Latest news with #CDG
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Would it be easier to fly to Charles de Gaulle or Orly for Paris?
Q For a forthcoming trip to Paris, I have a choice of flying to either Charles de Gaulle or Orly airport. Do you have a view on which is best? Patricia M A I certainly do. Just to provide some background: the relationship between Paris CDG and Orly is roughly the same as between London Heathrow and Gatwick. Orly, like Gatwick, is older, but CDG and Heathrow have grown to become twice as large. Orly and Gatwick are much more short-haul, low-cost airports, while CDG and Heathrow are predominantly long-haul. The vast majority of flights from the UK to Paris serve CDG, which is 14 miles northeast of the French capital. Orly, eight miles south, currently has connections only from Gatwick and Heathrow on Vueling, and from Southampton on easyJet. But given the choice, I would use Orly every time. Charles de Gaulle is complex and confusing, compared with relatively simple Orly. Until the summer of 2024, Orly had dismal public transport links. But just ahead of the Olympics, line 14 of the Paris Metro was extended to the airport. You reach the central station of Chatelet-Les Halles in 25 minutes, and access pretty much any RER or Metro station in the capital with a single change – so much easier than the cumbersome and often slow RER from CDG. Tickets from the airport are €13 to anywhere in the Paris region – an extensive area. The main drawback is when returning to the airport. While you can board the line 14 train with an ordinary €2.50 Metro ticket, the last leg of the journey to the airport requires a premium fare. You can pay on arrival at Orly, but it takes ages. So buy an airport ticket in advance. Machines at stations should dispense them. Finally, I would take CDG any day over the French capital's sort-of third airport, Beauvais. While Ryanair and Wizz Air describe it as 'Paris', you are a 75-minute coach journey to a remote Metro station, from which the journey to the centre takes about as long as from Orly. Q My husband and I are heading for San Sebastian for the first time in September. We've heard great things about it. The main problem is getting there. Fares were much cheaper to Biarritz in France than to Bilbao in Spain, so that's what we've booked. Annoyingly, there are no suitable buses from Biarritz airport to San Sebastian. Should we just book a transfer, and if so, how much do you think it might cost? Christina F A San Sebastian is an excellent choice. The Basque city was the first place I ever visited in Spain. I remain fond of San Sebastian's natural good looks: wrapped around a shell-shaped bay, La Concha, with a headland guarding the entrance on either side and an island in the middle. I also adore the old town, which probably has the highest concentration of outstanding places to eat on the planet. A transfer for the 50km/30-mile motorway journey from Biarritz airport to San Sebastian will cost a minimum of €100 (£87), possibly significantly more. Fortunately, the public transport option is fun and cheap. Bus line 3 departs from the airport every quarter-hour to the pretty French port of St-Jean-de-Luz, most of the way to the Spanish border. The journey takes 37 minutes for a fare of €1.30. You can use the same ticket to transfer to bus 4, which continues to the frontier town of Hendaye. You can hop off at Hendaye railway station to get to San Sebastian quickly. But if you feel like breaking up the journey with a swim, stay on the bus to the end of the line and you reach Hendaye's excellent Atlantic beach. This place happens to be the starting point for the marvellous GR10 long-distance footpath following the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean. To complete the journey, step aboard the Euskotren. This is an international narrow-gauge train that runs from a small terminus adjacent to Hendaye railway station, over the Spanish border and parallel to the coast, through to San Sebastian. Trains leave every half-hour. The appealingly meandering journey takes 40 minutes. The fare, once again, is €1.30 – so barely £2 each for the whole trip. Spend the savings on a feast. Q If the entry-exit system starts in October, when will we need visas to go into the European Union? Di, Fishwick A As The Independent revealed a week ago, the long-delayed EU entry-exit system (EES) is now expected to be introduced on a staggered basis from 12 October 2025. From that date a proportion of non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area will have their fingerprints and facial biometrics taken. Every frontier is due to have the EES in service by 9 April 2026. After that, passports will cease to be stamped. During the rollout of the system, British travellers will actually encounter even more red tape. As I tackle your question, forgive some pedantry. The EU in Brussels would like me to make clear that the proposed European travel information and authorisation system (Etias) is not a visa. It is intended for citizens of third countries (such as the UK, US and Australia) who do not require visas for the EU. It is, if you like, a permit in lieu of a visa. But I am on your side about what we call it. To get an Etias, you must provide lots of personal data in advance and pay a €20 (£17) fee to enable you to cross a frontier. Which looks to me very much like a visa. I dare say the permit will come to be popularly known as a euro-visa. When will Etias begin? The expectation is six months after EES is fully rolled out. That could be as early as October 2026, though the European Union is more vague and simply says sometime in the final three months of next year. But, to continue being pedantic, you won't need an Etias for the first six months of its existence. During this 'soft' rollout, if you meet all the other conditions for entry to the Schengen area, you will be admitted. So I calculate the earliest time you will actually need an Etias is April 2027 (assuming it starts in October 2026). But given the propensity of airlines to misunderstand the rules for British travellers to the EU, I don't recommend treating Etias as voluntary for those first six months.
Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Singapore's ComfortDelGro to introduce cancellation and waiting fees of at least S$3 from September
SINGAPORE, July 17 — Customers of Singapore's largest taxi operator, ComfortDelGro (CDG), will soon face new cancellation and waiting charges, as the company rolls out a phased fee policy aimed at encouraging more responsible ride bookings. From September 1, cancellation fees of at least S$3 (RM10) will kick in, while waiting fees will be implemented from October 15, Channel News Asia reported. The company described the current period as a 'waiver period' to help riders get familiar with the upcoming changes, adjust their habits and provide feedback. 'Cancellation and waiting fees help compensate drivers fairly for their time and effort,' CDG said. 'This policy also encourages more responsible booking and cancellation habits, improving the overall experience for everyone on the platform and aligning us with prevailing industry practices.' According to CDG's website, riders may cancel up to four rides per month without charge if the driver has not yet arrived at the pickup point. Once that limit is exceeded, a S$4 cancellation fee will apply. If the driver has already arrived, a flat S$4 fee will be charged for any cancellation — regardless of the monthly quota. Riders who do not show up at the pickup point within five minutes after the taxi arrives will incur a S$5 no-show fee. As for the new waiting time charges, the first four minutes are free. After that, a fee of S$3 will be added for every five-minute block, capped at S$9. Only one type of fee — cancellation, no-show, or waiting — will apply for a single booking, depending on whether the ride is completed. Waiting fees apply only if the trip goes ahead, while cancellation or no-show fees apply only if the ride is not taken. For customers paying via cashless methods, fees will be deducted automatically. Those paying by cash will see the fee added to their next fare. Waiting charges will appear at the end of the completed ride. CDG clarified that drivers can only cancel a ride and trigger a cancellation fee if GPS data confirms they were at the pickup location and had waited for more than five minutes. Situations such as the customer exceeding luggage capacity for the chosen vehicle may also lead to a fee. Customers who believe they were charged incorrectly can contact the operator's hotline at 6552 4525 or send a message via the CDG Zig app. As reported by Channel News Asia, ride-hailing platforms like Grab and Gojek already implement similar charges. Grab, for instance, gives a three-minute grace period before imposing a S$4 cancellation fee, and charges S$3 for every five-minute block of waiting time beyond that. Gojek provides a four-minute cancellation grace period, with a similar S$4 fee for late cancellations. Waiting time fees begin at S$3 and can rise to S$9, mirroring CDG's new model.
CNA
16-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
ComfortDelGro to charge new taxi cancellation and waiting fees of at least S$3
SINGAPORE: Customers of Singapore's largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro (CDG) will soon face cancellation and waiting fees of at least S$3 (US$2.33). The new cancellation and waiting fee policy will be rolled out on Jul 31, but there will be a "waiver period", said CDG. The cancellation fee will be implemented from Sep 1 and the waiting fee from Oct 15. According to ComfortDelGro's website, a customer can cancel up to four rides per month if their driver has not arrived at the pickup point. A S$4 fee applies if they have used up this monthly quota. If the taxi has arrived at the pickup point, the customer will have to pay a S$4 fee if they cancel. This is regardless of their monthly quota. If a customer has not shown up at a pickup point for over five minutes after their taxi arrives, they will be subject to a S$5 no-show fee. ComfortDelGro's new waiting fee policy states that customers will not be charged for the first four minutes of waiting. After that time limit, S$3 will be added to their fare for every additional five minutes of waiting, up to a maximum of S$9. Customers using cashless payment methods will have their cancellation fees automatically deducted. For those using cash, the cancellation fee will be added to their next ride's fare. Waiting fees are automatically added to fares at the end of the trip.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The S$5 Billion Opportunity: 5 Singapore Stocks Tipped for Growth
