REACHING OUT

REACHING OUT

At ComfortDelGro, community Apart from our buses, our taxis engagement is not just a also cater to people with disabilities. catchphrase. It is an integral In Singapore, ComfortDelGro part of our moral fabric – Taxi cabbies are trained to assist closely intertwined with PIWs in the correct way. Since 1999, everything that we do. the Company has been giving the Our guiding principle is disabled subsidised rides under the simple: Pursue benefits for both Handicare Cab Scheme. In 2017, the business and the society Accessibility ComfortDelGro Taxi subsidised concurrently. This two-pronged As a provider of land transport close to S$10,000 worth of booking approach involves us finding services, accessibility is a critical fees for 1,770 trips. To-date, we ways to develop our business part of our operational focus. have subsidised a total of 67,611 whilst creating a sustainable We are committed to providing trips worth close to S$400,000. environment. In all that we do, our services equitably to serve From 1 June 2017, the Company also we are constantly looking at all customers – independent of waived the current booking fee up ways in which we can help the age or ability. to three times a day for all guide communities we operate in To this end, we operate dog handlers. to grow – in tandem with our wheelchair-friendly buses that CabbyCare Charity Group businesses. are capable of transporting (CabbyCare), our taxi business’ We believe that business persons-in-wheelchairs (PIWs) cabby volunteer group, sponsored should not just be governed by safely and comfortably. taxi vouchers to various individuals the mind – but the heart and In Singapore, the United and organisations such as the soul as well. Kingdom (UK) and , Singapore Association of the In our business, moving drivers of our wheelchair-friendly Visually Handicapped as well as people between destinations is bus services are trained to deploy made over 130 free trips for the central to everything we do. We the ramps in the correct way and Children’s Cancer Foundation’s are continually looking at new assist the passengers. Wishlink Foundation, the Singapore and better ways to do this – and In Singapore and London, all our General Hospital’s Amputees to find ways to reach out to an public scheduled bus services are Support Group, the Kidney even wider range of commuters. wheelchair accessible. In Australia, Dialysis Foundation and St Hilda’s The nature of our business two-thirds of the bus services Community Services Centre. involves community operated by ComfortDelGro In 2017, Swan Taxis, which engagement in most of our Corporation Australia (CDC) in New operates “Easy Access”, a service operations. Nearly all of our South Wales (NSW) and dedicated to passengers who operations have implemented are wheelchair-friendly. are wheelchair users, provided local community engagement Our UK subsidiary, Metroline, lifting fee subsidies to taxi drivers, or development programmes. which had signed The Royal amounting to an estimated But even as we deliver National Institute of Blind People’s A$432,000 (S$450,576). It also services to the communities, we accessibility charter in 2015, channelled close to A$15,300 are also mindful of any potential continued to hold events at its (S$15,960) that was raised during negative environmental Cricklewood and Holloway Garages its annual Charity Car Wash or safety impact that may to help its bus drivers become more towards Guide Dogs WA, an result from the roll-out of our aware and sympathetic towards organisation that seeks to improve operations, particularly from vision-impaired passengers. Bus the mobility of people living with our bus and taxi businesses. drivers at these events put on blindness and vision impairment. To this end, we have, and “glasses” that reduce visibility In the UK, Computer Cab continue to take, preventive so that they better understand operates the Taxicard service, measures including investing the challenges that the visually- which is a scheme that provides in environmentally friendly impaired passengers face when subsidised travel to London and technologically advanced they commute by bus. Metroline’s residents with serious mobility vehicles as well as stepping Ms Tracey Palmer was crowned or sight impairments, enabling up safety checks and training. the Accessibility Champion them to use licensed taxis at We also reach out to the at the London Bus Awards a subsidised rate. communities such as schools by for her active contributions in In China, Nanjing ComfortDelGro conducting safety talks. promoting accessibility. Dajian Taxi and Suzhou Comfort

