Tackling the high costs of delivery commissions ranging from 30 to 35%, Burpple will be partnering with ComfortDelGro Taxi on its new ComfortDelivery platform to reduce costs down to 20 to 25%*. This will provide Burpple’s over 500 Beyond merchants with cost savings and immediate access to ComfortDelGro Taxi’s fleet of 10,000 taxis.
Singapore – 29 May 2020 – Burpple will be partnering ComfortDelGro Taxi to bring down delivery costs through its delivery platform - ComfortDelivery - to 550 Burpple Beyond merchants.
Burpple Beyond (“Beyond”) is a subscription-based rewards programme that offers 1-for-1 deals at a curated list of restaurants. Of the 550 merchants, more than 200 have now pivoted to offer the same deals for takeaway. With this partnership, Burpple will be reaching out to all merchants to onboard them onto ComfortDelivery’s platform. This will encourage all Burpple Beyond members to enjoy these deals from the comfort of their own homes.
There are three goals this partnership hopes to achieve. Lower delivery commission costs to restaurants, which in turn, lowers delivery fees for consumers, and to provide an additional source of income to Comfort’s drivers. These added merchants will also provide consumers with more choices.Â
Fees charged by the food delivery players in Singapore range from 25% to as steep as 35% an order. Calls have emerged from the F&B sector for delivery platforms to lower their commission rates.Â
"ComfortDelivery is helping F&B businesses and taxi drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular, during the circuit breaker period. By offering a competitive rate for delivery, it allows F&B businesses to stay focused on their product and customer satisfaction. Concurrently, we hope that this will drive up demand for delivery orders for taxi drivers as an alternative stream of income,” said Burpple’s CEO, Mr Dixon Chan.Â
ComfortDelGro Taxi CEO Mr Ang Wei Neng said: “We are always on a look out for more F&B outlets to come onboard ComfortDelivery so that there are more delivery jobs for our cabbies. As such, it was timely that Burpple reached out to us especially since our cabbies can continue carry out delivery jobs until end-September.”
Cost savings for restaurants and consumers
Burpple’s collaboration with ComfortDelGro Taxi represents a step-change to create greater value for Singapore’s F&B community, as all participating merchants will be able to scale their operations in an affordable and effective manner, by leveraging on ComfortDelGro Taxi’s fleet of taxis and delivery platform.Â
Mr Alvin Lye, owner of Biseryu Japanese Restaurant, a Burpple Beyond merchant, joined the ComfortDelivery platform a week ago and remarked that it has “really helped us immensely during this Circuit Breaker as it allows us to seamlessly find delivery drivers from their fleet of drivers. The cost is also much cheaper than traditional delivery companies.”Â
Burpple will be including delivery links on each merchant’s page to allow consumers to order directly via the app. “The subsidised pricing is definitely beneficial, as we are able to convert some of the cost savings to consumers.” said Ms Samantha Lim, owner of The Garden Slug Family Restaurant.Â
Ms Shantal Chan, a Burpple Beyond subscriber, shared that she is pleased to hear that she can access these deals again at some of her favourite restaurants. “I’ve been a huge fan of Kei Kaisendon and their Mentaiyaki Tamago Kaisen Don but it has been quite inconvenient to access the Beyond deals via takeaway due to the stay-home restrictions.”
Increasing income opportunities for ComfortDelGro cabbies
With this new service – ComfortDelivery – that was launched on April 29, delivery charges are distance-based, and will start at S$5.20 after 20% subsidy from Enterprise Singapore (ESG). F&B outlets can book a taxi for two drop-offs in a single booking at a discounted rate that starts at S$6.80 after 20% subsidy from ESG.
Mr Ang reiterated that it is always the Company’s priority to look after its cabbies. He said: “We know that the outbreak of Covid-19 has significantly impacted the livelihoods of our cabbies. We hope that this partnership will generate more delivery jobs for our cabbies, lower the food delivery cost for the restaurants and eventually benefit Singaporeans that order food delivery.”
ComfortDelGro Cabby Tan Yi Sheng is grateful for this potential income stream. He said: "I have been providing delivery services for ComfortDelivery for a month now, and I am glad that that all delivery fees are paid to me directly. I am also thankful that the Company is consistently exploring ways to look after its cabbies."
About Burpple
Founded in Silicon Valley by three Singaporeans, Burpple was launched in May 2012 with a mission to help people find the perfect places to enjoy their meals with the people they love. Burpple is now the food discovery platform of choice in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Powered by over 3 million photo reviews from the community, over 7 million people have used Burpple to discover great places to eat, be it for a first date, a quick meal nearby, brunch with friends, or a family celebration. This community-driven network is now the place Singaporeans rely on to decide where and what to eat.
About Burpple Beyond
Burpple Beyond is a premium dining membership within the Burpple platform. Now the leading​ 1-for-1 dining membership in Singapore, members enjoy ​1-for-1 deals​ at over 500 curated partner restaurants, cafes and bars. On average, members save $22​​ per redemption — that works up to​ ~$77 per month and ​~$920 of savings per year.
About ComfortDelGro
ComfortDelGro is one of the world’s largest land transport companies with a total fleet size of over 41,600 buses, taxis and rental vehicles. ComfortDelGro runs 83km of light and heavy rail networks in Singapore. ComfortDelGro’s global operations span seven countries – Singapore, Australia, China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Vietnam and Malaysia. In Singapore, ComfortDelGro Taxi operates about 10,000 taxis and launched its delivery service platform, ComfortDelivery, on 29 April 2020.