Joining The Force BUT Which Cab Operator ???

last SG · 2012-11-24T16:15:34+00:00

Yes agree with you bowah . . . . Nothing wrong with being a TD, it’s a honest way of making a living.Hello D1, finally a newbie . . . . . . . .Appreciate you...

alpacino SG

Hello to all sifus,

I went to apply for a Taxi VDL at LTA yesterday and intend to make this my full time job in the very near future. Btw, I am 56 years young and have 30+ years driving experience.

So I am here now to seek some useful knowledge before deciding where to go and what to do when I eventually get my TVDL.

Before going to the LTA, I pop by the NTUC district office to find out about their

"join us scheme/drive promotion" and didn't quite like what I saw in their brochure. They will sponsor your course fees and give you some other benefits totalling about $1,600.00 but you must sign on with them for one year as a hirer of a manual Toyota cab. Manual cab is not what I had in mind . . . . . .

I plan to visit or talk to the other cab companies to find out more during the next few days as well but thought I can get some useful information from the experienced "cab masters" as one company call their hirers, to help me along . . . . .

Thanks in advance for any information and guidance as I embark on this new journey.

Any helpful hints / guidance will be much appreciated.

Poolman SG

bro , got time glance through the forum .

Poolman SG

guys here will say the same thing .

alpacino SG

Thanks for the tip.

yes I have been reading the taxi uncle forum, blogs and this one here :

http://sgforums.com/forums/3426/topics/455118

but have not found the answer as to which is a better way to approach

or maybe I have not read enough . . . . . . .

i understand there's no one right way to this just want to hear different

experiences from the season campaigners here from the different companies.

Thanks again and safe drive to all.

colafantasy SG

at least tell us more info abt u

1. Where u stay
2. Doing OMO or relief (day/nite)

I am from comfort, driving sonata

if you take manaul cab (crown) immediately collect cab… no waiting time

but if u wanna take auto (sonata), join the queue… two or three mths waiting time.. no more new cars liao.. so gonna take old cab.. i recommend you to take cab less than 2 yrs old…

while waiting, you can sign up as a relief to gain some experience… can try day n night shift… see which pattern suits u.. it is a different ball game altogether for day n nite driving…

gd thing if sign for comfort, call bookings plenty.. no worries.. some benefits for hirer
a. 3 days no rental per yr..
b. $300 incentive per quarter (no accident claim, complains, owe rental to qualify)

join other taxi co, rental cheaper after minus off incentives..and u will be super strong in sweeping…

Kenluc2000 SG

1) for me I joined SMRT mid 2005 cos of their aggressive recruitment. At that time they give $1,688 for new TDs, good service, benefits, repairs have downtime rebates, accident – have replacement taxi, flexible can change different type of taxi easily.
but now ? most taxis booked Epica have to wait 1+ month for new TDs. HQ – woodlands/amk (servicing).Benefits left with 2 free days /mth, hv downtime for service/repair, performance benefits. Heard from colleagues who left SMRT and joined others following feedback:
2) Red – slightly better benefits, hv largest fleet after CDG. case handling NG. HQ defu
Silver- better benefits, low rental but strict about getting rental. Any accident or problem pay first claim later even though not at fault. claim can take long time. HQ changi south
CDG – rental rate quite good, less benefits. more bookings/corp jobs. More pumps.Popular for relief and easy to find relief. strict with discipline – see other threads relief KN sack after chasing paxs for fare payment..etc.. sack after 2 complaints..

I think there’s not too much diffence joining which co. but focus more on how you drive..I stayed with same co cos have good record there and any wrong accusations/cases co on your side.. Also hv Chysler, Space, Lon, Benz can try later…

Kenluc2000 SG

forgot to say Epica rental very high if no relief to share/OMO..

alpacino SG

at least tell us more info abt u

1. Where u stay
2. Doing OMO or relief (day/nite)

thanks cola for your reply .. . . .

