ComfortDelGro

Public
Traded as SGX: C52
Industry Land transport
Automotive engineering
Vehicle inspection
Outdoor advertising
Insurance brokerage
Founded 29 March 2003
Headquarters Singapore
Key people
 Lim Jit Poh (Chairman)
Kua Hong Pak (CEO)
Products Transport, advertising
Revenue Increase S$3.75 billion SGD (December 2013)
Increase S$327 million SGD (December 2013)
Number of employees
 20,275 (Q42012)
Subsidiaries SBS Transit
Website ComfortDelGro

ComfortDelGro Corporation (SGX: C52) is a multi-national land transport company listed on the Singapore Exchange operating 46,010 vehicles in seven countries.[1] It was formed in March 2003 when land transport companies Comfort Group and DelGro Corporation merged.[2][3]

Singapore operations

Bus & Rail

SBS Transit ComfortDelGro bodied Volvo Super Olympian in Singapore in March 2009
Hyundai i40 taxi in Singapore in January 2016
SBS Transit ComfortDelGro bodied Volvo B9TL (Singapore's first wheelchair-accessible bus) in Singapore in January 2016

ComfortDelGro owns 75% of SBS Transit, which is listed separately on the Singapore Exchange. SBS Transit is a leading bus and rail operator in Singapore. Every day, it carries more than three million passengers on its extensive bus and rail network.[1]

SBS Transit operates about 250 bus services with a fleet of more than 3,200 buses. The buses serve 17 interchanges and more than 3,500 bus stops island-wide. Additionally, SBS Transit operates the North East Line, which is the world's first fully automated, underground heavy rail system that connects Punggol to HarbourFront, as well as the Sengkang and Punggol LRT Line.

SBS Transit also operates the Downtown Line. When fully completed, this 42 km line with 34 stations will be the longest underground line in Singapore. The first stage of the Downtown Line commenced passenger service on 22 December 2013. The second and third stages will be ready in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

ComfortDelGro Bus as a private-bus charter subsidiary is the largest private land-transport company in Singapore, which offers a wide range of bus charter services, including employee and school bus services. It also offers overland bus services to West Malaysia, and operates premium bus services, complementing those offered by SBS Transit.[4][5]

Taxi

Comfort and CityCab, both taxi companies belonging to ComfortDelGro Corporation, are the largest players in Singapore's taxi industry with a combined fleet of 16,600 taxis.[1] The ComfortDelGro taxi booking system wirelessly connects the taxis using the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology via the in-vehicle Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs). Today, its Customer Contact Centre caters to over 32 million taxi bookings annually.[6] Comfort and CityCab also operate ComfortDleGro LimoCabs and MaxiCabs in its fleet.[7]

CityCab was formed in 1995 from the merger of SABS (Singapore Airport Bus Services), SBS Taxi and Singapore Commuters.[8]

Automotive Engineering

Besides servicing private cars through its SPARK Car Care business, ComfortDelGro Engineering provides accident repair for most of ComfortDelGro’s taxi fleet, as well as vehicle fleets for ComfortDelGro Bus and ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car. Its diesel sale department’s 17 diesel kiosks provide diesel at subsidised rate to ComfortDelGro’s 16,600-strong taxi fleet islandwide.

Its vehicle construction unit custom-builds vehicles for passenger transportation as well as for special function for both local and regional customers. It also provides modifications, retrofitting and refurbishment to existing vehicles. ComfortDelGro Engineering is also the authorised distributor for Volvo Buses in Singapore.[9]

Inspection & Testing Services

VICOM is offering testing and inspection services to a wide spectrum of industries such as automotive, petrochemical, aerospace, manufacturing, building, construction, marine and gas.[10]

Driving Centre

ComfortDelGro Driving Centre is a partnership with Chofu Driving School of Japan. The Centre provides driving instruction for motorcars, motorcycles, bus and taxi vocational licences as well as corporate training.[1][11]

Car Rental

ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car operates as a car-rental and leasing-service provider in Singapore with a fleet of more than 1,100 vehicles.[1][12]

Insurance Broking Service

ComfortDelGro Insurance Brokers is an associate company of the Group, and its principal activities relate to risk protection and transfer solutions through the disciplines of insurance broking, employee benefits consulting, risk management operations, claims and loss management and customised solutions. It proposes and implements solutions involving a blend of traditional insurance products, alternative risk financing instruments and methods to help the Group mitigate any risks faced in an increasingly complex environment.[13]

Outdoor Advertising

Moove Media is the advertising arm of ComfortDelGro and has been in operations since 2005 through the merger of Comfort Ads and SBS Transit Advertising.

