New Comfort driver

Ngkkmark SG

I am also a new comfort driver. I signed up for a scheme by comfort and realise it is tiring for a one man operator. Need relief comfort driver. Please help.

Amos leong SG

wow

Itedino SG

I am also a new comfort driver. I signed up for a scheme by comfort and realise it is tiring for a one man operator. Need relief comfort driver. Please help.

1 OMO ok leh. I one man. Morning peak I work 4-5 hrs target 150- 200 to cover cost and petrol for sonata and a bit profit. Must aim peak to drive. Night target 250. 5pm start peak surcharge and city.

Juze.James SG

Sorry need to hijack due to weird forum restrictions. New members cannot post new tread and in between post must wait 5 minutes... wa peng. Sibei silly.

Just want to check if anyone knows got any benefit being referred into any of the taxi companies? Xiaodi just hit 30 and went to apply for TDVL just yesterday. Planning to do this as a full time job so once the letter come I'll register course and finish in 10 days.

What's the fastest and cheapest way to start driving. Anyway to get pass $1k deposit?

Paiseh... need some help.

Nicole.zha.ac SG

12am to 5am.....nightclubs at sophia rd.....golden mile complex....yes u have to drive back to city area....but try not to drive back via express way....

Ethan.TD SG

Hihi !

Sorry to hijack this thread.
I have been driving weekdays day shift for about 2 months.
Have read before that a driver should earn about $20 - $25 per hour ?
Like to know how do you guys calculate earnings base on per hour ?

Is my below calculation correct ?

Example:
Average daily take home (before deducting rental & fuel) : $200
$200 / 12 hours = $16 / hour

Is it consider very bad ?
Regards.
Ethan

kinwashi SG

Welcome on Board.

This kind of question very difficult to answer you.

Please post to Minister of Manpower Mr Tan Chuan Jin Facebook and ask him how he got the figure.

Since you are puzzle with your collections

Maybe this will help you as a new Taxi Driver for two months.

SINGAPORE: The average net monthly earning of taxi drivers in 2014 was S$3,173 for a single-shift operation, and S$5,933 for a two-shift operation, said the Minister of Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin on Thursday (Mar 5).

Mr Tan said this in a written response to Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC Irene Ng Phek Hoong’s Parliamentary question on the average annual salary of taxi drivers in Singapore. Ms Ng also asked about the numbers and educational qualifications of taxi drivers.

In response, Mr Tan said that as of December 2014, "about 98,000 Singaporeans held a Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence", of which "about 56,000 of them were registered with taxi companies".

He added that about four in five were aged 50 and above, and over nine in 10 possessed non-tertiary educational qualifications.

“We do not have data on how many taxi drivers were formerly in PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) jobs,” Mr Tan said.

- CNA/ct

kinwashi SG

Hihi !

Example:
Average daily take home (before deducting rental & fuel) : $200
$200 / 12 hours = $16 / hour

Is it consider very bad ?
Regards.
Ethan

Perhap this may help,

Mr Tan Chaun Jin Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/TanChuanJin1/posts/874173145958795?fref=nf

kinwashi SG

So below is the right person can answer you from the Government.

As a new driver and a Singaporean you got the right to ask.

This Forum nothing much we can help.

For this kind of question.

Background Story: Tan Chuan Jin: Double-Shift Taxi Drivers Make an Average $5933 a Month

The Parliamentary Question on Taxi Driver earnings seems to have created a stir. Let me make one point clear upfront, two-shift operations refer to taxis hired and driven by two or more drivers who share the rental cost. No one is encouraging anyone to drive for two-shifts.

Let's take a look at my official response:

"1. As at December 2014, about 98,000 Singaporeans held a Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence. About 56,000 of them were registered with taxi companies. The average net monthly earnings (less expenses) of taxi drivers in 2014 was $3,173 for a single-shift operation, and $5,933 for a two-shift operation.

2. Of the employed resident taxi drivers in 2014, about 8 in 10 were aged 50 and above, and over 9 in 10 possessed non-tertiary educational qualifications. We do not have data on how many taxi drivers were formerly in PMET jobs."

The average for single shift isn't far-fetched. I have met taxi drivers who earn less, but I have also met those who do make $3000+ per month. The information is gathered from the taximeters. You can work out the earnings from there, after taking off rentals and petrol.

Do share and clarify.

Tan Chuan Jin

*Article first appeared on https://www.facebook.com/TanChuanJin1/posts/874173145958795?fref=nf

Ethan.TD SG

Oh my there were so many comments about his posting!
Seems like my question has been more or less answered.

Will have to work "harder" to earn more.

Cheers !

kinwashi SG

Friend how to work "harder"to earn more.

Running again Time.

You only got twelve hours for one single shift.

As your Minister told.

Example as he told.

Single shift average 2014 as S$3,173.

So you needed to drive twelve hours per day.

Twenty six days a month if you take every week a day off.

So your calculation will be nett profits S$122 per day.

So an hour how much is your salary.

