Taxi Tales (2)

Bad breath

You want to know what is bad breath? How bad can a bad breath be? You might want to ask.

She sits behind me, I can smells it from the driver's seat. When she talks to you, it will knock you out dead. I tried to hold my breath all the time, until I could not take it any more, wind down the windows then take a deep breath. Ahhhhh fresh air.

Next day I bought an air fresher, those that could spray out to mute out those bad odours.


Mother's love

About 6.30 pm on Sunday. Sent a gentleman to the airport. Super long queue of Taxi, it went all the way out to airport boulevard, definitely not worth queuing. So I drove along ECP, deciding whether to enter Rochor road or drive into ECP looking for a fare.

Grabtaxi pings. National sailing centre to Hillview. Bid for the job and got it.

Driving into National sailing centre, only a group of teenagers about 13-15 years old chatting at the reception. So I call the passenger's number provided by grabtaxi, a woman answer the call. She explains she will call her son to come to the Taxi.

Then it dawns on me she is remote supporting her son, booking a Taxi for her son to come home for dinner. I sent him safely home for a fare of $27 dollars.


Two Oranges

Picked up an old lady at AMK Ave 10 around 11.30am. She is going to Upper Thomson road where they serve very good "yong tau fu". We started chatting, along the way she told me her son is driving red colour taxi too. He will bring his grandson to her place so she can looking after them.

She keep on thanking me for picking her up (other taxi skips her as she looks old and frail).

Well, we landed at a landed property where a maid comes out to help her to carry the stuff.

She pass me 2 oranges as a present. I kept them in my car as a reminder not to forget to offer assistant to anyone who needs it.

Life of a O.M.O. Taxi driver

O.M.O. = One man Operation

In Taxi industry context, meaning you are the hirer, you drive the taxi alone without relief for 365 days a year. I have the luck of doing OMO for a year with permier taxi. Driving a 5 years old Kia Magentis.


Breakdown of driving hours to meet the Taxi availability standard.

1. 0600 - 1100 hours. Drive for the morning peak hour human traffic, plus you get to enjoy the 25% peak hour traffic surcharge.
2. 1100 - 1600 hours. Break, sleep, eat and shit.
3. 1600 - 2359 hours. You drive for the evening peak hour human traffic. 
1. 1700-2359 - $3 surcharge starting journey from CBD.
2. 1800-2359 - 25% surcharge on total fare for peak hours.

In this case, OMO driver will be on the road for 13 hours. Actually one more hour than a standard regular shift driver that split the taxi for 12 hours shift between them. But he has to really work during those 13 hours because he will have to pay for the full taxi rental of $133 per day inclusive of GST.

Typically income of this driver is $3000 -$3500. No time for any luxury in the evening unless during the break time in the afternoon.

Breakdown of driving hours to have time with family

1. 0600 - 2000 hours. 14 hours on the road with toilet and meal break in between whenever it is convenience. Sometime lots of Taxi drivers will continue on even they feel the need for toilet break or hunger calls if there are passenger flagging along the way. They afraid once they took the break, people are gone.
2. Compare to the driver above, only 5 of the 14 hours attracts 25% surcharge. Thus the income might be lower thus need to go for longer hours to cover the rental or other expenses.
3. The timing is more like a regular job with regular Over time, but you got to spend time at home watch the 2100 hours news or dinner with family.

Typically, this one treasure quality of life over earnings. Thus we are talking about $2000-$2500 per month after minus off all rental and other expenses.

Note on Taxi availability standard from LTA.

1. 250 km total mileage per day.
2. On the road for hired during 0600-1100 and 1700-2359 for the peak period.

Because OMO drivers has the car for their disposal, they can decide when to stop, when to start their shift or run their own errand. Much much more freedom then a 2 x 12 hours shift driver.  The only catch is to cover the extra $66 dollar he would otherwise collect from the relief driver.

Taxi Tales : 4 Oct 2014 - 6 Oct 2014

Midnight Rendezvous

12.30 am. Train and bus services are running their last service lap. I was waiting at the Woodlands MRT Taxi stand for a fare. A girl not more than 20 years old walks towards me follows by an older man in his 30s walking about 5 steps behind.

I ask her where she wants to go after she boarded the Taxi, she blushed, replying in a shy voice, " ask him". The man asked me after he get on the Taxi, "Uncle, bring us to the nearest hotel".

"You know here is Woodlands? residential area? There are no hotels near by." I replied.

"Ah, there must be hotel nearby, right?" He ask in an urgent voice.