Red5xx SG

red- transcab..

omo for cdg?

veri they will ask u to rt cab if ur daily mileage below 250km....all those super fast course, u nid drive for them the lau koh koh toyota..

colafantasy SG

if you are doing OMO, u must decide on your driving pattern to counter your overheads (ie rental, petrol)

minimise using ur cab for personal stuffs.. very tiring leh

imagine you work, then send kids, wife to places, back to work again.. How many hrs u wanna be on the road?

if u decide to drive for red gang (transcab),

a. choose chevvy epica. not sure the waiting time…
b. not recommend to take wish CNG as u stay in yishun / semb, thou u can pump CNG in mandai (nearest)

if u decide to drive for comfort

a. u can insist driving for sonata, join the long queue lor… dun let them pyscho u into taking the crown. once take crown, very hard to switch to auto unless the crown is due for scrap.

do not sign for prime unless u are alright with signing a long contract with them. No chance for getting a relief (only 12 days per year)

e rest i not sure liao…

colafantasy SG

drive sonato auto also have the benefits (maybe less refund of course fee) lah…. dun let them bluff u into taking crown..

see link for benefits
http://www.cdgtaxi.com.sg/cabbies_drivewithus_b…

foolsh_2000 SG

newbies like u should just take a Nissan Cedric,cos low rental and scrap date is near,so any minor accidents or dents just don't report.OMO is the way to go

Bo Call Liao SG

newbies like u should just take a Nissan Cedric,cos low rental and scrap date is near,so any minor accidents or dents just don't report.OMO is the way to go

i fully agree

Kenluc2000 SG

Ya agree shud take low rent Cedric to do OMO. I first started OMO Cedric, then Crown, now Epica. SInce most companies hard to change veh. now, you can change when Cedric scrap phased out. Think as newcomer U will have no problem hittting new LTA requirement of 250KM a day. I used to do 500-600k a day OMO. For the course, they hv internet fast course in 2005 . Just study 1-2 days than wait for exam date. not sure now have or not.

I admire yr patience to check so much. For me just join a friend with experience to mentor. Oh NG (no good), leave TC drivers to comment on their claims handling…

OptimalTrans SG

newbies, close your eye and take any taxi from any co will do.

you will find out, it's all the same, Problem

this is not a marriage, where you got to keep your vow for life

when you like, when you tulan....... just switch company or Taxi

newbies always asking for the BEST choice, this will happen even if this forum got 100 years old

alpacino SG

Thanks again cola for your advise.

So I can sign up with CDG and insist I want a Sonata Auto or whatever nnewer cab and not take the manual Toyota Crown, correct ?

I am going to talk to them again, just want to confirm this fact here.

I am leaning towards CDG or SMRT now, based on what I have learned from here.

Trans-cab - Poolman 's thread - "Revealing The Ugly Thruth About" is putting me off them at the moment but I am not writing anyone off just yet.

Thanks f-2000 and BCL for posting your comments here..

Nice to know that my thot of going OMO is correct . . . . . . .

Please share your thots about the advantage of being a OMO if you don't mind.

No Sir, I do not want to be tied to a Manual cab for a year.

In fact I like to drive manual cars from time to time but as for driving a manual cab for a year, I don't think I will have fun doing that, I have to enjoy doing it then i can do it for a long time. It will put me off driving it when I get caught in traffic crawls or city traffic with lots of stop / start. And being a newbie, I would think that I will have to be more attentive to the surrounding eg taking mental notes of routes, landmarks etc etc rather than having to pay attention to the clutch and shifter. Just my views, constructive comments welcomed.

thanks again and safe drive all . . . . .

Cash Lee SG

When comes to taxi driving, 30+ years of driving experience also no use. The driving pattern is different, you will encounter funny things which you had never encounter before when driving pte car. "I'm not referring to stopping for pax."

Tcsaaa SG

newbies, close your eye and take any taxi from any co will do.

you will find out, it's all the same, Problem

this is not a marriage, where you got to keep your vow for life

when you like, when you tulan....... just switch company or Taxi

newbies always asking for the BEST choice, this will happen even if this forum got 100 years old

very gd advice, got taxi licence, join cdg as a relief 1st. maybe, after the 1st few shift. u may want to throw keys?

PS2U SG

Hello to all sifus,

I went to apply for a Taxi VDL at LTA yesterday and intend to make this my full time job in the very near future. Btw, I am 56 years young and have 30+ years driving experience.

So I am here now to seek some useful knowledge before deciding where to go and what to do when I eventually get my TVDL.

Before going to the LTA, I pop by the NTUC district office to find out about their

Thanks in advance for any information and guidance as I embark on this new journey.

Any helpful hints / guidance will be much appreciated.

If you are not good in routes or have to depend on GPS, don't join Comfort Delgro. CDG will terminate you if you get a complaint of wrong route every month. In my three months of driving for CDG, I got 3 complaints for wrong routes only. I got terminated.

Join them only if you are very familiar with all routes in Singapore. If not, start with other taxi companies besides CDG.

PS2U SG

I agree totally.

Unfortunately! those making the rules, have driven private cars for more than 50 years. So they believe! they know what taxi driving is like.