On the surface, it would seem that commuters in Singapore will soon have a wealth of choice when it comes to ride-hailing services. There’s Grab, which isn’t going anywhere anytime soon; there’s Uber, and it’s apparently sticking around till May 7 (although most of its drivers have jumped ship); there’s Jugnoo, a ride-sharing start-up from India launching its “reverse-bidding” system on May 1; and there’s homegrown carpooling company Ryde debuting its private-hire car service RydeX on May 2.
But with these changes all happening around the same time, uncertainties abound; the only sure thing to expect is initial teething problems for the two new entrants who are taking on Grab in the fight for commuters.
Will there be enough driver-supply to meet commuter-demand for each of the apps? How do their platforms compare to that of Grab (or Uber, which will be dearly missed)? Will there be constant technical issues and apps experiencing outrages?
Who knows.
For those who’d like to give RydeX a shot, at least it seems to be growing a much bigger driver database than Jugnoo, which claims to have over 100 drivers currently aims to get at least 500 before its launch on Labor Day. The local start-up claims to have already gotten 5,000 licensed private-hire car drivers on board, and it’s targeting 15,000 over the next three months, Channel NewsAsia said.
However — and this is important to note — RydeX is actually a scheduled service that will only accept advanced bookings, TODAY noted. That means you’ll have to book your ride anytime from 10 minutes to seven days in advance. According to its founder Terence Zou, the average waiting time for a driver-commuter match is about 20 minutes — which seems like an eternity, especially after we’ve all been spoiled by the relative efficiency of ride-hailing juggernauts Uber and Grab.
The app prefers middle- to long-distance journeys, and base fares will start at S$8, with an additional S$0.60 for every kilometer traveled. So don’t expect crazy low prices like $1 or $5 for your ride home — unless promos and discounts are part of the company’s initial strategy to win over commuters. But er, take heart, at least, in the knowledge that surge pricing will be limited to S$100 for scheduled rides.
Other features of RydeX include an upfront fixed fare that calculates all surcharges and toll fees like ERP, as well as commuters having the ability to request for a specific driver and tip him/her. If you’d like to travel in luxury, there’s the premium RydeExec option that has a base fare starting from S$18.
As for how it will attract drivers, RydeX will take a 10 percent commission fee on bookings, which is half of what Grab imposes on its drivers.
A quick check on reviews of Ryde on its Facebook page, however, showed an average rating of 2.9 stars and more one-starred reviews than five-starred ones. But this applies to its carpooling services, which have been around since 2015, so fingers crossed its private-hire car services will fare much better.
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