Grab to raise fuel surcharge to $0.90 per trip from 7 April

The timing is also a bit unfortunate, because this isn’t happening in isolation. Singapore is already bracing for higher electricity and gas costs in the coming months, with the Energy Market Authority warning that tariffs are likely to rise as global fuel prices climb due to the current Middle East crisis. This is because our island is dependent on imported natural gas – around 95% of electricity here is generated from that way – so any disruption or price spike globally tends to filter down fairly quickly to what households pay.

Grab says its surcharge adjustment is meant to help drivers cope with higher fuel costs, which, to be fair, hasn’t really eased in Singapore either. This also isn’t the first time the company has leaned on fuel surcharges as a buffer; we’ve seen similar “temporary” tweaks over the past few years whenever operating costs creep up. The one thing going for this adjustment is that it at least comes with an end date. Grab says the surcharge will be reviewed after 31 May, and whether it actually drops back down then…well, we’ll see.