Comfort Taxi Fares in Singapore: 2026 Rates and How to Pay Less
It's 1am and you're flagging down a Comfort taxi home. The meter starts from $4.60, and at this hour another 50% goes on top of whatever it reads. That late-night surcharge is one of several extras. Where you board and how you pay can each add more, and the extras are where a lot of your fare comes from. Here's what each part of a Comfort taxi fare in Singapore costs in 2026, and the few choices that cut your bill the most.
What does a Comfort taxi cost the moment you get in?
Between $4.60 and $5.50, and the car that turns up decides which. That first charge is the flagdown, and it covers your first kilometre.
Comfort and its sister brand CityCab are the taxi arm of ComfortDelGro, the largest taxi operator in Singapore. Every fare you pay has three parts. The flagdown is for getting in, and the distance charge counts the kilometres you cover. The waiting charge ticks over when the car is stopped or crawling in traffic. Surcharges then go on top of that running meter.
A petrol-hybrid Toyota Prius or Hyundai Ioniq starts at $4.60. An electric taxi (Ioniq EV, Kona EV or BYD e6) or a Sienta 6-seater starts at $4.80. A Noah 6-seater starts at $5.20, and a premium Limousine cab at $5.50.
From the fifth passenger on, there's a $9 surcharge per trip. You can't pick the cheaper car on a street hail either, so waiting longer for a Prius rarely pays off.
After the first kilometre, a standard or 6-seater taxi charges $0.27 for every 400m, up to 10km. Past 10km, you pay $0.27 for every 350m. Waiting time costs the same $0.27 for every 45 seconds. A Limousine cab runs a higher meter, at $0.39 a step. These are the base rates before any surcharge.
| Taxi type | Flagdown (first 1km) |
|---|---|
| Toyota Prius / Hyundai Ioniq (hybrid) | $4.60 |
| Electric (Ioniq EV / Kona EV / BYD e6) | $4.80 |
| 6-seater (Toyota Sienta) | $4.80 |
| 6-seater (Toyota Noah) | $5.20 |
| Limousine cab | $5.50 |
Quick maths: how does the Comfort taxi meter add up?
In small steps of $0.27. On a standard cab, you pay one step for every 400m of your first 10km, or for every 45 seconds the car is waiting or crawling.
The two triggers never count at the same time. The meter counts distance or time, whichever is adding up faster. That's why a jam pushes your fare up even when you're barely moving.
Past 10km, the distance step tightens from 400m to 350m, so long trips cost a little more per kilometre. That matters if you're weighing a long cross-island taxi against the MRT. A single train fare is capped at $2.57, however far you go.
Your $0.27 also carries a temporary 1-cent rise on every metered trip. ComfortDelGro has stretched it to run from 24 March to 30 November 2026, instead of ending on 31 July as first planned. When it ends, the standard step drops back to $0.26. It's small, but it sits on the meter, so it grows with every kilometre you ride.
Say you ride 8km in a standard cab, with no traffic and no surcharge. Here's how the meter adds it up.
- The first 1km is the $4.60 flagdown.
- That leaves 7km, or 7,000m, to count in steps of 400m.
- 7,000m divided by 400m is 17.5 steps, and the meter rounds that up to 18.
- 18 steps at $0.27 each come to $4.86.
- $4.60 plus $4.86 is about $9.46, before any surcharge.
The catch: which surcharges make your fare jump?
Peak and late-night surcharges, because they're a percentage of your whole metered fare. They're worked out on the meter reading, so a long trip can pick up several extra dollars.
Peak hours add 25% to the metered fare. They run on weekday mornings from 6am to 9:29am, and on weekends and public holidays from 10am to 1:59pm. They also run every day from 5pm to 11:59pm.
Late night adds 50%, every day from midnight to 5:59am. That makes the small hours the priciest time to ride a Comfort cab. A $20 meter becomes $30 from the surcharge alone.
Location surcharges are flat amounts, and they depend on where you board rather than where you're going. The one you'll most likely hit is the City Area (CBD) surcharge of $3, from 5pm to 11:59pm. Changi Airport adds $8 from 5pm to 11:59pm and $6 at other times.
