Commuters riding on ComfortDelGro’s taxis in recent
months may have found themselves in front of TV screens equipped
with ports that allow them to charge their mobile phones.
In August, Moove Media, the outdoor advertising arm of
ComfortDelGro, installed TV screens in 1,000 of the operator’s
cabs, Ms Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro’s group corporate communications
officer, said in a reply to TODAY’s queries.
The screens, installed on the back of the driver’s and
front passenger’s headrest, are equipped with USB (universal serial
bus) ports that enable riders to charge their mobile phones.
There are plans to upgrade the screens to make them
interactive, so as to allow commuters to choose the content they
want to watch, Ms Tan added.
Facing stiff competition from the ride-sharing
companies, ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, has
seen its fleet shrink in recent months.
In August, it had 15,127 Comfort and CityCab taxis on
its books, the lowest for the company in eight years.
This is not the first time TV screens have been
installed in taxis, although it is the first of its kind for
ComfortDelGro.
For instance, the now-defunct taxi operator Smart
Automobile, which stopped operations in 2013, previously fitted out
its taxis with TV screens to improve commuter experience.
Advertising on ComfortDelGro’s new TV screens costs
S$11,000 for a 30-second spot spanning three months on 300 taxis,
TODAY’s checks with Moove Media showed.
Since it was set up in 2005, Moove Media has
contributed significantly to ComfortDelGro’s bottomline. The firm
said in 2015 that it enlarged its advertising revenue for the group
by nearly 100 per cent since it began operations.
Ms Chloe Neo, managing director of media company OMD
Singapore, said the opportunity for ComfortDelGro to generate
advertising revenue from the new TV screens will depend largely on
the level of engagement with commuters.
She noted that with ubiquitous mobile use and
competitive mobile-data deals, the “likelihood of a captive
audience in a transit environment has diminished”, with most
Singapore residents able to access content at their fingertips
while on the move.
However, Ms Neo said a disruptive shift offering “real
consumer value” could help in-cab advertising take off. This could
include tailoring information on the screens — such as shopping and
dining options — to commuters’ destinations.
Comfort taxi driver Mok Chun Kong, 65, had the screens
installed in his Hyundai i40 cab, for which he received a S$25
diesel voucher.
Mr Mok, who has been with Comfort for 32 years, said
the screens were primarily for advertisements, and drivers collect
a stamp for every change in advertising. They receive a S$50 diesel
voucher on the fourth change.
While he has not received any feedback from passengers
since the screens were installed, Mr Mok said: “Some of them who
don’t want to see (the screens), they will switch them off. Just
the picture only — no volume.”
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