UberFLASH, that will connect riders to drivers closest to them – either a private vehicle or a taxi, is the first collaboration between the firms since they said in December that ComfortDelGro would buy a 51% stake in Uber’s Singapore car leasing unit, Lion City Rentals.
The deal comes at a time when Uber’s new Asia Pacific chief is prioritising collaborations with traditional taxi firms. It is expected to give Uber a leg up in its battle for market share with Grab, Southeast Asia’s dominant ride-hailing player.
Grab has partnered with other taxi operators in Singapore.
ComfortDelGro operated about 13,700 taxis in the city-state as of November, official data shows, which is more than the fleet of all the other taxi companies combined. Uber’s Lion City Rentals has a fleet of about 14,000 vehicles.
UberFLASH fares will be, on average, 5-10% cheaper than low-cost option UberX, Uber and ComfortDelGro said in a joint statement on Thursday.
UberFLASH is already available in Thailand and Malaysia.
ComfortDelGro’s acquisition of a majority stake in Lion City is waiting for approval from the Competition Commission of Singapore. The anti-trust regulator is reviewing the deal and recently sought public feedback on it.