Mandai's wildlife parks add $5, but only from 1pm to 11:59pm. Marina Bay Cruise Centre adds $5 from 7am to 4:59pm and $3 at other times. Resorts World Sentosa, Gardens by the Bay, Seletar Airport and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal each add a flat $3. Singapore Expo adds $2.
| Surcharge | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Peak period | 25% of metered fare | Weekdays 6am to 9:29am; Sat/Sun/PH 10am to 1:59pm; daily 5pm to 11:59pm |
| Late night | 50% of metered fare | Daily midnight to 5:59am |
| City Area (CBD) | $3 | Daily 5pm to 11:59pm |
| Changi Airport | $8 / $6 | $8 from 5pm to 11:59pm, $6 other times |
| Mandai wildlife parks | $5 | Daily 1pm to 11:59pm |
| Marina Bay Cruise Centre | $5 / $3 | $5 from 7am to 4:59pm, $3 other times |
| Resorts World Sentosa / Gardens by the Bay / Seletar Airport | $3 | Per trip |
| Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal | $3 | Per trip |
| Singapore Expo | $2 | Per trip |
| Extra passenger (5th onwards) | $9 | Per trip |
Is it cheaper to hail a Comfort cab or book one on the app?
Hailing is cheaper. A cab off the street or from a taxi stand costs you the meter and surcharges, with no booking fee. Booking through the CDG Zig app adds one, and the gap can change your choice on a lot of trips.
So how much is the booking fee? For a normal 4-seater, a booking for right now costs $3.30 in peak hours and $2.30 at other times. An advance booking, made at least 30 minutes ahead, is a flat $8. A Limousine cab costs $10 to book for now, and the advance price is $18.
On a short trip, the booking fee can rival the meter itself. If you can see a cab at a stand, it almost always costs less to walk over and hail it.
App bookings carry a platform fee too. From 1 January 2026, it's $1 to $1.30 per booking. ComfortDelGro uses it to help cover CPF contributions and work injury insurance for platform workers, under new MOM rules.
Then there's a temporary driver fee, from 24 March to 30 November 2026. It applies to fixed-fare trips booked through Zig, PayLah!, Kris+ and other partner apps, and to every cross-border job. Fares below $15 pay an extra $0.50, and fares of $15 and above pay $0.80.
Update, 13 October 2026: the driver fee and the 1-cent meter rise now both run to 30 November 2026. Both were due to end on 31 July.
- Book a 4-seater for now: $3.30 at peak, $2.30 at all other times
- Book a Limousine cab for now: $10 at any time
- Book in advance (30+ min ahead): $8 for a 4-seater, $18 for a limousine
- Platform fee from 1 Jan 2026: $1 to $1.30 per booking
- Temporary driver fee on fixed-fare trips (24 Mar to 30 Nov 2026): $0.50 under $15, $0.80 from $15
Which way of paying adds a fee to your Comfort fare?
A credit card adds the most: 10% of your fare, plus GST on that 10%. It's one of two charges that land after the meter stops, and most people only spot them on the receipt.
The 10% covers credit and charge cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. On a $20 ride, that's $2 plus GST, close to half a flagdown. ComfortRIDE fixed fares carry no admin charge.
Pay with a digital wallet and the fee drops to a flat $0.30, GST included. That covers NETS, NETSPay, NETS FlashPay, DBS PayLah!, OCBC PayAnyone, UOB TMRW, Alipay and WeChat Pay. Cash carries no admin fee at all. If you ride often, switch from the credit card to a wallet or cash. It's one of the easiest savings on your whole fare.
The second charge is ERP, and there's no dodging it. Whatever the in-vehicle unit deducts at a gantry goes onto your fare at the end of the trip. That's the same for metered rides and ComfortRIDE bookings.