$10.17 an Hour.

How hard you drive also cannot earn.

kinwashi SG

See they told they had not risen their pay for last three years.

So how about as a new Taxi Driver coming into this trade just two months.

We also no had not risen for long long time.

see during the Budget 2015.

Like that also can. How about Taxi Driver.

Can we also ask for more?

Antrectsz SG

Hi i'm new too,any tips from any seniors to earn more?

Antrectsz SG

so the minister say work 2 shift = full shift can earn $5933 for 7 days a week, 30-31 days per mth,like this can human meh? is there anyone who can survive this stree and shackness????? Feel he this minister is telling a joke to make ppl happy

Ethan.TD SG

Ah, i mean to learn and know where to go look for passengers in different areas.
As i am new, sometimes i find myself going round and round an area for 15-20 minutes hunting for passenger.

Example if early morning (7.30am) go Tuas West, after that i will go to Joo Koon MRT and Q-up because so early also no call-booking. But then 99% passengers going back to Tuas again so it seems like no end.

Jurong Island also jia-lak because i will go to Boon Lay or Jurong West empty all the way.

Am i going the wrong way ?

Hello Antrectsz !
How to earn more ? I also want to know !

kinwashi SG

You had many questions as a new Taxi Driver?

Perhap the below can help you a bit.

On your daily outing.

Asking anothe newbie

Hello Antrectsz !

How to earn more ? I also want to know !

I, don't think this kind of question he had knowledge to answer you.

From the surly to the genial, it is passengers who make or break your day. But the pressure sure piles up

The most I earned in a single day - after driving 12 hours and deducting for rental and fuel - was $141. It would mean a monthly income of more than $4,000 if every day was like that and I worked a full month. -- ST PHOTO: JAMIE KOH

On my fourth day as a taxi driver, I drove for six hours at night with just one five-minute toilet break.

It was past midnight when I headed home and absent-mindedly got into the wrong lane at the junction of Bishan Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. The traffic lights turned green and I took off, almost hitting another taxi.

When I got home, my wife greeted me with a hug and said: "You have the taxi driver smell."

"It is the smell of hard work," I said. It was the odour of being cooped up for hours in stale air. I didn't mention my near accident.

I have always been fascinated by cabbies. As a manpower reporter, I have interviewed numerous drivers, yet there remained so much I did not know about them. Topmost on my mind as I embarked on a two-week stint as a cabby were these questions: How hard is it to be a cabby? And how much can a cabby earn?

So my SMRT cab, a Toyota Prius with the registration number SHC4123S, became my second home for 10 to 12 hours a day. I split a typical day into two, plying the roads from 6.30am to 11am, and from 5pm until I was too tired to go on.

Every morning I would head first to Serangoon North or Ang Mo Kio housing estate, near my home. There are always passengers going to work from Housing Board estates.

After that, there was no telling where I would end up.

I thought I knew Singapore well, but my stint as a cabby took me to places I never knew existed. I picked up passengers from obscure spots like a sprawling offshore marine base in Loyang, and Punggol Seventeenth Avenue in an area that somehow doesn't have Avenues One to Sixteen.

I discovered that Tampines housing estate is so huge it is sandwiched between Tampines Expressway and the Pan Island Expressway, and is accessible via no fewer than seven expressway entrances and exits. I found myself in Tampines almost every other day during my cab driving stint.

Lessons from passengers

On Day 1, my first passenger was a man in his 30s, dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt and black trousers.

He got into my cab at 6.50am along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9 and said: "Pandan Crescent, go by Upper Thomson, Lornie, Farrer, AYE."

Those were the only words he uttered and he kept his eyes locked on his smartphone for the rest of the journey. He did not notice that in my excitement at picking up my first fare, I had forgotten to start the meter until about seven minutes into the trip. His fare was $23.73 and I must have saved him about $2.

He gave me a hint of what was to come - that most passengers prefer to be left alone.

The rest of that day took me to Changi Airport, Bedok, Pickering Street, Alexandra Road, Amoy Street and Upper Bukit Timah Road in the morning. That evening, I went to Serangoon Road, Mount Vernon Road, Yishun, Woodlands, Sembawang Road, Tampines, Bedok, Bishan and Paya Lebar.

All my passengers were people who flagged me on the street. I was not confident enough to respond to radio bookings, which would have needed me to reach the pick-up point within five, seven or nine minutes of a call. So I ended up cruising empty most of that day, with the longest stretch of over an hour in Woodlands.

My best passenger was a woman in her early 40s who got into my cab along Alexandra Road. I chatted with her and eventually revealed that I was driving the cab for charity. She handed me $12 for her fare of $11.18 when she reached her Amoy Street office and said: "Keep the change."

The worst experience was after I picked up a woman at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in the evening. She wanted to go to a condominium in Jalan Mata Ayer, off Sembawang Road, which I was unfamiliar with. She was from Myanmar, and I misunderstood her directions, given in halting English. When I took a wrong turn, she let fly with a rebuke in Myanmarese. The taxi meter showed $9.44 but I said she could pay just $8. That pacified her a little.

