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Image: CNA

ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, said on March 17 that it will temporarily raise its metered fares and introduce a fee on app bookings to help drivers manage higher operating costs, as the war in the Middle East continues to put upward pressure on fuel prices. The company said that the higher charges will be in place from March 24 to May 31.

During the period, customers will see a one cent increase in metered fares for distances and waiting times. The rate, which is charged at various points of a trip, currently ranges from 26 cents for regular and larger taxis to 36 cents for limousine cabs. A driver fee will also be introduced for bookings on its Zig app. This will be set at 50 cents for fares below $15, and 80 cents for fares of $15 and above.

With the hike, a metered ride of 17km on a typical four-seater taxi from Jurong East MRT station to the ION Orchard shopping mall booked on the Zig app will cost $19.10. This assumes that the trip takes place during off-peak hours and does not incur waiting or ERP charges. The same trip currently costs around $17.90.

ComfortDelGro’s head of Singapore point-to-point mobility business, Mr Michael Huang, said: “All of these fees will go directly to drivers.

Source: The Straits Times

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Image: World Bank

Motorcycle-taxis are among the fastest-growing forms of informal transport in developing economies, providing essential mobility and absorbing millions of workers into flexible but precarious livelihoods. As ride-hailing platforms increasingly drive electric motorcycle adoption in this sector, the design of underlying business models has become critical—yet remains poorly understood.

This report, part of the World Bank Group’s Mobility and Transport Connectivity Series, is titled From Gig to Gain: How Rethinking Informal Transport Business Models Can Promote EV Adoption. The report introduces a structured analytical framework for assessing how business-model transitions affect driver welfare, productivity, and electric vehicle (EV) adoption, grounded in causal inference. Drawing on a field experiment conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, the study tracks the transition of motorcycle-taxi drivers from a Guaranteed-Salary Program to a Target-Based Lease-To-Own model.

Combining real-time EV GPS telemetry, platform data, battery charging point data, and driver surveys, the analysis reveals that the business-model shift raised productivity by 37 percent and nearly doubled output per unit of energy consumed, creating strong synergies with the inherent efficiency advantages of electric motorcycles. The prospect of vehicle ownership emerged as a powerful driver of retention and participation, even under demanding work conditions. However, the transition also introduced significant trade-offs: average speeds increased by 4.6 km/h and working hours rose by approximately four hours per day, raising concerns about road safety and labor conditions.

Battery swapping and charging costs were found to function as a hidden tax on drivers' effective income. The findings demonstrate that business-model design can be as influential as traditional formalization efforts in shaping economic outcomes for informal transport workers. For policymakers, private-sector operators, and development partners, the study underscores that EV adoption in the informal transport sector is not solely a technological or environmental challenge—it is also closely tied to institutional design and labor market structure.

Source: The World Bank

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NYC to Lower Speed Limit to 15 Mph in Hundreds of School Zones This Year, Mamdani Says

New York City will reduce speed limits to 15 mph in 800 more school zones this year under a state law giving it the power to do so, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday. By using Sammy’s Law, which allows the city to limit travel speeds on its streets, city officials said they plan on lowering speeds at 2,300 school locations citywide by the end of Mamdani’s first term.

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Flying Taxis Program the Future of Air Transportation: CEO

The Trump administration and FAA announced a flying taxi pilot program last week, and one technology company CEO believes it is the future of air transportation. “This program that the administration has put in place allows us to take this massive bow wave of unconsumed technology, put it in play here in the United States, and not let China beat us to the punch,” BETA Technologies’ Kyle Clark told “The Hill” on Monday.

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Senate Committee Advances Transportation Nominees

The Senate Commerce Committee has advanced a slate of transportation nominees, including a National Transportation Safety Board member seeking another term. On March 12, the Republican-led panel voted 21-7 to approve the renomination of Michael Graham, who joined the NTSB in 2020 and has participated in several high-profile safety investigations. In written responses to Senate Democrats, Graham acknowledged persistent concerns about truck parking shortages, especially in rural regions where local roads often absorb overflow from interstate corridors.

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All Ontario Drivers Will Be Able to Use HOV Lanes in Off-Peak Hours: Transportation Minister

Highway lanes designated for carpoolers will soon be opened up to solo drivers at certain times of the day, Ontario's transportation minister said Tuesday. The Ford government’s latest attempt to reduce gridlock — which has included an ongoing effort to remove bike lanes in downtown Toronto and a $9-million study on the feasibility of digging a subterranean highway under the 401 — will allow anyone to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes during off-peak hours, Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a news release. 

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Air Canada Again Extends Dubai Suspension, Adds Extra Toronto–Delhi Flights

Air Canada has once again extended its suspension of flights to Dubai due to the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East. This marks the third time the airline has extended the flights’ suspension. The most recent update saw flights to Dubai (DXB) suspended until March 28.

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Much of Quebec’s Road Infrastructure Needs Fixing. What’s the Holdup?

A massive hole that opened up in a Châteauguay, Que., bridge earlier this month has reignited calls for Quebec to better invest in its aging road infrastructure, with several groups saying the incident should be a wake-up call for the province.