ERP isn't a markup the operator sets. It's the road-pricing charge for your route and time, so a CBD trip in a charged window simply costs more. The only way around it is to pick another route or time.
| Payment method | Admin fee on the fare |
|---|---|
| Cash | None |
| Digital wallet (NETS, PayLah!, Alipay, WeChat Pay and others) | $0.30 (GST included) |
| Credit / charge card, Apple Pay, Google Pay | 10% of the fare, plus GST on the 10% |
| ERP (any payment method) | Passed through at cost, added at trip end |
How can you book a Comfort taxi, and which way skips a fee?
Phone, SMS and a street hail all skip the $1 to $1.30 platform fee. It only applies to app bookings through Zig and Kris+.
You don't need the app at all. ComfortDelGro keeps three booking channels open, which helps on days the app lags or your phone's almost out of battery.
Most people use the Zig by ComfortDelGro app. It takes bookings for now or in advance, plus a fixed-fare ComfortRIDE option. Call 6552 1111 for an immediate or advance metered cab, or 6552 2828 for a limousine or MaxiCab. If you'd rather not install anything, text 71222 in the operator's format.
Whichever way you book, the meter and surcharges stay the same. Only the booking fee and the platform fee change, so the cheapest booking is the one with the fewest add-ons for your trip.
- Zig by ComfortDelGro app: current, advance and fixed-fare ComfortRIDE bookings (platform fee applies)
- Phone 6552 1111: immediate or advance metered cab (no platform fee)
- Phone 6552 2828: limousine and MaxiCab bookings
- SMS 71222: text booking in the operator's format (no platform fee)
- Street hail or taxi stand: meter and surcharges only, no booking or platform fee
Is a Comfort taxi cheaper than Grab, Gojek or the MRT?
Not for one person against the MRT, where a bus or train trip is capped at $2.57 and a taxi's flagdown alone is $4.60. Against Grab and Gojek, no one option wins at every hour.
So the real comparison is rarely Comfort against Comfort. It's a Comfort cab against a Grab or Gojek ride, or against the train. If you're watching the transport line in your monthly budget, the choice on each trip matters more than the exact flagdown.
Comfort gives you two ways to ride. The metered cab is the classic one, and you can see how it works. It punishes you in jams and late at night, though, because the meter keeps ticking while the car barely moves.
ComfortRIDE is the fixed-fare option you book on the Zig app. The price locks in when you confirm, and it moves with demand instead of the meter. ERP still goes on top.
Which one wins? The fixed fare is the calmer pick in heavy rain or stop-start traffic, since you've already seen the number. The meter often wins in free-flowing traffic outside surcharge hours.
Grab and Gojek quote one demand-based fare upfront, with their fees built in. A metered Comfort cab can be cheaper off-peak in light traffic, and pricier once a percentage surcharge or a booking fee stacks on.
None of the three is reliably cheapest at every hour. So keep two apps on your phone and check the quote before you confirm. The table shows the parts of a Comfort fare you can pin down in advance. With ride-hail, you just read the quote off the screen.
Against public transport, there's no contest on cost. Most commutes cost well under the $2.57 cap. A taxi makes sense when the time saved, luggage, group size or a missing direct route changes the maths.
Using taxis as an occasional tool instead of a habit is the biggest lever on your transport spend. It pairs well with a simple monthly transport budget that you actually check.
Let convenience cabs creep into your daily routine and you've got a textbook case of lifestyle inflation. The money it eats is real opportunity cost, because you could have saved or invested those same dollars.
Taxis also sit beside a much bigger choice: whether to own a car at all. Ownership's running costs dwarf the odd cab fare, so model them with our car cost calculator before you assume driving is cheaper.
Our breakdown of the true cost of owning a car in Singapore puts those numbers side by side, so you can see the gap. Tracking what each trip costs is part of everyday money management, too.
| Option | How the price is set | Booking fee | Surge / surcharge risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort metered cab | Meter: $4.60+ flagdown then $0.27 per 400m | None on street hail; $2.30 to $3.30 on app | Peak +25%, late night +50%, location flat fees |
| ComfortRIDE (fixed fare) | Quoted and locked when you confirm | Built into the quote | Quote moves with demand; ERP added at trip end |
| Grab / Gojek | Demand-based fare quoted upfront | Built into the quote | Surges with demand; no time-based surcharge |
| MRT / bus | Distance fare, capped per journey | None | $2.57 cap regardless of distance |
How much is a Comfort taxi from Singapore to Johor Bahru?
