Interest in becoming a cabby
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Hey guys,
Saw adverts on Straits Times Recruit today on Comfort and SMRT.
While searching for info on this line of work, came across an old post from this forum dated back in May 2007. Just wondering if Comfort is still the best operator to join. Can anyone kindly shed some light on this?Thanks in advanced...
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wow , now Comfort so desperate must advertise for drivers ?
It's quite an unprecedented move , not my time , during my time at year 2000 , if wanna join Comfort , must join Q hor ...... their old hirers , all damn sia lan one hor , want take it , dun wan leave it , where got like now , relief machiam King !!!
U can ask ALN , no need wash , no need top-up , all use paper money pay can liao ..... the rest hirer do .
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Pat , if u asking me now , 2009 , base on the current trends , and payout of monetary rewards , Comfort is not the best .
They used to be the best .
Why ?
They got many calls ..... and corporate paxes , and cashless payment mode .
Whatever what other taxi companies are paying drivers , the amount can never match those booking revenue generated by drivers of Comfort .
Eg , me .
One day if i got 8x $3.50 bookings per night ( i would say easily for me ) , i straight away gets $23.76 nett extra revenue tat night .
if i work just 5 days , one week i get $118.80 extra revenue .
One month $475 .
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During my time , TransCab second best , $2000 cash they paid hirers per year . That's all .
Still cannot match Comfort . No way near .
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Then 2005/2006 , Comfort and CityCab merge their Booking Facility ... meaning Comfort call , CityCab can take .
They used to be in 2 Different network .
Comfort pax is Comfort's . CityCab pax is CityCab's . Totally diff .
When they merge , the scenario ?
More CityCab bite into Comfort's share , so less call averagely for Comfort drivers .
Cos CityCab has less call , so we cannot say Comfort bite into their share .
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Then the most crucial factor on why Comfort lost their main core of drivers , was when 2007 , they restruct the whole taxi fare system .
So as so .... the fare caused the booking to go way downwards .
The usual taxi goers shift slowly to take other option of public transport .
Those 35% peak hour surcharge is so expensive to them , that it's not possible to take anymore .
That caused our income to follow downwards .
Call became less eventually .... so many taxis on the road , call what ?
Got call also will get hijack or no call .
So the Comfort drivers will asked themself : " No call i drive Comfort for what ? Pay so much ? "
So they slowly switch companies .
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But for the sake of diesel cost , which is getting much more than when i drove a taxi (@ $0.44 per litre ) to current $0.88 per litre , some prefer to stay put , until a cheaper options came in .
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Than came the breaking news !!!
Union TransCab launching their Toyota Wish 1.8 CNG !!!!
1000 vehicle to start rolling from 2008 March !!!!
So part of Singapore's taxi drivers population shifted to the CNG taxis .
The killing for Comfort is not CNG , it's the benefits TransCab gave , $766 in total per month , for 1 year contract !!!!
Hey per month , not per year !!!
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Another portion of Comfort and CityCab drivers jump ship .
It's lucky then , the CNG refill infrastrcuture not so good ...only Mandai have the refill centre , many Comfort and CityCab drivers stay put once again .
Cos inconvenience .
Waste a alot of time Q-ing for CNG .
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Once again , one more stab into Comfort's chest , Toh Tuck built The World's Biggest CNG Refill Centre ......
This time more confirm joining TransCab .
Cos of the $716 benefit per month , and convenient of getting CNG .
And Auto Car !!!
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News is ....
TransCab is lauching wave of wave of 2000 Wish on the road yearly ..... from Next month .
Where u think TransCab will get those drivers ?
Answer : It's either from SMRT , Premier , Smart or Comfort / CityCab .
If just 1000 Comfort / CityCab cabbies jump to TransCab ...
It's 1000 less drivers to drive their Sonata or Crown .
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I can only say , because of that $716 benefits from TransCab , OMO still can survive driving a cab without much stress .
Not for Comfort high rental ($105 for Sonata ) and low benefit ( $1200 per year ) .
