http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/top-the-news/story/surge-numbers-seeking-drive-taxis-20130131
Surge in numbers seeking to drive taxis
MORE people are applying for a taxi vocational licence, drawn by
the work flexibility, improved earnings and even access to a
car.
Between 2002 and last year, the number of applicants averaged 7,880
a year. But in the last three years, it had jumped by 16 per cent
to 9,105, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Applicants go for 21 three-hour training sessions and must pass
four theory tests, as well as one practical, before they get a
licence. Each year, the passing rate is between 42 per cent and 63
per cent, the LTA said.
Close to 96,000 people now hold the licence, versus fewer than
90,000 before 2007. Only about half are active cabbies.
"More people have come to realise the value of a taxi licence,"
said a spokesman for the Singapore Taxi Academy which trains close
to half of all the applicants. Transport firms ComfortDelGro and
SMRT train the rest.
"There is also an increasing sense of job insecurity," added the
spokesman. Banks have, for example, shed staff because of global
economic uncertainties.
The profile of applicants now includes more women and new citizens.
Only Singapore citizens are allowed to drive taxis.
The women like the job flexibility, the spokesman said. "They can
fit in their household chores and fetch the kids any time."
Mr Tony Heng, SMRT's director of taxis and transport solutions,
said applicants are getting younger. "This could be due to more
people viewing driving taxis as a viable career choice."
According to an LTA poll, the biggest group of two-shift cabbies
saw a 17.1 per cent rise in their gross earnings to $363 a day from
2010 to September last year.
Single-shift drivers saw an 8.3 per cent increase to $235. After
deducting taxi rent and fuel, that translated to about $4,250 and
$3,650 a month respectively.
For applicant Chua Wen An, the main draws are independence and
flexibility. The 33-year-old, who has a hotel management diploma
and works in a hotel, said: "I'd rather be self-employed."
He added that having a car to run errands is also a plus.
Another applicant, Mr Paul Lim, 42, a rice importer, said: "Who
knows, 10 years down the road, when I think I want to spend more
time with my family, I can drive a cab."
Mr Ricky Lau, 44, chief operating officer of a Thai-based rubber
company, said he will be completing his contract soon.
He added that he could drive a cab while he looks for a new
job.
Getting that licence, however, is not that easy.
Dispatch rider Yasin Salim, 43, has been trying for it since last
October, resitting the tests more than seven times.
"The English part is very difficult. I understand only simple
English," he said.
The taxi academy spokesman said most applicants secure the licence
after sitting the tests three or four times.
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