38 ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited Taxi gave the disabled free which provides social day care The Group has donated over rides on Disability Day. Nanjing services to the elderly poor. To- ComfortDelGro Dajian Taxi, date, we have contributed a total of S$1 million Shanghai City Qi Ai Taxi Services S$1.73 million to this cause. to various charities and and Chengdu ComfortDelGro We also continued to reach welfare organisations in 2017 Qing Yang Driving School also out to the seniors from Lions contributed RMB455,000 Befrienders Service Association To-date, ComfortDelGro Taxi has made (S$93,139) to the Employment (Singapore) (Lions Befrienders) Fund for the Handicapped. through the Home Improvement 67,611 As the only driving school Programme (HIP). Through the subsidised trips approved by the Authorities to HIP Fund, we have been able to for Handicaps Welfare train disabled students since 2010, help improve the living conditions Association Chengdu ComfortDelGro Qing of the elderly poor by purchasing Yang Driving School trained 84 new electrical appliances as well such students in 2017, bringing the as replacing old furniture with new total to 560 to-date. Our driving ones. In 2017, over S$73,700 was partners and the public at a centre in Singapore, waived the used to purchase these items. price range between S$10 and membership fee of private driving ComfortDelGro staj also S$30 before they are delivered instructors who train handicapped brought the Lions Befrienders to low-income, single-parent learner drivers. seniors out on numerous excursions families through voluntary welfare during the year, including visits organisations like Montfort Care, to the River Safari and Christmas Project Goodwill Aid and HCSA Wonderland at the Gardens by the Dayspring every month. Since the Bay. For all these activities, Moove inception of Project ROSE in July Media contributed goodie bags for 2017, GobblerCo has delivered the seniors and volunteers. 465 packages to 120 families, In November 2017, translating to over S$10,000 ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car worth of groceries. Local Communities delivered boxes consisting of basic Other Business Units in ComfortDelGro is committed to necessities, including rice, oil, Singapore such as ComfortDelGro community contribution in all canned food, cereal, and porridge Taxi participated in several geographies that we operate in to 60 Lions Befrienders seniors. outreach events in support of and actively reach out to them VICOM also celebrated Chinese various charities. For example, through education, welfare, New Year with seniors from Thye about 10 staj and taxi drivers disaster relief and health. Hwa Kwan@Indus Moral and took 57 hours to transform an old In 2017, the Group became brought groceries for seniors from 7 metres by 2.5 metres wall into a one of 45 companies to be the Thong Keng Seniors Activity mural to brighten up Lee Ah Mooi named a Champion of Good, an Centre. Old Age Home. inaugural award that recognises Moove Media’s subsidiary, To support needy families large and small companies that GobblerCo, continued to empower residing in the South East District, have implemented sustainable the needy by helping them become over 50 staj participated in and impactful corporate giving their own “bosses” through its the 3M Step Up Challenge and initiatives. “Towkay” programme that was clocked 56,229 steps in exchange During the year, we continued launched in September 2016. In for 113 household items, while to care for the poor, the elderly 2017, GobblerCo successfully about 80 staj walked 375 and the sick, donating over S$1 trained five more towkays, bringing kilometres to raise 3,750 bowls of million to various charities and the total to eight. white and brown rice for them. welfare organisations. Apart from its Towkay CabbyCare, continued to programme, GobblerCo runs deliver meals, bread and library Project ROSE (an acronym for books to the needy for free. rice, oil, sugar and essentials) that In all, our taxi drivers made over helps needy single-parent families. 3,970 trips, valued at S$297,825 These basic necessities are packed in foregone fares. with other food items such as SBS Transit continued to biscuits, canned food, beverages ojer free travel on the North as well as personal care items like East Line to the elderly Serving the Elderly Poor and toothpaste to form “ROSE packs”. residents of the Kwong Wai Supporting the Needy The costs of these packs are Shiu Hospital when they went In Singapore, the Group continued heavily subsidised by GobblerCo on their excursions. The Group’s to contribute to NTUC Eldercare, and purchased by corporate engineering arm, ComfortDelGro