In Singapore, Moove Media offers an integrated outdoor advertisement platform on buses (SBS Transit and ComfortDelGro) and Bus interchanges, rail (North East Line, Downtown Line, Sengkang and Punggol LRT line) and taxis (Comfort and CityCab), reaching commuters island-wide.

In 2001, It offers the same outdoor advertising services in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.[14]

Overseas operations

Bus

Metroline New Routemaster in London in June 2013

China

In China, the Group operates and manages an inter-city bus station, Tianhe Bus Station, in Guangzhou. Hengyang's CityCab Bus Services, in which the Group owns a 25% stake, operates 88 buses.

United Kingdom

In March 2000, DelGro Corporation purchased the Metroline bus company in London.[15] As at December 2012 it operated 1,200 buses.[1] In June 2013 a further 494 buses were added to Metroline with the purchase of five depots located in West London from First London.[16] Metroline also operates Westbus, which has a fleet of 36 quality coaches undertaking tourist and general coach work. Westbus is based in Hounslow, London.

Under Transport for London (TfL)'s gross-cost model, operators like Metroline tender for routes and operate them as contractors. The Mayor of London decides on the level of fares as well as the concessions for certain passengers. All fare revenue goes to TfL. Fare revenue is allocated to operators on a mileage basis and meeting performance targets set on contract.

ComfortDelGro also owns the Scottish Citylink express coach business in Scotland. In September 2005 ComfortDelGro entered into a joint venture with Stagecoach that combined Scottish Citylink with Stagecoach's Megabus operation in Scotland.[17]

In June 2015, ComfortDelGro was shortlisted to bid for the London Overground railway concession.[18][19]

Ireland

In Ireland ComfortDelGro operates the Irish Citylink ComfortDelGro, an inter-city coach services with over 20 coaches in Dublin, Galway, Clifden and Cork.[1][20]

Australia

Hillsbus Bustech CDi in Sydney in July 2013
CDC Melbourne Volgren bodied Scania K230UB in Melbourne in December 2013

In 2005 ComfortDelGro took a 51% shareholding in ComfortDelGro Cabcharge, a joint venture formed with Australian taxi company Cabcharge to purchase Westbus in Sydney and Hunter Valley Buses.[21]

In August 2006 ComfortDelGro Cabcharge expanded purchasing the Western Sydney services of Baxter's Bus Lines followed in August 2007 by Morisett Bus Service, Sugar Valley Coachlines and Toronto Bus Service.[22][23]

In November 2008 Kefford Corporation in Victoria was purchased[24] followed in September 2012 by Queanbeyan based Deane's Buslines and Transborder Express,[25][26] the Melbourne bus services of Driver Group in July 2013[27] and the Blue Mountains Bus Company in August 2014.[28]

Taxi

In China, ComfortDelGro operates taxi services in nine cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu, Hengyang, Suzhou, Nanning, Nanjing and Jilin City with a total fleet of about 10,650 vehicles.[1][29]

In the United Kingdom, ComfortDelGro's subsidiaries, Computer Cab in London, Computer Cab (Edinburgh), Computer Cab (Aberdeen) and Computer Cab (Liverpool) operate a fleet of 6,300 radio taxis and private hire vehicles providing a service to local business and private customers.[1]

Computer Cab, the market leader in London, has four brands – ComCab, DataCab, Call-A-Cab and Local Taxi Groups.

In May 2006, the Group acquired Onward Travel, a private car-hire business in Edinburgh, Scotland. It operates an exclusive airport taxi rank concession from Edinburgh Airport. In March 2007, the Group acquired another licensed-taxi and private-hire company in Birmingham. The company has since been renamed Computer Cab (Birmingham) Ltd.[30]

In Vietnam, a fleet of over 380 taxis are operated by Vietnam Taxi (Vinataxi) in Ho Chi Minh City. Another joint venture with former state-owned enterprise Saigon General Service Corporation (Savico) for the establishment of ComfortDelGro Savico Taxi operates over 220 taxis, a call centre, as well as a workshop which repairs and maintains the taxi fleet.[31]

In Australia, Swan Taxis based in Perth became wholly owned by ComfortDelGro in 2010.

Car Rental & Leasing

In China, ComfortDelGro launched a motor vehicle rental and leasing business through a joint venture company, ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car (Chengdu), in Chengdu, the gateway to the fast developing Western region of China. The Group established Nanning ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car to operate car rental and leasing services in the city on 1 January 2008 with an initial fleet size of 13 cars, and this number has now doubled.

