Geolah, Singapore’s newest ride-hailing app, has big shoes to fill. Back in 2023, when the app was still in its beta phase, we discovered that GeoRide consistently offered the lowest fares during peak hours, living up to its claim of being “Singapore’s most affordable ride-hailing service platform”.
In practice, though, actually getting a ride on Geolah felt impossible. I’ve tried countless times—and failed just as often. Readers who followed our coverage back then also reported the same frustrations.
But that was two years ago. In Dec 2024, Geolah secured a provisional license from the Land Transport Authority (LTA), paving the way for the official launch of its ride-hailing services in Feb 2025 with a revamped platform.
Now, with GeoRide live, I wanted to see if anything had changed and whether the platform could finally deliver on both pricing and reliability.
Would the fares still be as attractive as before? Could I actually book a ride without endless frustration? It‘s time to put the platform to the test again.
The new and upgraded Geolah
Before testing out the platform, I spoke with one of Geolah’s founders, Deniel Singh, about how the company has improved since its beta days.
Since our last engagement in 2023, we have been refining our business model following feedback from both riders and drivers, while also strengthening compliance under our provisional license from the LTA.
He added that Geolah still remains committed to its no-surge pricing promise. “We achieve this by monitoring fares daily to ensure passenger prices stay competitive while driver earnings remain fair.”
That said, drivers are now charged commissions. However, Singh stressed that the platform’s commission rates are “structured to remain competitive with, and in some cases, more favourable than other ride-hailing platforms.”
At first glance, the new Geolah platform itself feels noticeably more polished compared to its early version—when we first tested it back in 2023, the app was buggy, failed to display fare prices, and often didn’t even allow bookings, creating a frustrating experience for anyone who actually needed a ride.
This time, the app feels much smoother, more aesthetic, and easier to navigate. First impressions matter, and Geolah scores well here.
But what really counts are the fares and the app’s reliability compared to other ride-hailing platforms in Singapore—specifically, how easy it is to get a driver and how far away that driver is when a booking is made.
To put this to the test, we conducted a comprehensive comparison of Geolah against the five other major ride-hailing apps in Singapore: Grab, Gojek, Ryde, TADA, and CDG Zig (by ComfortDelGro). We selected five different pickup and drop-off locations across Singapore and booked rides at various times of the day to see how each platform stacked up.
For apps where no driver was found on the first attempt, we tried once more. If both attempts failed, we marked it as unsuccessful.
So, without further ado, here are the results:
(Disclaimer: Testing was done on a weekday, and fares shown exclude any prevailing promo codes/discounts. Driver details have also been omitted to protect their privacy.)
Around 7:30AM: Punggol to Grantral Mall, MacPherson
At about 7:30AM on a random Wednesday, I placed ride bookings across all major platforms from home to work. Out of all the apps, I only managed to successfully secure rides on Grab, Gojek, and Ryde.
In terms of price, Geolah wasn’t bad—it was among the more affordable options. Unfortunately, affordability didn’t matter when I couldn’t actually get a ride.
Cheapest: TADA, Most Expensive: Grab
Fastest: Ryde, Slowest: Gojek
Around 12PM: Grantral Mall, MacPherson to PLQ Mall
This time, I was able to secure a ride on all platforms—save for Geolah.
Despite multiple attempts, no drivers were matched on the platform, leaving Geolah as the only app that failed to deliver a booking at this midday slot. To make things worse, its pricing was the highest compared to all other apps, making it both unreliable and costly.
Cheapest: Ryde, Most expensive: Geolah
Fastest: CDG Zig, Slowest: Ryde
Around 3PM: Ion Orchard to One Marina Boulevard
I finally managed to secure a ride on Geolah at 3PM. The positive note was that the ride was almost matched instantly, showing some improvement in availability. However, it was once again the priciest option compared to all other platforms.
Cheapest: CDG Zig, Most expensive: Geolah
Fastest: Grab, Slowest: Geolah
Around 7PM: Grantral Mall, MacPherson to Bugis Junction
At 7:00 PM, I was able to book rides on all platforms except Geolah, which again failed to match a driver. Its pricing was on the higher side, though not the most expensive among the apps tested.
Cheapest: TADA, Most expensive: Gojek
Fastest: Gojek, Slowest: Ryde
Around 10:30PM: Bugis Junction to Clarke Quay Central
At 10:30PM, I managed to secure another ride on Geolah, as well as on all other platforms.
The pricing was reasonable this time, but it took two booking attempts and I had to wait for 18 minutes before a driver was matched.
Cheapest: Ryde, Most expensive: S$21.22
Fastest: Grab, Slowest: Gojek, CDG Zig
Once again, getting a driver on Geolah was a struggle
Out of the five time slots tested, I only managed to successfully book a ride on Geolah twice—and for one of those, it took two booking attempts before a driver was matched.
Despite its polished new interface, reliability remains a major issue for Geolah.
In addition, Geolah’s fares were also among the pricier options across all five time slots—and in two instances, it was actually the most expensive platform.
The experience, overall, was frustrating: most of the time, there were simply better, faster, and cheaper alternatives available.
A tough sell in Singapore’s ride-hailing scene
It also looks like many others have gone through a similar experience when booking rides on Geolah.
The app currently holds a dismal 1.6-star rating on the App Store and 1.7 stars on Google Play. Complaints range from a clunky interface (though I didn’t encounter that issue during my test) to the bigger pain point of not being able to secure drivers at all.
Some users also flagged the lack of customer support options when problems arise, vouchers that can’t be utilised, and fares that feel unreasonably high.
In addition, drivers who have used the platform have raised their own concerns. Withdrawals come with service fees, and drivers are required to pay a deposit before they can even cash out their earnings, though Geolah has claimed that they have removed the deposit fee requirement.
Those who applied to join the platform also reported delays in getting their applications confirmed, adding another layer of frustration.
All of these issues make Geolah a tough sell in Singapore’s highly competitive ride-hailing market. Riders have little reason to stick with a platform that struggles to match them with drivers and often charges higher fares, while drivers face hurdles to earn and withdraw their income.
In Singapore, loyalty to a ride-hailing app is thin, and established players like Grab and Gojek dominate because they combine competitive fares with reliable availability.
Newer entrants such as TADA, CDG Zig and Ryde have also carved out small niches by offering either better pricing, promotions, or specialised services.
Geolah, despite its polished interface and ambitious promises, is still struggling to find its place. Its biggest problem remains a shortage of drivers, which directly affects both availability and reliability. While it will inevitably take time for the platform to build a critical mass of drivers, this remains the key hurdle it must overcome.
And without a clear differentiator, it risks remaining on the sidelines in a market where riders can easily switch apps at the slightest incentive.
Featured Image Credit: Geolah