My first day ended at midnight when I pulled into my regular Caltex petrol station in Lorong Chuan to refuel and wash the cab. My usual car washer Zainal did not recognise me until I waved at him - twice. "Times are bad huh? You started driving taxi part-time?" he asked.

I was too tired to explain. I had driven 246km and taken 14 people on 13 trips. My takings, after deducting petrol cost, taxi rental and $4 for washing the cab, came to just $29.66 for 12 hours' work.

Thankfully, things got better over the following days. I kept to the same work routine except on weekends, when I drove from noon to midnight.

By the end of Day 2, I had fine-tuned my greetings to these:

"Good morning, Sir!"

"Good evening, Madam!"

"Heading to work, Sir?"

"Going shopping, Madam?"

"You're going to work early, Sir!"

"Long day at work, Madam?"

If the passenger did not reply or uttered only a monosyllabic answer, I took it as my cue to be quiet and to just drive.

Passengers travelling in groups tend to ignore the cabby, talking among themselves as if you are not there. So I couldn't help overhearing people complaining about the Government, and workers complaining about their bosses. A young couple having a tiff complained about each other all the way from Sembawang Shopping Centre to Toa Payoh Lorong 1. "I am breaking off with you," yelled the woman as she stormed off.

There were some passengers who, literally, made me feel sick.

Like the young woman I picked up in Jurong East who coughed and sneezed all the way to Choa Chu Kang. When it came time for her to pay, I hesitated when she handed me the money. After she left, I sprayed the cab generously with the Lysol disinfectant I kept in the cab's glove compartment.

Then there was the man who sounded like he was from China. Getting into my cab near Bugis Junction, he burped. And burped. And burped. It was obvious that he had just eaten "ma la huo guo", or spicy steamboat, for dinner.

An elderly man who got into my cab in Coleman Lane, at the Grand Park City Hall hotel, wanted me to reverse about two car lengths back into Coleman Street to avoid going round the block so he would save 30 cents.

In Chinatown, a man heading for South Bridge Road told me to take a "short cut" through Temple Street from New Bridge Road. I did, only to find traffic at a standstill along Temple Street - and that was when he paid up and jumped out, leaving me stuck for 15 minutes.

I have to say something about people who eat in taxis. While drivers cannot stop people from eating in their cabs, most dislike it because of the smell and the mess left behind. Thankfully I met only one passenger who ate on the go. The young mother insisted on feeding her toddler biscuits despite my asking her not to eat in the cab.

"The boy is hungry," she insisted.

They left such a mess that I had to spend 30 minutes and more than half their $8.30 fare to have the cab cleaned at a petrol station.

My most unpleasant ride of all was with a woman in her 50s who complained non-stop about my driving from Tagore Industrial Park to Yishun Avenue 3. Her beef was that I drove too slowly and braked too hard.

"You are a new driver and it is my bad luck getting into your cab," she ranted. "I was planning to buy 4D but I will not, because it is bad luck meeting you."

I just bit my tongue.

But my worst passengers were the ones I never met. They were the people who made taxi bookings, then failed to show up.

On a rainy Wednesday morning I was in Telok Blangah Way when I accepted a call booking for Delta Avenue, and headed there rightaway. It took five minutes and I passed more than five passengers trying to hail cabs in the rain. When I got to the pick-up point, the passenger was nowhere to be found.

It was one of three "no shows" I encountered during my stint. Taxi drivers are helpless when this happens.

Each day, however, I would meet at least one or two passengers who stood out by being pleasant, saying "please" or "thank you", or making conversation that helped to make a lonely job less monotonous.

I took three British Airways pilots from Mandarin Hotel in Orchard Road to the Esplanade, where they were going to have supper at Makansutra Gluttons Bay. When we got there, they invited me to join them. "C'mon, take a break," one of them said, and he meant it. I declined because I was just too tired.

A teacher and an architect who spoke with me long enough to learn I was a reporter on assignment and that all my earnings would go to charity paid me in $50 notes and told me to keep the change - which added up to $43.

A passenger I took from the Botanic Gardens to Battery Road sent SMRT an e-mail complimenting me, saying: "I feel that he really went the extra mile to provide a comfortable journey for all his customers and I am really impressed. Thank you, Uncle!"

It made my day.

As my days of being a cabby progressed, I found that my earnings were decent, if not very high.

The most I earned in a single day - after driving 12 hours and deducting what a cabby usually pays for taxi rental and fuel - was $141. It would mean a monthly income of more than $4,000 if every day was like that and I worked a full month. My typical daily takings were between $90 and $100, or about $3,000 a month, and even that would call for driving 10 to 12 hours a day, with no day off.

The median gross monthly income of Singaporeans and permanent residents in June this year, excluding employers' CPF contributions, was $3,276.

My stint was too short for me to befriend other cabbies at coffeeshops, but I managed to pick up some secrets of the trade.

There are downsides as well.