Sustainability Report 2017 39 REACHING OUT

Engineering, continued to provide (CALD) kids via various sporting In another activity – Hands maintenance services at subsidised clubs that serves the North of to Hearts event – organised by rates to 11 charitable organisations , regional Victoria. ActiveSG, 43 ComfortDelGro Taxi under the National Council of To clamp down on vandalism staj and taxi drivers sewed pillow Social Services. on its buses, CDC also collaborated cases to raise funds in support of In the UK, following the with the Western Bulldogs’ Alzheimer patients. tragic fire at the Grenfell Tower popular Youth Leadership Besides setting aside S$2,400- apartment block in London, Programme to conduct five worth of taxi vouchers for Star near where Metroline operates, “Graqti Removal Workshops” for PALS, a palliative home care which resulted in an estimated 80 close to 100 youths. During these service for children and youth deaths, Metroline donated £5,000 three-hour sessions, youths aged with life-threatening or life-limiting (S$8,992) to support the families between 14 and 16 smeared and conditions, VICOM also reached ajected by the fire. removed graqti from a bus so that out to the public through Star In , CDC staj they could better understand how PALS donation boxes placed in its collected toys as well as cash painstaking and costly the entire seven inspection centres. VICOM through its Christmas Appeal cleaning process was. staj also brought about 40 Star programme in support of the In China, Nanjing ComfortDelGro PALS children and their parents to Brotherhood of St Laurence, a Dajian Taxi and Suzhou Comfort a laser tag game at Home Team community organisation that works Taxi continued to provide free taxi Bukit Batok. to prevent and alleviate poverty trips to needy students during Elsewhere, our businesses across Australia. the country’s National Education continued their support towards In China, Nanning Comfort Entrance Examination. various cancer research ejorts Transportation distributed oil and In Vietnam, Vinataxi sponsored in cash and in kind. CityFleet rice to the needy elderly during the VND 100 million (S$5,891) towards Networks also made donations to Spring Festival, while Vietnam Taxi the ninth Phu My Hung Children’s Breast Cancer Now and McMillian (Vinataxi) continued to sponsor the Day event, which provided 8,000 Cancer, while ComfortDelGro Irish Lawrence S. Ting Charity Walk that children in Ho Chi Minh City with a Citylink staj sold dajodils on supports the poor and needy in day of fun, food and games. Dajodil Day to raise funds for the Districts 7, 8, Bình Chánh and Nhà Irish Cancer Society. Bè in Ho Chi Minh City. In NSW, CDC’s Christmas buses continued in its ejorts to raise funds for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. The Christmas buses, which plied the Region 4 bus network from November 2017 to end of January 2018, raised A$1,700 Caring for the Sick (S$1,773). CDC also donated to Our businesses are also firm supporters the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer of non-profit organisations that look Support Group, Dainere’s Rainbow Engaging the Young after the sick and the terminally-ill. Brain Tumor Research Fund, and Apart from the elderly poor, In Singapore, ComfortDelGro Taxi provided bus services to CanTeen, children are very much on and CabbyCare participated in the a non-profit organisation that our minds too. Children’s Cancer Foundation’s (CCF) helps young people deal with the CDC in Melbourne is a prime Hair for Hope for the fourth year. challenges that cancer brings. example of a Business Unit that As it was CCF’s 25th Anniversary, a Swan Taxis donated A$8,480 actively engages the youths. In 2017, record 250 taxi drivers volunteered (S$8,845) towards Cure Brain it pledged A$10,000 (S$10,430) to have their heads shaved. A total Cancer Foundation; Breast towards providing 10 students of S$50,000 was donated to CCF Cancer Care, and the Princess from Melbourne’s West with stored by both ComfortDelGro Taxi and Margaret Hospital Foundation that value or MYKI cards worth A$1,000 CabbyCare, bringing the contribution supports children undergoing life- (S$1,043) each for travel on buses, to S$140,000 since CabbyCare threatening treatments. trains and trams in Victoria. It also started participating in Hair for Hope sponsored 33 sports scholarships to in 2014. culturally and linguistically diverse

40 ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited