Following the widely contested departure of our beloved Uber from Singapore’s ride-hailing app scene, multiple smaller companies such as Filo and Ryde have tried to fill the vacuum. And now, in another attempt to disperse the giant market share Grab has acquired (and hopefully keep prices down), we have Tada: or “let’s ride” in Korean.
So what can Tada do, for us to choose them over Grab who’ve planted their feet so firmly in Singapore’s ground? For one: No cancellation penalties for both riders and drivers. If you’re considering driving for one of these ride-hailing companies, you’ll be happy to know that Tada also claims zero commission from their drivers, unlike Grab, which charges a 20 percent commission. The rest of us riders can choose from either a fixed fare or a metered fare starting from $2.30. If cashless is the way you ride, bear in mind that Tada charges a whopping 3.4 percent for credit card payments; but we’re crossing our fingers that the transaction fee will be reduced or waived over time.
Due to the small size of the company, you can basically give up the dream of promo codes every week; but hopefully look forward to more reasonable peak pricing fares, as those are based on fixed surcharges rather than demand. Nonetheless, Tada has said that pricing during non-peak times might be higher than grab—so if you’re looking for the best fares, your best bet is still toggling between different ride-hailing apps. (How many do you have on your phone now? Six?)
One less common feature of the new app is that Tada is block-chain based. Riders and drivers can both earn points from rides and convert them into crypto currency, which can then be cashed out or exchanged for goods and services. Tada is currently available on iOS and Android, and is operating islandwide. More information here.