The long hours on the road affected my sleep, and most nights I slept barely six hours. By Day 3, I was resorting to taking two Panadols before hitting the road.

Backaches were a frequent bother, from sitting so long.

Cabbies need toilet breaks, and the most convenient stops are at petrol stations. I found that many do not have soap, and at a Geylang petrol station, the toilet has no door.

There are simply no convenient public toilets in the Orchard Road area for taxi drivers, but I discovered that the Ba'alwie Mosque off Dunearn Road lets cabbies use its toilet. I blessed the good people of the mosque when I needed to go desperately one night.

My cab-driving days ended on Day 11 of my stint. It wasn't a good day for me.

Early that morning the 16-year-old schoolboy in my cab was late for school and begged me to drive faster. I relented, stepped on the gas and ran a red light at 6.47am. Instantly, there were two camera flashes and I knew I had been caught by the traffic light camera. That meant $200 gone in less than a second - my earnings from about 18 hours of work!

But that wasn't why I stopped driving. The trouble had begun two days earlier, when I discovered I'd developed a haemorrhoid from nine days of sitting for hours. I learnt that haemorrhoids are a common ailment among cabbies, along with backaches and high blood pressure.

The pain had become unbearable, so I decided to end my cab-driving experiment three days earlier than planned.

A month later, the traffic summons arrived. I hoped the Traffic Police would be sympathetic, but my appeal drew a swift rejection and a chiding: "Make a conscious effort to comply with traffic rules and regulations which are made for your own safety and that of other road users."

Looking back, I still wonder why even passengers much older than me called me "Uncle". It seems that if you drive a taxi in Singapore, you're everyone's Uncle or Auntie.

I returned the cab to SMRT after clocking 2,739km, having earned $2,294.60 for charity and gaining a newfound respect for taxi drivers.

[email protected]

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/tales-taxi-uncle-st-manpower-correspondent-toh-yong-chua#sthash.jJcC5oO8.dpuf

kinwashi SG

To all the Newbies and their questions.

We had repeat and repeated many time over here.

You just wanted to know how much you make, how to get customers?

Where got customer where got more customers.

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, sorry if i make any mistakes. My Father just changed his job to a Taxi Drvier, he is new to it, so everyday he from morning 7am start driving till midnight... i can see that he is very tired... so i wish to lighten his stress... Can anyone please guide me how my father should work? I plan to ask him drive on peak hours... but it seems abit hard to earn till S$130... plus his rent and diesel... and monthly earn... guess should earn roughly S$180? i find it hard to earn tat much daily... Can anyone please guide me? thanks alot!

how bout hiring someone to work for night shift, ur dad morning shift

ya, first qn i wd ask is how many hours can the particular cabby drives on a consistent basis?....

if the answer is 10 hours, then get a relief for remaining 12 hours is optimal

if more than 15hours, then go ahead and do a one-man-operation….

your dad driving pattern now (omo) is more suited for young driver…. very hard to sustain for long term…. let alone for older driver…

anyway if i owe big money, i will drive 5am to 2pm full, then 4 to 11pm full…. sunday rest full day…. not much social life left….

get a relief driver. he will pay half the daily rental charge, and diesel cost to ur dad.
just register at the taxi company HQ to leave ur address, day/ timing details, hp no for relief drivers to search at the HQ office.

always take bookings/ on calls on the touchscreen system...

start at 6am, end at 9 or 10pm is enough... with breaks in the day to stretch leg muscles and relax tension... driving needs focus reflex and attention...

ask poolman.

i think he is a very good taxi driver.

I once had a conversation with a taxi driver... He told me something like how he work. Firstly your dad needs to know where is the best place to pick up customers. When you know this.. Keep it to himself and do not share with others.

Secondly, during night time, especially those early and late mornings.. Ask ya father no point joining the taxi queue in order to pick up the people that just finish chiong... Especially at the liang court that side where you can see a whole stretch of taxi queuing up for customers. This is because sometimes you queue for maybe up to 1 hour... and then ya customers say tiong bahru.. From liang court to tiong bahru how much can ya earn?? Nothing much.

Dont spent too much time to chit chat with other drivers is also a good way to earn more money. just driving during peak hours is not enough, your dad needs to know where to pick up the most customers. If he goes town, he can pick up customers from town easily, but if he goes to neighbourhood during the day then he might have difficulty picking up customers then..

getting a relief driver is difficult as there are more cabs available for hire now…....most hirer tend to get a relief to do half the day…i came across one cabbie with a great system, he drives alternate days while the relief covers the other alternate days…this way he gets to work as much as he wants without having to disrupt during changing shifts and gets to rest one full day….

Wow thanks ur the guidance, but my dad seems to always have the habit like earn till tat amount... meaning if he never reach tat target he tends to keep on drive drive drive till he reached tat target... and may i know if get relief... wad are the possible shifts? so i can help my dad work out his timetable? lol my friend (father also taxi driver) says tat taxi driver must have their own clock... know when to drive when to relax and stuff like tat... and is it true tat taxi driving is hard at first... den when later when u got the hang of it... everything will be ok roughly earning 2k per month?

nowdays there's so many cabs from different companies on the roads..

plz remind your dad to take breaks, don't keep on driving till meet target cause by doing so he might get tired/sleepy for example & it puts other road users at risk..

after minus off the car expenses like taxi rental, diesel, parking coupons, road tax...etc., minimum net income of $2,000 is within reach.

shift can plan... just as u like it .e.g

1) 12hrs shifts, day and night.
2) alternate days, odd and even.
3) weekends off, meaning just let relief driver take both saturday and sunday.

One man show ? wow ..... morning drive until midnight ? Wow wow wow ... your dad ? How old ? If he think he want to die faster , then go on !!

Me when 36 , OMO ... almost died ! Fatigue took its toll . Seriously .... no joke .

those suburban shopping centres in the heartlands...

First ... must see how much ur family need to have enuf cover ...

For me , daily $120 , as in my requirement of $3000 a month , so what i did ?

So i add up my rental of $95 , plus diesel about $30 , overhead per day = $125 .

Overheads + salary = $245 .

So must work like target $245 per shift collection ...

If your dad is like slow mover , $20 per hour , fundamentally he must be on the road for 12.25 hours daily !

Me fast mover , about $25 per hour relax one .... so me on the road like 10 hours only .

10 hours is like 6am to 4pm like that lor .....

if he dun like 6am shift , then 8am to 6pm also can ...

All depends on how much he wanted daily ....

P/S : I off on Sunday , i let go , cos my body need to recharge for long term run .

If ur dad only need $2000 , tell him , he's a lousy driver !

Why ?

Morning until midnight only $2000 ? What he doing ? Coffee shop sit and relax ? Or massage parlour ?

Cannot be morning drive til midnight only get $2000 .

My best routine , in terms of money and rest ...

7am work til 11.45am , go home sleep for 4 hours or so .

Then 4.30pm , work til 10.30pm ....

7am til 11.45am , anytime can fetch $120 ... or a bit lower between $100 to $120 .

Then 4.30pm to 10.30pm , another $120 easily .

So i achieve my daily minimum .

My body is good , enuf rest , my dollar and cents also quite steady ...

Except , no lifestyle ! 365 days never really see my family , except on Sunday .

Tell your father to get a night relief .... that's the best as far as senior is concern .

Senior citizen tends to ignore health for money ...

Then they end up getting heart problems , liver problems , kidney problems , this is all accumulative one .... if he goes on OMO .

Health vs money ?

Have a thought .

I saw many came , and many went ...

That's why i quit taxi .... have a break after so long .

Lobang is secondary ... first ur dad must have a routine . A standard working duration .

If he settled down with a standard working routine , automatically , he'll know when , where , what , why , which to get customers !!!

I enjoy most was the Monday to Friday's pace , exciting and interesting ...

I quit OMO becos i hated Saturday and Sunday ... damn low demand for taxis except only those rush 2 hours ( 10am to 12am ) period .

And Saturday and Sunday , most customers i took , largely to Orchard and Bugis area , town . Always massive jam inside or near Orchard area that time .

Wow thanks for the Guidance from all of you, especially poolman, u seem to be very experience.

Actually i just wan to ask is 2k too high a target to reach, looks like its not haha.

But most if my friends say tat starting its best to drive full shift, till u are familiar den go for relief... they say the rent will cut half... which is good. Am i right? so now i just ask my father to go around SG and look out for good place to go, so next time when he familiar with it, he can have relief, and earn roughlky 2k per month right?

Hi, I had been driving almost 9 month, need advice for you guy :

1) Mon to Fri : Start driving at 7.20am till 12.30pm, then 12.30 till 3pm fetch kid, went home lunch . start again 3pm till 8pm earning $100 average after deduct rental and petrol.

2) Sat start at 8.30 till 12pm then 12pm-2pm lunch with family, start 2.30pm till 8pm.

3) Sun morning till 3pm spending time with family and start at 3pm till 7pm closed

So what you guy think, OMO workable ?

Just to share with you guys my omo driving-

Mon -Fri Start 5am pick up regular to T3 then queue at airport

By 10am normally will cover rental & diesel ($125)

10am - 4.30pm Lunch/Sleep/Do own things

5pm straight away chiong airport as I stay at the east(Will check flight details before hand)

Normally will only do airport from 5-8pm as peak hr 35% very low demand in town & HDB,although have to queue at airport,every trips 85% $20-$35.Normally can do max 3 airport jobs by 8pm

Then after 8pm chiong town & start every trip at $2.80+$3.00+$3.50(on call) drop pax at HDB then chiong town again(there will be demand in town trust me)

