Taxi driving is one of the most tedious jobs out there. On an average, a taxi driver has to spend around 16 hours each day, driving. The weekly count of hours spent on road would go up to 80 to 100. Some take it up by choice, and for some it is out of compulsion. A taxi driver’s job allows him to meet the most varied groups of people as he drives around the city. He has his share of experiences- some good, some bad. The following essay discusses the experiences of Jeetender, a taxi driver in Singapore.
Jeetender, a man of 40 drives his taxi and has another three cars of a tourist license which are driven by other drivers working under him. He is married, and has two daughters who are in school presently. The other three cars generate enough money to keep the family running smoothly, but for Jeetander, being a taxi driver is by choice ("Driving a Taxi in Singapore | Industry Matters for Taxi Drivers | Taxis and Private Hire Cars | Public Transport | Land Transport Authority", 2017). According to him, meeting new people and getting to know them in their journey is what keeps him attracted to his work. While the other tourist cars working under him generate the money that runs his family, Jeetender is a happy man driving his taxi around Singapore. He recalls that the initial days have been quite a struggle while the children were growing up and he could not give as much time as he wanted to at home, but things got adjusted with time. There have been times where friends and family have seen the job as something that does not go with the status of the rest of them, but they have become more accepting with time (Chan & Post, 2017).
Jeetender says that he comes home and shares about the different encounters he has every day. Their stories and lessons learnt are things he comes home and shares with his wife and girls. Jeetender faces road safety issues, which his family worries a lot about (Janardhan, 2017). It is very dangerous to drive around large vehicles and trucks when the drivers are drunk. Being stuck at traffic jams can be very hectic and annoying sometimes as he says. Jeetender had to excel in the skill of engaging the passengers in a conversation to ensure they have a nice journey. He maintains discipline in his taxi and encourages the passengers to go by certain rules such as hygiene. In 15 years of driving a taxi, he has adapted to new technologies like using the GPS service, which makes using roads easier and helps him provide a mode swift service. There are difficult passengers who are sometimes unruly. Some have had misguided him, while some have been drunk have not been on their best conduct. Sometimes passengers are heavily drunk, and end up vomiting in the car. Jeetender has had experiences of reaching patients to hospitals on time (Lim, Lim & Lim, 2017). One of the best experiences of Jeetender was when a pregnant woman entered her labor and had to be rushed to the hospital and he was there through the whole process until delivery. The woman’s family upon being informed took a while to reach and thanked him heartily.
There have been people who have behaved rudely with him and there have also been families with children who remind him of her own daughters, and they share thoughts on parenting. These are only some of the many encounters he comes across in his daily life as a taxi driver in Sigapore.
References
Chan, M., & Post, V. (2017). 6 Singapore Taxi Drivers Reveal The Reality Of How Grab And Uber Have Impacted Their Lives. Sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/6-singapore-taxi-drivers-reveal-031455537.html
Driving a Taxi in Singapore | Industry Matters for Taxi Drivers | Taxis and Private Hire Cars | Public Transport | Land Transport Authority. (2017). Lta.gov.sg. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/public-transport/taxis%20and%20private%20hire%20cars/industry-matters-for-taxi-drivers/driving-a-taxi-in-singapore.html
Janardhan, A. (2017). How taxi drivers are taking the road to entrepreneurship. https://www.livemint.com/. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://www.livemint.com/Companies/KI1HDgRWahSPYhIg05czxJ/How-taxi-drivers-are-taking-the-road-to-entrepreneurship.html
Lim, J., Lim, J., & Lim, J. (2017). Diary of a Singaporean Cabby. Cabby65.blogspot.com. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://cabby65.blogspot.com/
