A new ride-hailing firm is entering the private-hire market in Singapore. The new company is called URGE, a Singapore-based company that is looking for a share of the market after Uber’s departure.
Many new companies have emerged after the exit of Uber from Singapore. They include blockchain company MVL’s Tada, India’s based Jugnoo and local companies Kardi and FILO. Ryde has also introduced private-hire service RydeX to fill the void left by UberFLASH.
What is URGE ride-hailing app
URGE is the newest ride-hailing player and has a plan to be different. URGE plans to differentiate itself with the competition by offering an array of services on its app that include private-hire car service, food delivery and courier services.
The NewPaper reported that URGE has signed up between 50-80 drivers and employed 20 full-timers. Full-time drivers are paid a salary of $2,700 a month and are entitled to medical and annual leave.
The hiring of drivers on a full-time basis is not a first as HDT taxi has been employing drivers to drive for their fleet.
URGE has soft-launched on 19 August 2018 and they planned to have 2,000 drivers on board in the next 3 months.
Unlike their biggest competitor Grab, there will be no dynamic surge pricing on URGE platform. Instead, there will be a minimum peak hour surcharge that will be in place. 
Rough Waters Ahead
The new ride-hailing companies can attest to how difficult Singapore’s ride-hailing market has been. New players Jugnoo and Kardi have merged within months of their entrance in the market. Both companies recognized their short-coming early and decided to join forces.
Ryde’s latest effort to launch Rydesend courier service was also met with a rebuttal from The Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA). The LTA responded within hours of the new service announcement and warned private-hire and taxi-drivers that they risked having their vocational licences revoked if they used their vehicle for courier purposes.
The road to becoming a super app like Grab would prove to be an uphill task for Uber URGE.
