The taxis in Singapore do not charge an exorbitant price. They are affordable and offers a convenient mode of transport. The pricing is transparent as taxis operate by meters. There is an initial flag-down fare of $2.80 to $6. After that, there is a distance fare of around $0.22 to $0.30 per kilometre. There is also a surcharge on certain peak period which could be up to 50% of the metered fare. For pick up in city area or Changi airport, there is also surcharge of $3 to $5. These charges are transparent and will be on the meters or the receipt.

The largest taxi company is the ComfortDelGro which is easily identifiable by the blue-coloured cars. Other taxi companies include TransCab (red cars) and Premier Taxi (silver cars) . As taxi is a regulated industry, the taxis in Singapore are comfortable with high quality service.

These taxis are identifiable by a lighted display sign on the car roof. If you see an illuminated “Taxi” sign, it means the taxi is available for hire. So, you just need to raise your hand, wave it parallel to the ground and get the attention of the taxi. One can flag down the taxi for pick up along the roads in Singapore except for some restrictions. During bus lane hours at the Central Business District, you cannot hail a taxi on roads which have bus lanes. This is to prevent the disruption of traffic for the public buses. In addition, taxis are not allowed to pick up or drop passengers on roads with double-yellow or single-white-zig zag lines. For such areas, it is best to look for the nearest taxi stand and queue there.

Besides hailing the taxi on the road, there are other means to take the taxi in Singapore listed below:

  • Taxi Stands: Taxi stands are almost everywhere. It is located at shopping centres, MRT stations and major roads. They are also covered, making it a comfortable to queue for a taxi.
  • Taxi Booking Hotline: The most convenient number to call is 6-DIALCAB (6342 5222) which is a taxi common booking number which have access to to three taxi companies’ call centres. The call will first be routed to any selected company. If it is busy, the call will automatically be-routed to another. The booking fee ranges from $2.30-$4.50 depending on taxi operator and non-peak/peak period, $8 (advance booking)
  • Taxi Booking Mobile Apps: The popular apps are ComfortDelgro-Taxi-Booking. This is the most popular and convenient method. The booking fee is similar to the taxi hotline.
  • Taxi SMS: This is a dated system as SMS is hardly used nowadays. To get a taxi via SMS, one can text to 71222 with the following message format: “BOOK<space>Postal Code<space>#Pick-up point”. You can expect a return text with the approximate time and cab details. The booking fee is similar to the taxi hotline. There are also normal SMS charges to this method.

For a cheaper way to travel in Singapore, one can take the public transport which consists of the bus and MRT.  Alternatively, one can hire a private car via ride-hailing apps such as Grab or GoJek.