From $80 for a 4-seater, plus a temporary $0.80 driver fee. It's a flat fare, so you won't pay a surge or peak markup.
ComfortDelGro has run this fixed-fare service from Singapore to Johor Bahru since 25 September 2025. It's handy if you've got luggage or a group, and you'd rather skip the queue at the Causeway taxi stand. From 4 May 2026, it revised the fares and widened the drop-off area, so confirm the quoted fare before you book.
Update, 13 October 2026: the fares below are the ones charged since 4 May 2026. They're up from the $60, $80 and $120 this guide listed before.
For a 4-seater to Larkin, or anywhere up to 35km, the fare turns on where you're picked up. A street hail at the Ban San Street taxi stand near Rochor is $80. A fixed-fare call booking from any other Singapore address, airports aside, is $100. A pickup at Changi or Seletar airport is $140.
Comfort taxi fixed fares to JB (Larkin or up to 35km) since 4 May 2026
| Pickup | 4-seater | 6-seater |
|---|---|---|
| Ban San Street hail | $80 | $120 |
| Call booking | $100 | $140 |
| Changi or Seletar | $140 | $160 |
A 6-seater is $120, $140 or $160 on the same three routes. If the drop-off is beyond 35km, add $20 to $30. A temporary $0.80 driver fee applies to every cross-border trip until 30 November 2026.
Call bookings go through the ComfortDelGro hotline at 6552 1111. Hotline bookings for the ride back from Malaysia have stopped, so you join the taxi queue at Larkin Terminal instead.
Does it beat the other options? Split four ways, the $80 Ban San fare is $20 each. ('$20 each to JB? Can lah.' is a fair reply in the group chat.) That's competitive with a private-hire cross-border ride, and far less stressful than changing taxis at the checkpoint. Solo, it's hard to justify over the bus or the KTM train.
If JB is a regular run for you, our Johor Bahru budget guide covers the wider money picture.
How do you pay less for the same Comfort ride?
Start with the percentage surcharges. Avoiding them saves far more than chasing a cheaper flagdown, and most of the fare is in your hands if you plan a few minutes ahead.
- Skip the midnight-to-6am window if you can. The 50% late-night surcharge is the most expensive line on the fare card.
- Hail at a taxi stand when a cab is in sight. A $3.30 peak booking fee plus the $1 to $1.30 platform fee can rival the meter on a short trip.
- If you have to book a 4-seater, book for now. That's $2.30 off-peak or $3.30 at peak, against $8 for an advance booking.
- Walk a block out of a surcharge zone. The $3 CBD surcharge depends on where you board, so board just outside the zone and you won't pay it.
- On long cross-island trips, check the MRT first. A train fare is capped at $2.57, while the taxi meter tightens its rate beyond 10km.
- Share the ride. With four of you, the per-head fare on a normal trip often lands close to public transport, and a fixed cross-border fare splits well too.
- In bad weather, check the fixed app fare against the meter. When demand is high, a quoted fixed fare can beat a surcharged meter stuck in traffic.
- Before your next ride, pay by cash or a wallet such as NETS or PayLah! instead of a credit card. On a $20 fare, that's $0.30 or nothing, against $2 plus GST.
The MoneyBees take: what we'd check first
We'd look at when you ride before how you book.
Late at night the meter goes up by 50%, so a $20 ride comes to $30. Booking on the app saves you the walk to a stand, but on a short trip the booking and platform fees can rival the meter itself.
What settles it is how many of your rides fall after midnight or in peak hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Comfort taxi flagdown in 2026?
It depends on the car that turns up. A hybrid Prius or Ioniq starts at $4.60, and an electric taxi or Sienta 6-seater at $4.80. A Noah 6-seater starts at $5.20, and a Limousine cab at $5.50. The flagdown covers your first kilometre, and after that a standard cab adds $0.27 for every 400m.
