.
  • A midnight surcharge of 50% of the metered fare will be charged if you flag-down a cab at any time between midnight to 5:59AM.
  • Peak hour surcharges of 25% of the metered fare may apply from 6:00-9:30AM from Monday to Friday, and 6:00-12:00pm daily.
  • During peak hours or during heavy downpours it can be difficult to hail a cab. During these situations, the most convenient way to catch a ride is by using apps like Grabtaxi, Easy Taxi, Uber, etc. (You can expect to pay a separate surcharge when using these apps).
  • If you want to make your trip more convenient or comfortable, you can opt to hire premium taxi services (take note however that these services don’t exactly come cheap). Companies like Comfort CityCab’s Maxicab that comes with a wheelchair service that can cost a flag-down rate of $50. Another company that can offer you premium service is TransCab that can charge you a $10 flag-down instead of their usual $2.30 if you’d like to arrive at your destination riding a Mercedes Benz.
  • If you’re looking to book a vehicle in advance, you can find the numbers of different cab companies here (be reminded that advanced booking can cost you an additional $8, so make sure this is going to be a ride that you absolutely need). You can find a list of taxi companies to call here.

Now that you have a general idea of how much taking a taxi ride can cost, you can check out what the best credit card for taxi fares are. By taking this guide into consideration, hiring a taxi service as an alternate means of transportation in a city like Singapore can be cost-effective if you know how the meters run and what the best payment method is.

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