S$5 taxi surcharge to be applied for pick-ups at Banyan Tree Resort, Mandai

SINGAPORE: On Monday (Jun 9), ComfortDelGro (CDG) announced that a surcharge of S$5 will be applied for all trips from the Banyan Tree Resort at 60 Mandai Lake Road beginning from June 16.

However, the additional charge is only applicable daily between 1:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m., CDG added, noting that this should be taken into consideration when accepting or planning trips to the Banyan Tree Resort.

Last July, the surcharge for pick-ups at the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Night Safari, and Bird Paradise at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, as well as trips between 1:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. every day, increased from S$3 to S$5.

“Location surcharges are determined in consultation with premise owners. Operators lodge surcharges or changes with the Public Transport Council (PTC) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) upon receiving the requests from the premise owners. This mechanism aims to increase the supply of taxis at underserved areas by incentivising drivers,” CDG noted.

STRIDES Premier also announced the permanent S$5 surcharge for Banyan Tree Resort pick-ups on its Facebook account on Monday, adding, “We appreciate your continued support as we strive to serve you better.”

The surcharge is meant to encourage more cabbies to make trips to the somewhat remote resort and attractions at Mandai, Lianhe Zaobao reported Prime Taxi as saying.

While the surcharge will not be applied to private-hire cars, if customers book rides on a standard taxi via a ride-hailing platform, the surcharge will be imposed.

Last July, location surcharges at Changi Airport and Mandai Wildlife Reserve were made permanent, Strides Premier and CDG said at the time. These charges began in May 2022 and have resulted in taxi trips from Changi Airport, Changi Airfreight Centre, Airport Police Station, and the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore incurring an extra S$8 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. every day, and an additional S$6 at all other times.

Before May 2022, the surcharge was S$5 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., and S$3 at all other times.

The surcharge was only meant to be temporary at the time. It was implemented when taxi drivers were hesitant to pick up passengers at the airport, despite an increase in people coming to Singapore as travel restrictions were being eased. It had also been a time of surging fuel prices, and cabbies preferred to pick up fares at the Central Business District, which was more cost-effective for them. /TISG

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