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Bolt to Use NVIDIA Technology for Autonomous Taxis in Europe

NVIDIA and Bolt have announced a partnership to launch the robotaxi in Europe. Bolt will receive NVIDIA technologies that are difficult and expensive to develop on their own, and NVIDIA will have access to Bolt's fleet data to train the AI for autonomous driving.

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Tens of Thousands of Taxi Drivers and Sole Traders in Scotland Face Deadline As Making Tax Digital Reporting Rules Take Effect in April

More than 50,000 taxi drivers, sole traders and landlords in Scotland are approaching a key deadline to comply with new digital tax reporting requirements, with mandatory changes set to take effect from 6 April 2026. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) confirmed that individuals turning over more than £50,000 from self-employment or property income will be required to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) compatible software to manage their tax affairs. The move represents the most significant reform to the Self Assessment system since its introduction in 1997.

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Conflict in Middle East Could Cost Europe’s Drivers an Extra €150 Mn a Day

Europeans are set to pay a ‘geopolitical premium’ of an extra €150 mn a day as oil prices pass $100 a barrel, new research by T&E into fuel price premiums in 2022 show. Europe will pay a high price for its dependence on imported oil, warns T&E, which calls for long-term rather than short-term measures to liberate Europe from the volatility of geopolitical shocks.

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WeRide Targets Southeast Asia Expansion with Robotaxi GXR

WeRide has showcased its Robotaxi GXR at Nvidia GTC 2026, announcing plans to introduce the vehicle across Southeast Asian markets in partnership with Grab, the regional superapp and WeRide shareholder. The two companies have already launched autonomous vehicle trial operations in Singapore’s Punggol district, with public service set to begin on 1 April 2026.

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South Africa: Helen Zille Slams ‘Taxi Mafia’, Vows Crackdown on Rogue Drivers and Taxi Wars

Helen Zille has vowed to take a firm stance against lawless taxi operators, warning that continued violence and disregard for the law threaten South Africa’s stability. Zille did not hold back, describing parts of the taxi industry as “the biggest mafia in South Africa.” Speaking to Times Live, she criticised operators who ignore regulations and put commuters’ lives at risk.

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Singapore Trials Road Signs and Markings for Gantry-Free ERP System

Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) is testing road signs and markings intended to guide drivers under the new satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, ahead of a nationwide rollout set for 1 January 2027. Pictures accompanying an LTA Facebook post published on 16 March show blue circles — each containing a white letter "E" — painted in the middle of traffic lanes, alongside a section of road painted entirely in blue and accompanied by road signs.

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The IATR was saddened to hear about the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, Jonathan Spear, who succumbed to a heart attack while in Vietnam on January 19th. Jonathan was a stalwart member of the World Road Association (PIARC), volunteering his connections and expertise as part of the PIARC COVID-19 response team, serving on project oversight teams, and leading the work of the PIARC technical committees.

Matt Daus, President of the IATR, Said, “Jonathan Spear was a trusted colleague and friend who left us way too soon. He was a brilliant mobility expert who worked tirelessly to think about and plan for a multi-modal, technology-driven future. We travelled the world together and collaborated on many projects for PIARC and IATR, and his untimely passing has left a hole in our hearts. Jonathan lived life to the fullest and it was a pleasure to work with him over the years, and to explore and travel with him. Jonathan was always great company, and his legacy will live on through his life’s work and impactful contributions to transportation policy-making around the globe. We will miss him, but will always cherish our memories together. May he rest in peace, as our thoughts and prayers go out to his loving family.”

Jonathan began his tenure at Atkins in January 2006, serving for 14 years as a director across international locations, including London, Dubai, and Singapore. In November 2019, he co-founded the UAE chapter of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), serving as chair until April 2023. Subsequently, he continued to contribute as a senior committee member, policy lead, and chair’s advisor until his passing. Additionally, since September 2020, Jonathan had served as a transportation policy and strategy advisor to AtkinsRealis.

His career led him to visit more than 50 countries on several occasions, including China, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Congo, Zambia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Switzerland, and Canada.

For Jonathan, travel was more than simply visiting new places – it was about truly experiencing what each destination had to offer. He immersed himself in different forms of transportation, explored local history and culture, and embraced challenges like climbing Indonesia's volcanic mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro, and reaching the base camp of Mount Everest.

Christos S. Xenophontos Assistant Director for Administrative Services at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, said, “Jonathan’s many contributions cannot be summarized in mere words in one page but can be found on the PIARC website where they will remain a testament of his brilliance. He loved tackling the most “wicked problems” and to develop solutions where others struggled to grasp the problem. He had the rare ability to dissect problems and get to their heart and to distill the most daunting complexities of transport policy into clear, tangible strategies. A fierce advocate for the principle that vision and objectives must always precede design — a philosophy that ensured his work was not just technically sound, but deeply meaningful — he was an active thought leader in PIARC TC 1.1’s work on “Envisioning the Transport Agency of the Future.” Jonathan was a titan in the field of transport policy and organization who made his mark across the globe. To the ones who had the great opportunity to get to know him, he was a loyal and caring friend who was always there when you needed him.”

IATR extends its sympathies to his wife, Michelle Wood, and his family, friends, and colleagues, and wishes them peace.

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