By 10.30pm normally nett $120 - $150 then go home sleep

Total 10.5hrs

Sat I only start at 5pm drive till I earn $100 normally around 2-3am

Sunday I rest full day making use of my free rental to offset:)

wow….....more omo cabbies revealing their tricks here….haha

personally i still say omo is for those who want to drive many hours at least 12 hrs full full…. anything less than that, half day shift makes more sense…

to nett $120 to $150, an experience cabby driving 5pm to 2am can liao…9 hrs non stop…. omo can pick the best hours to drive but still have to drive more hrs to earn the same profit or less….

but then everyone has own habit and preference lah…. some cabbies omo cos they cant tahan relief….so they dun mind drive 3 hours more than 12 shift cabby just to pay 12hr rental…

me will only omo when either i owe big money or retirement and drive for fun….

if me driving for fun, i just drive 5am to 10am then 8pm to 11pm…. me hate jam type….

if me owe big money, 5am to 2pm full, then 4 to 11pm… very unhealthy but no choice…. haha…

on a good month , $2k is about 2 weeks work . That was what it was before , not now .the current situation .

Still if i am to go back as a cabby , $2k .... divided by 26 days , to me , i can do it with 20 days , easily . No sweat . Effort : 60% of my capability .

I can do better than that .

Start as Full Shift ? Not a good idea actually , as far as phobia is concern .

I had reached a level that i am really scared of driving . Scared of touching the sterring wheel even .... so .

Quite similiar routine with mine when i am a OMO , but in long run.... u'll feel the side effect of driving .... bad side effects .

U'll get lazy , find excuse to start late , salary gets lower everyday . motivation is low , lonely .... no appetite for nice food , phobia etc .....

OMO ? Not again , not me , over my dead body !!!

Sounds very much like a SilverCab driver ... pitiful a SilverCrown . Tiring la driving a crown .

ot: congrats on poolie attaining his 10K post counts..

so you found another job?

wa i always tot you are the most solid cabby around...why u quit?

Go around Sg ? Hahaha ....

Not like that la ..... my own experience .

Start off as a day shift driver , probation yourself 3 month to master the pattern and customers from the day shift . Find a way to adept as quickly as you can for day shift , the demands , the jams , the rain , the heat , the taxi stands , the shorter routes , the commercial buildings , the housing area etc .... I am so sure in 3 months , solid self training , a set of self-creation training , u can master the art of driving day shift .

Then create another self training programmes for another 3 months , to drive 5pm onwards shift til midnights .... discovered new type of night-goers customers , demands of different locations inside town or CBD , the bus lanes , the pricing differences betweeb cbd and outside cbd , the surcharges ..... familiarised with the fare structures etc .... the night clubs , pubs .... shopping centres etc ...many more .

Meaning in 6 months ..... u master both shifts , which % of cabbies does that ?

In long run .... any shift any day , anytime .... u can adept to the changes that u sometime required .

Advantage ? U figure out yourself .

found a greener pa$ture . $imple a$ that .

From the list of drivers here in taxi forum , i saw some younger generation drivers going into OMO ...

I cannot give anymore better advice , only some good luck messages .

Wow,

Even the top international airliner also need to grounded their carriers in the desert.

You just shifted from the taxi industry to a better greener pasture just in time.

Can share with us here.

How green is that pasture actually over your side.

Everyones is worry about tomorow and you are not.

There's a few things , during any circumstances , will not be really badly affected .. affect a bit , little bit , but can earn a decent living than driving a cab . Taxi is just my standby job just in case ...u know .

kinwashi SG

Yahoo Newsroom - In his first post on Taxi Talk this week, Mr M speaks about the ups and downs of being a taxi driver (AP file photo)

Mr M, 47, was a former senior sales and marketing manager at an electronics MNC for nine years before he was retrenched in 2009. Married with twin teenaged sons, he tried his hand at being a financial advisor for a year before deciding to become a taxi driver. He has been running his taxi service since 2011. He survived a heart-attack in late 2012 and now has four stents in his heart. His philosophy on life is now to live well, stay healthy and to share his real-life experiences. In his first post on Taxi Talk this week, he speaks about the ups and downs of being a taxi driver.

Taxi driving is a hard life as I work long hours of between 14 – 16 hours each day. On a typical week, I clock about 80 – 100 hours on the road.

It’s a job of “no choice of choices” as I shared with my fellow colleagues who have suffered the same fate as me and were also retrenched. Initially, it was tough going as my retrenchment benefits payout didn’t last me more than six months. I also became depressed and felt a deep sense of betrayal, self-denial and hopelessness.

I never imagined I would turn to running my own taxi as a full-time job. From a comfy $7,000/month job, I was relegated to earning a mere $2,000/month. My family’s lifestyle had to be adjusted, with steep cost-cutting measures ranging from eating more home cooked food, buying cheaper groceries, less time and money spent shopping, less TV and no holidays.

The initial job loss made the whole family very nervous. Nonetheless, I assured them that as the father and head of the family, we would overcome all adversity and I would strive to give them a good life and education. My kids were apprehensive and had their doubts about my new job -- whether I could cope with the job change, the difference in status, the safety of driving on the roads, and dealing with difficult customers.