To compare $105 Sonata and $106 Wish 2.0 ..... the benefits is $8592 per year for TransCab .
$1200 per year from Comfort ...
$8592 - $1200 = $7392 per year diff ...
Which will u join ?
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I am comparing , analyse base on OMO vs OMO .
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Some might say ....
Diesel and CNG ...diesel cheaper , or CNG expensive .
Of course , km by km , diesel is cheaper .
If by $ vs $ , CNG might just earn more than diesel , who knows ?
We dun compare overheads .
Diesel and CNG , is part of business overheads expenditures .
Same applies to bookings .
No doubt Comfort has more calls ....
If Comfort can give all drivers 10 $3.50 bookings per day ......
That can match that $8592 benefits .
Only that !
I doubt Comfort can afford to give 10 bookings to all drivers one day .... no way they can do that , base on what my old comfort kaki did !!!
3 is an average .
5 yes , but this take 5 calls fellows , their income i dun think can match drivers like me .
I am one that dun rely on bookings , all street hire .
Eg it's like Tio Call this my old classmate , driving a Comfort .
He can get consecuitve 8 calls , but i zero calls , our income neck to neck , sometimes i overtook his wages .
Call ? It's no longer the main core of income for drivers .
It was , not now .
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Nets and Cashless was never an issue for me .
Never was .
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I was a supporter for Comfort , for they booking facility and cashless , plus cheap diesels . It was a "was" .
Not now ...
Times has change .
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Tio Call Liao's my kaki , his good friend Mr Cheong asked me which company to join , i said want extra $$$ , join TransCab .
He did ....
He claimed TransCab that $716 will not be permanent .....
I said : " Drivers joined TransCab because of that $716 , if not , what the fuck they join CNG for ?
" Try taking out that $716 , see how many resign ? "
If again , 1000 resigned , meaning 1000 Wish they will stuck with .....
Comfort still people will jump back there .
My analyse : The $716 will remain until 4 years later .
Isn't that the only way to fulfill the 8000 Wish to be on the road ?
Environmental effect to make them stay ? No la ....
Money comes first .
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My SilverCab kaki , said his company is also feeling the heat , according to their RO , so called Routine Officer .
They had to succumb to giving un-attractive referal fee for new drivers .
Becuase they have a low taxi population , they just don't have the material and resources to fight against the market demand .
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SMRT ..... their position as No.2 Taxi company has fallen , due to less takers of old Crown and their still old Merc Cab .
and yet they do no response to the market demand of new AutoMatic Cars .
They are now focusing on their very own Chrysler .
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Smart .... they are stuck there .
They old Crown has to sub-lease to kiosks like those at Haig Road and AMK .
Their taxis parked there ... u want , pay daily rental and drive .
No $1000 deposit .
They really got no choice .
They would rather stick with their CNG Sales business .
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Now the hottest Vehicle now is Prime's Hybrid Taxis ....
Lithium battery operated .
Less comsumption of petrol .
Clean omissions .
That is another factor for Comfort to lose more drivers .
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Only if Comfort match what others that paid higher ...
Or else ..... they'll lose more drivers .
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Up to date ....
TransCab is the best .
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What will happen , no one can forseen .
Up to date , Comfort can only tell their prospect :
We have Cheap diesels .
We have $1200 benefits .
We have Nets .
We have calls .
So good , why did they still need to advertise ?
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Knn kc u can be transcab ambassador liao or chief marketing officer LOL
ok la pls allow me to add some words. Depends if u wanna be a hirer or a relief. Hirer / drive day can go take Trans or wadever la but if u wanna be relief / drive nite. take confort.
For night driver
Confort seriously in a lot of ulu places , there are call bookings . there is no need for you to do street pick up all the time. Now is festive season , every place got pax to sweep. well what abt quiet times??? where the streets are quiet? u wanna waste diesel cruising and fight with other taxis?
1 of my friend pays $45 fa nite for a silver kia , for $5 more i think its better u drive for confort