So you think you are a moving Singapore road directory? Some of us
may have heard about tales of freedom associated with a taxi
driver’s life, topped off with a decent earning.
This is true to an extent, but we are only just scratching the
surface when it comes to understanding the real life of a
cabbie.
Here, GET.com brings
up 4 points that explain what it's really like to be a taxi driver,
so that you can consider them before taking the plunge.
1. How Much Can You
Earn?
The daily rental for a cab is $80 to $120 and petrol costs around
$80 for a day’s work. This works out to a daily cost of $200, but
it's usually split between the main hirer and his relief
driver.
Assuming you drive a 12-hour shift fetching around 15 passengers in
total and each fare averages around $15, you should be earning
around $140 after all the deductions.
This equals an average monthly income of more than $4,000 with no
days off and no sick leaves. While $4,000 per month seems like a
decent amount, I'm not sure it's the best for a work-life
balance.
2. Health Concerns
Most taxi drivers suffer from hypertension, hemorrhoids and bad
sleep. The long hours of sitting down also mean backaches.
Toilet breaks can also
be a bother as you can only stop by petrol stations to relieve
yourself and they are probably not the cleanest around. Not to
mention the risks of infection should you get passengers who are
sick.
On a lighter note,
there will be occasional annoyances from passengers who leave a
stench behind after eating durian, spicy hotpot or some
“heavy-duty” foods.
3. Costs Are Just Going To Increase
When taxi
companies increased the
fares for flag-down rates, they attributed the reasons to “helping
cabbies to better cope in today’s higher costs of living”.
At the same time,
ComfortDelco (the biggest cab company in Singapore) is reported
removing some of its rebates and fuel subsidies gradually from cab
drivers since 2008.
From the look of this
action, taxi companies seemed more inclined to shift the ownership
of their fleet back to the drivers themselves, as they could have
chosen to lower the daily rental rate of taxis if they really
wanted to help.
In times to come, we
can anticipate an increase in price of the daily rental of taxis.
Also, fuel costs and car maintenance costs will just continue to go
up. Are you prepared to handle this uphill direction of costs?
4. Who Is Going To Help You When You Have
Problems?
Our Singapore
government decided to deregulate taxi fares in 1998, and most of
the policies attached to taxi handling need not go through the
Public Transport Council for approval.
This means that you are
at the mercy of your taxi companies and they can change their
policies, subsidies or payment plans whenever they like.
If you are a taxi
driver in Singapore, you are considered a “self-employed” person
with no benefits, no CPFs and no HR policies, but you are still
required to comply with the mandatory training hours, daily rental
fees and compulsory car maintenance set out by the taxi
companies.
We have seen on
television how the cabbies put up a strike in South Korea, but
don’t expect it to happen in Singapore if you want to push your
rights.
So, are you ready to be
a taxi-driver?
If you already have a
car and you're looking to make some extra cash as a driver, you
might want to become an Uber driver instead. Before you take the
plunge, take a look at the pros and cons of
becoming a part-time Uber driver in Singapore.