Last year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) established an equity market review committee (EMRC) to look at ways to strengthen Singapore's stock market. As part of a raft of new initiatives aimed at increasing interest from both retail and institutional investors, MAS has agreed to a S$5 billion programme. Singapore's central bank will partner with selected fund managers to invest in local stocks. We shortlisted five interesting candidates that we believe will benefit from this pool of money as these stocks look set to report healthy growth. ComfortDelGro Corporation, or CDG, is a transport operator offering a comprehensive suite of transport solutions. The group's network spans public transport modes such as buses and rail, along with point-to-point transport such as taxis and private hire cars. CDG pulled off a commendable performance for 2024 with revenue rising 15.4% year on year to S$4.48 billion. Operating profit improved by almost 19% year on year to S$322.9 million while net profit increased by 16.6% year on year to S$210.5 million. The better performance was attributed to the acquisitions made last year which also helped to increase overseas revenue contribution to near half of the group's total. CDG paid out a total dividend of S$0.0777 for 2024, a 16.7% year-on-year increase compared to the S$0.0666 paid a year earlier. The land transport giant pulled off an admirable performance for its first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025) business update. Revenue continued its climb, rising 16.4% year on year to S$1.17 billion. Operating profit surged 45.5% year on year to S$81.5 million while net profit climbed 19% year on year to S$48.3 million. iFAST Corporation is a financial technology company operating a platform for the buying and selling of unit trusts, bonds, and equities. The group reported a stellar set of earnings for 1Q 2025 with net revenue rising 16.5% year on year to S$67.7 million. Operating leveraged helped iFAST to increase its operating and net profit by 29% and 31.2% year on year, respectively, to S$23.8 million and S$19 million. Healthy net inflows of S$938 million helped to push iFAST's assets under administration (AUA) up 22% year on year to a record S$25.68 billion as of 31 March 2025. With this strong performance, the group upped its 1Q 2025 interim dividend from S$0.013 to S$0.016. iFAST's digital bank, iFAST Global Bank, also posted a second consecutive quarter of profitability at S$1 million. Management expects to achieve healthy growth for its various business segments for 2025. Hong Leong Asia, or HLA, is a conglomerate with assets in property investments and development, hotel ownership, financial services, and industrial enterprises. For 2024, revenue rose 4.1% year on year to S$4.2 billion. Net profit climbed 35.3% year on year to S$87.8 million. The group doubled its 2024 dividend from S$0.02 to S$0.04. Its powertrain solutions division sold 12,100 units in 2024, up 50% year on year. The division also launched 50 fuel cell powered bus, and Phase II of MTU Yuchai Power JV has started to produce Series 4000 engines to cater to growing demand for data centre and semiconductor pre-fabrication plants. For the building materials division, HLA is investing in larger capacity mixers to improve productivity. Parkway Life REIT, or PLife REIT, is a healthcare REIT with a portfolio of 75 properties located in Singapore, Japan, France, and Malaysia. The portfolio had an asset size of around S$2.46 billion as of 31 March 2025. The healthcare REIT boasts a solid track record of increasing core distribution per unit (DPU) since its IPO in 2007. 1Q 2025 saw a continuation of this trend with gross revenue rising 7.3% year on year to S$39 million and net property income increasing by 7.5% year on year to S$36.8 million. The REIT's DPU inched up 1.3% year on year to S$0.0384. Last October, Plife REIT conducted an acquisition of 11 nursing homes in France to establish its third growth market. These nursing homes, along with select acquisitions of nursing homes in Japan, should help the REIT to continue its track record of rising DPU. Meanwhile, the REIT's Singapore hospitals should see a 24.4% year-on-year increase in rental income next year in line with the new master lease agreement signed in August 2022. SIA Engineering, or SIAEC, provides maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for airlines. The group also provides base and line maintenance services along with fleet management services. SIAEC posted healthy growth in its top and bottom lines for its fiscal 2025 (FY2025) ending 31 March 2025. Revenue climbed 13.8% year on year to S$1.25 billion while operating stood at S$14.6 million. SIAEC saw higher share of profits from associates and joint ventures, leading its net profit to grow by nearly 44% year on year to S$139.6 million. The group declared a final dividend of S$0.07 for FY2025. Coupled with the interim dividend of S$0.02, the total dividend for FY2025 came up to S$0.09, one cent more than the prior fiscal year. SIAEC recently signed a S$1.3 billion service agreements with Singapore Airlines (SGX: C6L) and Scoot. The group's growth strategy involves expanding its geographical presence while growing capacity and its MRO capabilities for new-generation aircraft. Explore Singapore's top 'evergreen' stocks with our FREE report. It spotlights 7 Singapore blue-chip stocks with solid dividends and growth potential. Click here to download it now to create a flow of dividend income, regardless of market conditions. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram for the latest investing news and analyses! Disclosure: Royston Yang owns shares of iFAST Corporation Ltd. The post The S$5 Billion Opportunity: 5 Singapore Stocks Tipped for Growth appeared first on The Smart Investor. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
If You Bought 1,000 ComfortDelGro Shares at IPO, Here's What They're Worth Now
ComfortDelGro Corporation (SGX: C52), or CDG, has a long and interesting history. The land transport giant was formed back in 2003 with the merger of Comfort and DelGro by way of a scheme of arrangement. This scheme was approved by the High Court of Singapore on 21 March 2003, and shares of CDG were listed on 31 March of the same year. Assuming you had bought 1,000 shares of CDG on the first trading day of the newly-merged company, here's what you will end up with. A 1,000-share investment in CDG back then would have cost around S$790 (excluding brokerage fees) as shares of the group closed at S$0.79 on the day of listing. Fast forward 22 years, and shares of CDG closed at S$1.43 on 2 July 2025, meaning your shares will be worth S$1,430. The land transport giant provided a lacklustre compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just 2.7% over this period, barely enough to beat inflation. But hold on – we will be remiss if we do not include all the dividends you would have received over the years. From 2003 to 2024, CDG paid out a total dividend of S$1.6753 per share, so your 1,000 shares would have given you S$1,675.30 of dividends. If you add this to the value of your shares, it will come up to S$3,105.30, giving you a decent total return CAGR of 6.4%. The surprise here is that capital gains would have netted you just S$640 (i.e. S$1,430 minus S$790), but your total dividends will be 2.5 times this capital gain. This simple exercise shows the power of dividends in boosting your total return. But you may be wondering – what's next for CDG? Can it continue to deliver healthy capital gains and increasing dividends? CDG reported improving financials for 2024 as the effects of COVID-19 slowly wear off. Revenue rose 15.4% year on year to S$4.5 billion while net profit increased by 16.6% year on year to S$210.5 million. When compared with 2003's results, revenue increased by 142.5% from S$1.8 billion, but net profit increased by a lower 57.2% from S$133.9 million. This smaller increase in net profit could be the reason for the share price underperformance over these years. When the annual return is computed, this works out to a 21-year CAGR of 4.3% for CDG's revenue from 2003 to 2024, while net profit improved by just a 2.2% CAGR. There is a silver lining, though. For its first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025) business update, CDG saw revenue rise 16.4% year on year to S$1.17 billion, arising from contributions from recent acquisitions of A2B and Addison Lee. Net profit climbed 19% year on year to S$48.3 million. CDG is relying on more acquisitive growth in recent years to power its top and bottom lines. The group announced the acquisition of the Addison Lee group in October last year, adding a premium private hire, courier, and black taxi provider in London. Back in December 2023, CDG purchased A2B, a leading Australian transportation provider with more than 8,00 vehicles in its network. And in February 2024, CDG acquired CMAC Group, a UK ground transportation management specialist, for around S$135.4 million. Not forgetting its home market of Singapore, CDG also topped up another 10% stake in Ming Chuan Transportation in March 2023, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary. Ming Chuan is one of the largest wheelchair transport service providers in Singapore. It's clear from these recent acquisitions that CDG is broadening its reach overseas as growth in Singapore becomes increasingly difficult. For 1Q 2025, overseas revenue made up 52.6% of CDG's total group revenue, up sharply from just 43.3% in the prior year. Management announced several business developments that further highlight the group's overseas growth ambitions. CDG commenced a two-year pilot programme to deploy commercial robotaxi services in Guangzhou, China, back in March this year. The group also formed a consortium with RATP to bid for the upcoming Copenhagen metro system tender. Back home, CDG is facing intensifying competition from other ride-hailing companies such as Grab Holdings (NASDAQ: GRAB). Grab recently obtained approval to start a new taxi fleet from the Land Transport Authority, which issued a street hail operator licence to the superapp. The licence is valid for 10 years and will intensify competition in an already crowded taxi market. CDG seems to be on the right track. The group is reducing its reliance on Singapore and expanding its presence globally through business initiatives and acquisitions. Already, revenue from outside of Singapore made up more than half of the group's revenue for 1Q 2025. Of course, investors will need to watch for the group's operating and net profit to see if these acquisitions deliver healthy returns over time. If they do, CDG could deliver improved capital returns and dividends to shareholders in the future. If you're looking for the best value buys in the stock market, read Get Smart. It will help you spot opportunities most investors overlook. Each issue gives you the context you need to recognise bargains and act confidently. Join for free and enjoy the advantage of deep investing insight delivered straight to your inbox every week. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram for the latest investing news and analyses! Disclosure: Royston Yang does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned. The post If You Bought 1,000 ComfortDelGro Shares at IPO, Here's What They're Worth Now appeared first on The Smart Investor. 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