"OK, I will bring you to the nearest hotel I know, a 3 start hotel in Balestier", after which I started driving to Quality hotel Marlow at Balestier Road.

During the whole trip, the guy holds the girl tightly in his arms, touching her neck, kissing and talking quietly at the back.

After I drop them down for a $26 fare. Questions were spinning in my head. How do they end up in Woodlands MRT station looking for a hotel to stay in the middle of the night?


Auntie that walks with a shuffle

7 pm, Swisshotel the Stamford Taxi stand. An Indian man assisting a lady in her 60s, helping by the bell boy shuffling towards my Taxi. I opened the door for her to board.

The bell boy asked me, do you go to Pasir Ris for her. I said, "sure do" ( this is because many Taxi drivers like to stay in or nearby CBD area for the extra $3 they could earn for every trip).

Along the way, she thanked me then starting to rank out her bad experience with Taxi drivers. One that refuse to pick her up, even belittle her shuffling walking style. He asked her to stay at home so as not to inconvenient others. One that asked her whether she can pay for her Taxi fare, that makes her fuming.

What interest me is, she is actually working in the hotel, occasionally she will take taxi when her leg is extremely painful for her to walk. Usually she will take bus then MRT to arrive at her work place.

What moved me is Swisshotel employs her for $1800 for job in the cleaning/ kitchen department. She appreciates the hotel takes care of her welfare. Not many employees does that nowadays.

I gave her a discount at the end of the journey, instead she give me a tip. She has so much difficulty getting off the taxi or going up steps, I literally have to carry her to the lift door.

She is staying alone after her son and daughter moved out after their marriage.


Silent gas out

Picked up a Japanese business man in suit from Hilton Hotel, going to Swisshotel. I was driving along Orchard road to his destination when I get a whiff of shit.  Another minute another few whiff, ya, he let out gas in the Taxi.

Trying my best not to do anything drastic, but I could not take it any more when the air gets heavier.

Took a look at him, he close he eyes and enjoying it :)

I open the Taxi windows on the driver side, he kept quiet for the whole journey not moving or complaining.

TAXI runs over man lying in the middle of the road

Talking about occupational hazard. It applies to train operator on MRT trains, bus drivers and Taxi drivers.  What will happened to you when a person intends to use your vehicle for attempting suicide?

MRT train operator will get off clean in the eyes of the law because there are no way for the train to stops in time even he sees the person jumping onto the track.

For bus drivers and Taxi drivers, it all depends on what is the speed you were travelling, visibility on the road and whether you can react in time.

In this case, it is up to the investigator or traffic police to decide whether it is an negligent act.

Punching Cabby

It is an old news happened in April 2014. It just highlighted some of the hazards a cabby have to endure working in this trade.

When you see a lone man standing on the street after midnight. You have to make a quick decision on the spot, do I pick him up? Can he afford to pay? Is he drunk? Will he soil your vehicle by vomiting? Especially a drunk buff man.

LTA says you have have to pick any passenger up if you do not have the busy sign up, Will LTA. protects you or come to your rescue when he rough you up? Well the police will. Will LTA helps you to collect the fare if he runs away?

I picked up a "white man" a Caucasian over the weekend at Orchard road after mid-night. He wants to go to the Traders hotel. He is so drunk he falls asleep the moment he steps in. I wander how he stands up beside the road flagging. During the short journey, he keeps on gagging in his sleep, so afraid he might throw up along the way.

Upon arriving at the hotel, he steps out of the Taxi, said a thank you under his breath then walks into the hotel Lobby. Should I chase after him for the miserable $7 fare? So who is going to pay for his fare? I drove off quietly into the night with this thought.

Singapore's population make up

In a city state like Singapore where 40% of the population is non-resident. Meaning they will be going back to their country one day. It is mind boggling when I thinking of the day when all of them disappear together with all the permanent resident.

1. Streets, shopping mall will be empty of half the people. 
2. You will have a place to sit on the morning train going to work. 
3. Offices and workplace, company will be shut down because of not sufficient workers. 
4. Home owners not able to rent out their units.
5. Taxi drivers we will be poorer off because about half of my clients are make up of foreigners.

Is there a perfect solution to this? I do not think so, we all just have to managed it, managed people's expectations. We can move out of Singapore to work in another country, follow their example.

credit cards payment for TAXI ride (today's news)

This is a case of capitalism greed of the taxi companies. No competition, no improvement.

If the case is true of running a NETS payment / credit card payment terminals are so high a 10% surcharge has to be paid by the consumer. Why Uber and Easy Taxi is able to do it? Another way of looking at this, is the business model of paying by terminals rather than smart phone outdated?