How to Hail and Pay for a Taxi in Singapore

One thing I liked after moving to Singapore was discovering that I did not have to book every taxi on my phone.

Taxi stands still exist. Sometimes a taxi is already waiting. Sometimes I join the queue and wait for one. The stand gives the cars and passengers somewhere to meet.

Can you stop one in the street?

Yes, but the location matters. LTA’s guidance says you can hail a taxi along the road outside the Central Business District, subject to stopping restrictions. A driver cannot pick you up in an operating bus lane, within nine metres of a bus stop or where signs and road markings prohibit stopping.

There are additional restrictions on particular roads in the CBD. A designated taxi stand, taxi stop or building driveway is a straightforward place to start. A wave does not override a no-stopping sign.

A street-hailed taxi uses the meter, with applicable surcharges. That is different from assuming every app-booked ride uses the same fare system.

You can still use an app to pay

My favourite discovery was that a ride could begin with a wave and still end with an app payment. I described scanning a QR code inside a taxi in my original April 2022 note.

For a current example, ComfortDelGro’s CDG Zig app has a “Pay for Street Hail” option. Its payment FAQ explains how supported methods connect to a trip. The NETS Click instructions include scanning the QR code on the taxi’s payment terminal or entering the taxi number.

The exact options and fees depend on the operator and payment method. The useful idea is that booking and paying are separate things. These details were checked in September 2026; the operator’s current instructions are the place to check before using a particular method.

I can find the taxi without an app. My phone can join the journey afterwards.

Time to zig, apparently

ComfortDelGro still can’t leave it alone. Now the taxi itself is telling me: “Time to zig.”