{"id":57179,"date":"2022-07-18T18:45:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T10:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.cdgtaxi.com.sg\/?p=57179"},"modified":"2026-03-12T14:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T06:35:18","slug":"a-look-at-how-comfortdelgro-taxi-has-evolved-through-the-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.cdgtaxi.com.sg\/a-look-at-how-comfortdelgro-taxi-has-evolved-through-the-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"A look at how ComfortDelGro Taxi has evolved through the decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the younger generation, many might be unfamiliar with the term \u201cpirate taxis\u201d. It\u2019s actually not that big of a mystery as it simply refers to unlicensed cars that anyone could use as taxis from the 1940s to the 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were no rules. Pirate taxi drivers would decide to move only when the car was full and sometimes, they would take up to seven passengers in a car, which is against today\u2019s regulations! Commuters, on the other hand, could control how much they wanted to pay to get from point A to B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a drive down memory lane<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s in the midst of such a transport scene that ComfortDelGro Taxi was birthed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to the deplorable traffic conditions, late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said: \u201cWe then decided that before the roads became chaotic and public transport broke down, to clear up the pirate taxis, improve the bus and taxi services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To counter the pirate taxi problem, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) formed the Workers’ Co-operative Commonwealth for Transport in 1970 with a fleet of 1,000 Comfort Morris Oxford taxis. This would later become Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd in 1993, a subsidiary of Comfort Group Ltd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separately, Delgro Corporation Limited had also started CityCab Pte Ltd in 1995 with the merger of three companies \u2013 Singapore Airport Bus Service Ltd (SABS), Singapore Bus Service Taxi Pte Ltd (SBS Taxi Pte Ltd) and Singapore Commuter Pte Ltd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comfort and Delgro later merged to form ComfortDelGro in 2003, and both taxi businesses formed ComfortDelGro Taxi as they are known today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A blast from the past<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, our taxis weren\u2019t always blue and yellow, with curved bodies, like the ones we see on the roads today. So what were they like in the past?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Well, they looked quite the opposite! The Morris Oxford taxi was designed with straighter edges, and was what we termed now as rather simple and retro-looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And of course, for a few decades before we reached the year 2000, the iconic \u2018TAXI\u2019 and \u201cNOT FOR HIRED\u201d rooftop signs from back then carried on, although they didn\u2019t light up like the Light Emitting Diode (LED) ones that were introduced in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fun fact: We added electronic smart meters in 1981!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The blue and yellow taxis (photo above) \u2013 which were the Toyota Crowns \u2013 probably resembled our present models today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ComfortDelGro taxis in the present come with sleeker and curved bodies and glossier exteriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n