What is the late-night surcharge on a Comfort taxi?
It's 50% of the metered fare, every day from midnight to 5:59am. It's worked out on the meter reading, so on a $20 trip the surcharge alone is $10. That makes the small hours the most expensive time to take a taxi in Singapore.
Is it cheaper to hail a Comfort taxi or book it on the app?
Hailing is cheaper, because there's no booking fee. A 4-seater booked on the app for right now adds $2.30 off-peak or $3.30 at peak, plus a platform fee of $1 to $1.30. An advance booking is a flat $8, and a Limousine cab is $10. If you can see a cab at a stand, it almost always costs less to walk over and hail it.
What is the temporary driver fee on Comfort taxis in 2026?
From 24 March to 30 November 2026, ComfortDelGro adds a temporary driver fee to fixed-fare bookings. It was first due to end on 31 July. You pay $0.50 on fares below $15, and fares of $15 and above pay $0.80. Over the same period, the metered distance-time rate also carries a temporary $0.01 rise.
How much does a Comfort taxi from Changi Airport cost?
You pay the normal meter, plus a Changi Airport surcharge of $8 from 5pm to 11:59pm or $6 at other times. If your ride falls in peak or late-night hours, that percentage goes on as well. So an airport trip is the meter, plus the flat airport charge, plus any time-based surcharge.
Can I book a Comfort taxi from Singapore to Johor Bahru?
Yes. ComfortDelGro runs a fixed-fare cross-border service to Johor. Since 4 May 2026, a standard 4-seater costs $80 as a street hail from the Ban San Street stand. It's $100 as a call booking from other Singapore addresses, and $140 from Changi or Seletar airport. A temporary $0.80 driver fee applies until 30 November 2026. 6-seater and premium cars cost more, and call bookings go through 6552 1111.
How is the Comfort taxi meter calculated?
After your first kilometre, a standard cab charges $0.27 for every 400m up to 10km, then for every 350m beyond 10km. Waiting costs $0.27 for every 45 seconds. At any moment the meter counts whichever is faster, distance or time. That's why a traffic jam pushes your fare up even when the car is barely moving.
Is there a surcharge for paying a Comfort taxi by credit card?
Yes. Credit and charge cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay carry a 10% admin charge on top of the total fare, with GST added on that charge. Digital wallets such as NETS, DBS PayLah!, Alipay and WeChat Pay pay a flat $0.30 instead, GST included. Cash has no admin fee at all. Pay by wallet or cash instead and the saving adds up if you ride often.
Are ERP charges included in the Comfort taxi fare?
No, ERP goes on top. Whatever the in-vehicle unit deducts at a gantry is passed straight to you and added at the end of the trip. That applies to metered rides and ComfortRIDE fixed-fare bookings alike. It's the road-pricing charge for your route and time, so a CBD trip in a charged window costs more than the meter alone.
How do I book a Comfort taxi without the app?
Call 6552 1111 for an immediate or advance metered cab, or 6552 2828 for a limousine or MaxiCab. You can also send an SMS booking to 71222 in the operator's format. Phone and SMS bookings skip the $1 to $1.30 platform fee that app bookings through Zig and Kris+ pay. The booking fee and the meter still apply.
Sources
- ComfortDelGro Taxi: Fares
- LTA: Taxi Fares & Payment Methods
- ComfortDelGro Taxi: Platform Fee FAQ 2026
- Time Out: ComfortDelGro Singapore to JB flat fares
- LTA: Point-to-point transport (taxi & ride-hail) regulation
Keep exploring
- Singapore to JB taxi fare guide (2026)
- Singapore to Johor Bahru (JB): every way across the Causeway and what each costs (2026)
- Singapore bus and MRT fares 2026: what you actually pay
- Johor Bahru on a budget: a Singaporean's 2026 guide
- Free and discounted MRT rides 2026: how to cut your MRT fare
- Train to JB: KTM Shuttle Tebrau prices and booking (2026)
- Personal finance calculator (1/3 rule)
- Lifestyle Inflation
- Opportunity Cost
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).