Singapore taxi drivers' earnings

I came upon an article on Shin Min Daily News few days ago commeting that taxi drivers earn $318 a day.. HAHA Should i believe?!

When i read on, it said calculation was based on the 24hr meter and the spokeperson was saying that of course, the earninges does not apply to all.

Huh?? Can one work 24 hrs non stop? How can they based on such measurements.. What if 15 days out the 30 days are raining? And so lucky that everyday can get the same no of passengers?

I can't find the article that i read few days ago, if not, i will haven scanned it, however while doing a search on the internet, found some articles and the latest article clarifying that the $318 was based on two shifts.

(With most taxis shared between two drivers, to defray costs and working hours, the average daily takings for each cabbie — before deducting rent and petrol costs — would work out to $159. Minus expenses, this would mean the average driver pockets about $85 a day.)

Alright, let's take an example that there is only one shift and the earnings before expenses is $159.

Estimates:

Rental - $90
Diesel - $ 40 (very conservative amount cause i think diesel now is $1.1-$1.3? And a full tank is like 80litres? lets say maybe 12 hrs drive don't used up 80 litres and this uncle don't turn on the air-conditioner and drive below 2rpm)

Total earnings after expenses= $159 - $90 - $40 = $29

$26 vs $85 as what they claim after expenses. Hmm.. where did i calculate wrongly? I didn't even include the makan money.

Alright.. Fine! fare increased probably does help the drivers lessen the burden from the increase in diesel price but i cant really stand that they always paint such rosy pictures that all these increase in fares has no disadvantages at all and keep sounding like it benefits the consumers by shortening the waiting time and drivers' earnings has been increase due to such wise decision making.


Friday • January 25, 2008
Ansley Ngansley@mediacorp.com.sg

IT was a figure that raised eyebrows and drew incredulous reactions from some taxi drivers as well as commuters — leading ComfortDelGro to yesterday clarify a mistaken impression.
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim had said in Parliament that a study of 5,000 taxis by the largest taxi operator here revealed that each generated $318 in daily average takings, up from $307 after last month’s fare hike.

On Internet forums, one netizen did the calculation that cabbies “earn $9,858 before expenses” each month, leaving some aghast, while others wondered if the data provided was correct.
And it was, but as ComfortDelGro has since clarified, $318 accounts for a taxi’s takings over two shifts.

With most taxis shared between two drivers, to defray costs and working hours, the average daily takings for each cabbie — before deducting rent and petrol costs — would work out to $159. Minus expenses, this would mean the average driver pockets about $85 a day.

“We have over 30,000 drivers and there will definitely be drivers who earn more than the average and those that earn less,” said ComfortDelGro spokeswoman Tammy Tan.
“It is still early days yet and we are still monitoring the situation closely to gauge demand.”
Even so, some taxi drivers that Today spoke to thought the estimate was a tad too optimistic.
“It’s tough to even make $70 a day now after we fork out rent and petrol,” said Mr Maurice Goh. “It didn’t use to be like this before the revision.”

Another driver, Mr Ong Eng Chuan, 72, insisted that his takings have dropped by as much as 20 per cent. “No matter what they say, people are still avoiding taking taxis, unless they really need to,” he said.

Another taxi operator, however, told Today it had conducted its own survey and interviews with cabbies, and the results were not too far from ComfortDelGro’s findings.
Premier Taxis’ managing director Lim Chong Boo, who has a fleet of 2,400 taxis, said: “The results are close to what the Minister revealed”.

While declining to be more precise, he noted: “We found out that some took home more after the revision, while some took home about the same as before but were making fewer trips.”
There were also those who made less money because they spent their time “sitting in coffeeshops”, said Mr Lim. “This is a time where you can separate the good drivers from the rest.”

Singapore’s second-largest cab company SMRT Taxis, with 3,000 vehicles on the road, declined to say if it had studied its drivers’ takings. But spokeswoman said the company frequently meets its cabbies in dialogue sessions and will continue to monitor the situation.
At least one taxi driver that Today spoke to, however, agreed he has benefited from the fare revision.

Mr Ho Kin Hwa, 49, who has been driving for five years, said his takings have improved by $10 to $15 a day, even as he is now making fewer trips.

The father of two drives a 15-hour full shift daily, for five days a week. On Saturdays and Sundays, he drives nine hours a day and shares the vehicle with a relief driver.
For Mr Ho, the math is simple: “It’s tiring but the more I drive, the more I earn.”


Jermyn ChowTue, Jan 22, 2008
The Straits Times

Drivers' earnings up, cab waiting times down

THE recent taxi fare hike may have just put a lid on a cab crunch which was threatening to boil over.If preliminary findings are anything to go by, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the fare revision last month was 'effective' in meeting the increasing demand of taxis in the Central Business District (CBD).

Based on figures taken four weeks after the Dec 18 fare hike, Mr Lim said waiting times in the city area during peak hours have 'gone down substantially'.Mr Lim revealed that commuters in the city only have to wait for up to 6 minutes for a cab, significantly less than the 5 to 22 minutes before the fare hike.Waiting times at the Suntec City taxi stands - said to be the worst performing of the lot - have been cut drastically from 22 minutes to 4 minutes.

While some cabbies have complained that passengers are not flagging taxis, Mr Lim said their earnings have however gone up.Based on figures provided by ComfortDelGro, Singapore's biggest taxi operator, cabbies are pocketing about $11 more a day, earning about $318.

Mr Lim was responding to questions from MP for Tampines GRC Ms Irene Ng and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Mr Baey Yam Keng in Parliament.Mr Lim also allayed Ms Ng's fears, saying that the extra surcharges for cabs plying the city areas would not pinch the supply in the suburbs.The Transport Minister assured the House that the Land Transport Authority would continue to monitor the situation over the next 3 to 4 months and work with taxi operators and associations.