Almost everyday, I would share with them my many encounters with customers and their stories and experiences, and how they could learn from these stories. After a few weeks of driving on the job, I had proved to them that all their doubts and worries were unfounded. They have since stopped worrying for me and re-focussed back on their studies.

Spending your entire day on the road can be stressful. Road bullying by heavy trucks, coping with peak hour traffic jams, accidents, dealing with unreasonable, unruly or drunk passengers are all part of a day’s work.

But with the strong support of my faith, hope and love from my family, I picked up the courage to inject new energy into my job and to think and act positively.

Despite working longer hours, I also learnt that being a taxi driver allowed me to adopt flexible time arrangement with family and friends. I began to enjoy picking up, meeting and talking to many different customers each day.

I also began to wear different hats for different purposes – tour guide, listener, consultant, counselor, story-teller, adviser, food expert and motivator.

Eventually I treated every day as a learning journey, sharing my life experiences with my customers while learning new skills of engaging customers on a wide array of topics.

Smart taxi driving is also about good time discipline and management, good local knowledge of roads as well as being able to take advantage of new technologies such as using GPS or iPhone apps. While on the road, I also take charge of my own health, listening to “new age” music to de-stress while trying to exercise regularly, eating a proper diet and having sufficient good rest.

I now try to maintain a positive and honest attitude, empathise and manage my customers’ expectations, as well as provide good customer support and services. “Driving is my business, communication is my hobby” is my new personal motto.

In this column, I will be sharing more about my daily encounters with my customers and my own personal reflections about life in Singapore. I hope to have your support. See you in my next column.

autocarwash SG

kinwashi SG

by Andre Frois
13 June 2013 10:09 AM | Updated 2:48 PM

Michael Thexeira, 55, who has been a taxi driver for six years, shares with inSing his opinions of being on the road (Photo: Andre Frois)

There is a reason why a taxi driver decides to change shift just when you need a taxi most.

There is also a very competitive bidding “war” when cabbies try to answer to passengers’ bookings.

We all have a love-hate relationship with Singapore taxi drivers and given a chance, we can probably rattle off many of our irritations about them, but who better than a taxi driver to tell us the secrets of what goes on behind the wheel?

So inSing cornered 55-year-old taxi driver Michael Thexeira, who has been driving for six years, to have a frank one-to-one chat about his job.

The former sales manager offers insights into the mindsets of picky cabbies, his trick to surviving long drives, and what it’s like being a counsellor-on-wheels. And yes, he answered questions on why some taxis don’t accept cashless Nets payments, and what happens to the rental fee when a taxi driver falls sick.

In this day and age, why is it that not all taxis in Singapore allow cashless Nets payments?

This is because, in the past, getting a Nets machine was quite a hassle. Cabbies had to collect Nets slips, fill up forms, and then submit them to the head offices. The system is completely online now and is much better – it takes only a day for us to receive the money we earned, just like for credit cards.

However, the stigma has stuck and some fussy drivers still lie about their Nets machines being “spoilt”, so as to avoid using it Nets. I also don’t understand why this is still so prevalent. The mode of payment should not be a basis for rejecting passengers.

Why do cabbies like to change shift during peak hours?

That’s something that many passengers ask me! There’s a simple reason for it. If two drivers are renting one taxi, it is only fair that each one takes one peak hour each. So if the first guy drives from 5am to 5pm and has already done the morning peak hour, then at 4.30pm or so, he will have to change shift, so that the second guy can take the evening peak hour from 5pm to 5am. These timings are not hard and fast, and are agreed between the two drivers. Of course, it would be better if drivers changed shift a little earlier than the start of peak hour, say, at 3pm.

A lot of motorists say taxi drivers are the worst road users. Do you think it’s a cruel generalisation?

Well, it is time that some cabbies change their driving habits. When I pass by accidents on the road, eight out of 10 of them seem to involve a taxi. Some people perceive taxi drivers as reckless, and that is a somewhat fair statement, I feel.

I know that cabbies who have been in more than one accident need to attend a defensive driving course, and are also shown videos and photos of past disasters caused by reckless driving.

Is it company policy that taxi drivers always have to ask the passengers which route we would like to take?

No, we just try not to blemish a passenger’s day with a bad experience. We ask this question because the customer probably takes this same route very often, if not every day, and would probably know the most ideal route.

I know some passengers who have studied their journeys! I remember this Singapore Airlines engineer who was taking my taxi from Mustafa Centre to Hougang, where he lived. He said: “If you do 70km along this stretch of road, you will meet only green lights.” To my surprise, we did meet green lights all along that way. However, we hit a red at the final junction. He pointed out that it was because I slowed down a little at the end…!

Why doesn’t the taxi booking system work smoothly?

Trying to get to a booking on time is one of my daily challenges. When a booking is up for grabs, it appears on our monitors in the taxi and we bid for it.

A driver can indicate that he is either five, seven or 12 minutes away, but in this bidding war, you can forget about it if you select 12 minutes. If you are the cabbie who wins the job, you will receive a confirmation notice.

