Uber Partners Taxi Firm ComfortDelGro for UberFLASH Service in Singapore

Uber Technologies and Singapore's top taxi operator ComfortDelGro will launch a new ride-hailing service in Singapore from Friday, as they team up against their key regional rival Grab.

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 percent 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 percent 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.

© Thomson Reuters 2018