In Malaysia, ComfortDelGro offers car-leasing and rental services through CityLimo Leasing (M) Sdn Bhd. The Group currently operates about 230 vehicles in the Capital.[32] In addition to leasing, the Company also provides a round-the-clock islandwide mobile back-up service that offers assistance to customers in the event of an emergency.

Driving Centre

In China, the Group has a joint venture company – Chengdu ComfortDelGro Qing Yang Driving School in Chengdu. The centre offers driving training, professional driver training and driver testing services to the Chinese.

In October 2006, the Group expanded its presence in China with its first move into Chongqing through a 90% stake in new joint venture driving school, Chongqing ComfortDelGro Driver Training Co., Ltd. It expanded its footprint with the acquisition of a site in Liangjiang for its Chongqing Liangjiang ComfortDelGro Driving Training driving school in April 2011, which is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

In September 2013, the Group further expanded its operations in Jilin City when its subsidiary, Jilin ComfortDelGro Taxi incorporated Jilin ComfortDelGro Driver Training Co., Ltd, a wholly owned driving school.[33]

Vehicle Inspection Services

In 2004, ComfortDelGro acquired Chengdu Jitong Integrated Vehicle Inspection. Besides being a vehicle inspection centre, it also operates the sales of automotive parts and components in Chengdu. In the same year, it acquired Beijing Tian Long Da Tian Vehicle Inspection, which offers vehicle safety inspection and emission test services in Beijing.[34]

Controversy

In 2012, after a fatal traffic collision in Singapore, involving a ComfortDelgro Taxi which left 3 people dead including the taxi driver and 2 seriously injured,[35] news reports revealed that ComfortDelgro had omitted airbags in their entire fleet of Hyundai Sonata taxis.[36]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Annual Report 31 December 2012 ComfortDelGro
  2. ↑ Our Company Profile ComfortDelGro
  3. ↑ Changes to The Straits Times Index Singapore Press Holdings 1 April 2003
  4. ↑ "Bus". ComfortDelGro.
  5. ↑ "Rail". ComfortDelGro.
  6. ↑ "Taxi". ComfortDelGro.
  7. ↑ "ComfortDelGro raises fares for limousine and MaxiCabs". TODAYonline. 2013-04-30.
  8. ↑ Taxi! Taxi! The Evolution of Singapore’s Taxi-Cabs, Remember Singapore, Retrieved 3 November 2014
  9. ↑ "Singapore – Automotive Engineering Services". ComfortDelGro.
  10. ↑ "Inspection and Testing Services". ComfortDelGro.
  11. ↑ "Driving School". ComfortDelGro.
  12. ↑ "Car Rental & Leasing". ComfortDelGro.
  13. ↑ "Insurance Broking Services". ComfortDelGro.
  14. ↑ "Outdoor Advertising". ComfortDelGro.
  15. ↑ History Metroline
  16. ↑ FirstGroup Announces Sale of Eight London Bus Depots FirstGroup 9 April 2013
  17. ↑ "United Kingdom". ComfortDelGro.
  18. ↑ Four bidders shortlisted for London Overground operating concesssion Railway Gazette 29 June 2015
  19. ↑ TfL announces Overground Shortlist Railnews 30 June 2015
  20. ↑ "Ireland". ComfortDelGro.
  21. ↑ "New Westbus owners guarantee jobs, services". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 August 2005.
  22. ↑ "Changes Galore in Sydney" Buses Worldwide November 2007 page 8
  23. ↑ Toronto Bus Service Australian Bus Fleet Lists
  24. ↑ Kefford Group finds a buyer Australian Bus & Coach
  25. ↑ Deane's buses sold for $53 million ABC News 4 August 2012
  26. ↑ "Deane's sold". Australasian Bus News.
  27. ↑ ComfortDelGro Expands Melbourne Operations Through A$22.0 Million Acquisition ComfortDelGro 20 May 2013
  28. ↑ Cabcharge buys bus company for $26.5 million Blue Mountains Gazette 13 August 2014
  29. ↑ "China". ComfortDelGro.
  30. ↑ "United Kingdom – Taxi". ComfortDelGro.
  31. ↑ "Vietnam – Taxi". ComfortDelGro.
  32. ↑ "Malaysia – Car Rental & Leasing". ComfortDelGro.
  33. ↑ "China – Driving School". ComfortDelGro.
  34. ↑ "China – Vehicle Inspection". ComfortDelGro.
  35. ↑ "Horror Ferrari crash at Rochor leaves 2 dead". AsiaOne. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  36. ↑ Amir, Hussain (18 May 2012). "No airbags in most taxis?". Channel NewsAsia Today. Retrieved 21 May 2012.

External links

Media related to ComfortDelGro at Wikimedia Commons

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