If you see a taxi speeding and weaving frantically through traffic, there is a high chance that he or she is trying to make it on time to a booking.

Has business been better or worse since the December 2011 fare hike?

We did not feel the impact of getting fewer passengers from the hikes. I guess people still need taxis to take them around on their daily commutes.

Why do taxi drivers have to clock at least 250km every day now?

Under the new “taxi availability” scheme implemented early this year by the authorities, taxi drivers have to meet this distance each and every single day, so that there are available taxis on the roads, especially during peak hours.

Is this requirement a challenge for the average taxi driver?

Of course I can’t speak for everyone, but I find this distance quite achievable.

What happens if one doesn’t meet this requirement? Can he make up for it the next day?

No, he can’t. There isn’t a penalty, but if statistics show that a taxi company has not met the quota, requests for the company to expand its taxi fleet will be rejected.

Some cabbies like you choose to go it alone and not have a relief driver. How long do you usually drive a day?

Twelve hours at least. That translates to about 420km on average each day.

How many trips is that?

About 30. It might seem like a small number, but they vary greatly from five-minute drop-offs to hour-long rides.

Do you get aches and pains from driving such long hours, and if so, what do you do to relieve them?

Thankfully, no. When I first started out six years ago, I experienced numbness in my joints, due to my nerves being compressed, but I’m better now. Other taxi drivers tell me that they experience this numbness too.

In my old manual-gear taxi, I sit in a small area for many hours with only my left and right legs moving, so I learnt how to wriggle within my space to maintain good blood flow.

I try to find the discipline to get out of my taxi to walk around every one to two hours. I also keep active by playing football every Sunday.

What happens if you fall sick?

I can’t apply for sick leave because I’m the hirer of my taxi. In theory, the meter still runs as I still have to pay my daily rental for my cab. The same applies should I go on an overseas holiday.

If I’m hospitalised, my taxi company might waive my rental, but otherwise, I can’t wave a medical certificate at them and say, “Please don’t charge me!”

Have you felt the pinch from the mark-up of taxi rentals?

The rental for my old taxi used to be $69.55 a day when I started, and last year, when I changed my taxi, the rental increased to $128. That’s a big increase, but this has affected not just taxi drivers, but everyone, due to the rise of COE (Certificate of Entitlement) prices across the board (that must be paid for vehicles).

What qualities do you need to survive as a taxi driver?

Discipline is required in many aspects of the job – you have to be disciplined to wake up on time and go to work, no matter the weather conditions, and disciplined to stop working at a set time.

Like any job, you need to be focused.

There is some freedom in the sense that no one is looking over my shoulder, except for the company which expects the rental money to be paid on time. It is definitely not an own-time-own-target job.

I think you have to be service-oriented and of course, you need to love to drive. If you don’t like to drive, don’t consider this occupation.

What are your priorities as a taxi driver?

Since I am self-employed, I need to be in good health so that I can put food on the table. My four incentives to get out of bed each day are my wife and three children.

Do you wish you are able to have dinner with your children or able to be around when they leave in the morning?

Yes, but they have their own lives to lead now and they are not always around. I try to find the time to touch base with them as often as I can, even if it means striking up conversations with them while I am driving them somewhere.

When I read the news, there are so many reports of children saying that the reason why they did bad is because their parents were never there. They say their parents gave them lots of money and bought them all the latest gadgetry, but the parents never took the time to find out more about them, those sorts of statements. I think children can see through us as parents when we try to make up for our absence by giving them material goods.

As a veteran driver, have you learnt how to better diffuse heated scenarios on the road?

Yes. When I want to change to the fast lane on the right of the highway, I’ve noticed that cars like to speed up and not give me way the moment I turn on my signal light. A simple solution to this is to let this urgent driver pass, then change lanes behind him, because there will surely be a space left after he accelerates.

Also, when I go into the city, I sometimes have to cut across many lanes to get to a passenger. In that situation, I put my hand up at the rearview mirror and cars stop to give me way. Of course, I don’t put my hand out of the window – if I did so, I think the surrounding cars would all jam their brakes!

Have motorists changed over the years?

Motorists have become more impatient, as compared to when I started driving a taxi six years ago. I think it reflects on how our fast-paced society has changed us and our temperaments.

Have passengers become more impatient too?

Only a minority can be a bit nasty. The best way to diffuse such situations is by greeting them genuinely – they can sense your sincerity and sometimes start opening up to you.

I often find myself hearing out passengers’ problems with their bosses, boyfriends or wives, or with raising a family without a spouse around. I think many people find it easy to speak to someone with whom they have no connection, so I’m like a psychologist-on-wheels.

I remember one incident six years ago when I was very jovial and taking one Korean female passenger from Kovan to Geylang. She was stunned by my optimism.

“I give you one year and you’ll be just like other grumpy and silent cabbies,” she said. I know she meant well, so I took it constructively. Her words made me vow to never become a bad-tempered driver.

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