SINGAPORE — Six months since Singapore entered Phase Two of its reopening, allowing up to five people to gather and offices to reopen, taxi drivers and private-hire car drivers are still very much feeling the pinch, with a few reporting income drops of more than 50 per cent.
Among them is ComfortDelGro taxi driver Kirsty Foo, 60, who is now taking home only about S$1,000 after deducting rent, petrol and parking fees, compared to about S$3,000 during pre-Covid days. She relies mainly on street hails and regular customers.
Another is a private-hire car driver on the Gojek platform who wanted to be known only as Mr Soon. The 50-year-old resorted to doing delivery work and working the night shift at Pizza Hut at a base rate of S$4 an hour during the circuit breaker in April and May when his driving income could not even cover his vehicle rental, even at subsidised rates of S$65 a day.
His income had improved to about S$2,000 now. He has stopped delivering pizza but a third of his revenue still comes from delivery platforms like Lalamove and Gogovan.
As income from driving is no longer as attractive or sustainable for the long hours that they put in, both of them — as well as many of the 10 drivers TODAY interviewed — are seriously considering leaving the trade.
However, it is not as easy as taking the time to upgrade their skills or switch to other careers. Some are bound by taxi or car rental contracts that would cost them thousands if they would like to return their vehicle quickly.
For instance, Ms Foo’s contract with ComfortDelGro ends only next September, so she would have to continue being a cabbie although she wants to get into e-commerce, having taken a course on it in the past two months.
Meanwhile, Mr Soon, who was thinking of becoming a bus driver or security guard, had signed a one-year contract with a partner of Gojek’s rental initiative GoFleet to secure a better rental deal in August. It was supposed to help him cut down his operating cost by paying a “Covid special price” of S$77 a day, instead of S$92.
If he bails now, he will have to forfeit a S$1,500 security deposit, plus pay an early termination penalty of up to six months of his rental fees, he said. That could add up to more than S$15,000.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...nch-new-normal-some-see-income-drop-more-half
Among them is ComfortDelGro taxi driver Kirsty Foo, 60, who is now taking home only about S$1,000 after deducting rent, petrol and parking fees, compared to about S$3,000 during pre-Covid days. She relies mainly on street hails and regular customers.
Another is a private-hire car driver on the Gojek platform who wanted to be known only as Mr Soon. The 50-year-old resorted to doing delivery work and working the night shift at Pizza Hut at a base rate of S$4 an hour during the circuit breaker in April and May when his driving income could not even cover his vehicle rental, even at subsidised rates of S$65 a day.
His income had improved to about S$2,000 now. He has stopped delivering pizza but a third of his revenue still comes from delivery platforms like Lalamove and Gogovan.
As income from driving is no longer as attractive or sustainable for the long hours that they put in, both of them — as well as many of the 10 drivers TODAY interviewed — are seriously considering leaving the trade.
However, it is not as easy as taking the time to upgrade their skills or switch to other careers. Some are bound by taxi or car rental contracts that would cost them thousands if they would like to return their vehicle quickly.
For instance, Ms Foo’s contract with ComfortDelGro ends only next September, so she would have to continue being a cabbie although she wants to get into e-commerce, having taken a course on it in the past two months.
Meanwhile, Mr Soon, who was thinking of becoming a bus driver or security guard, had signed a one-year contract with a partner of Gojek’s rental initiative GoFleet to secure a better rental deal in August. It was supposed to help him cut down his operating cost by paying a “Covid special price” of S$77 a day, instead of S$92.
If he bails now, he will have to forfeit a S$1,500 security deposit, plus pay an early termination penalty of up to six months of his rental fees, he said. That could add up to more than S$15,000.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...nch-new-normal-some-see-income-drop-more-half
