Chatting is not always good service.
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In ST Sunday Times today, Rachel Chang (political journalist: http://www.singapolitics.sg/author/rachel-chang…) wrote an article with thread title. It’s a kind reminder to TDs not to talk too much when pax don wan to… Extracted some parts for info: “The perennial push to raise service standards in Singapore seems to me to have reached a tipping point. Not into good service territory or anything like that.
A taxi ride for me is a fraught and stressful situation, to be navigated like a minefield with careful steps and crossed fingers. The uncle and I engage in a teasing dance; he tries to pin down what is it I do while I try to avoid and pre-empt that question without seeming rude. I usually lose, since he is usually driving me to a location where most of the newspapers in Singapore are headquartered. The edge of the cliff approaches when having ascertained that I am a journalist, he asks what sort of news I cover. A political journalist is to a Singaporean taxi driver like a rat to a starving lion – a repulsive blessing. It’s not that I object to hearing his strongly held views on the People’s Action Party, housing prices and immigration policy.
And actually, taxi drivers are not as monolithically anti-establishment as we think – I’ve heard scathing assessments of the Workers’ Party and hand-wringing over how populist policies will be the country’s downfall. They are also, for the most part, more well-read and well-informed than the average Singaporean. But I have to do this for a living, and in the midst of an intense work week, the only thing I want is a smooth ride in stony silence. At least every new day brings a new taxi driver…..”
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(…long story continues….ends with a cartoon picture with taxi labelled PREMIUM SERVICE, inside taxi is a happy pax and taxi driver with mouth taped)… I wonder which drivers prompt her to write this article…lol
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Where got time to talk? Most of the time pax are engross in their smart phoner...
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silent is gold.....
i only tok when the pax is from US and must be guy...
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ya...I think most of us will not talk if pax show any signs of not wanting to talk...think she may be exaggerating...or creating a story
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For me usually will greet them and ask for preferred route tats when I sense whether they wanna talk or not by their tone of voice.
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new year mai kung hua taxi , huat la
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Bo liao one...... nothing better to write about ah? Jiak Liao Bi ST reporter...... Why never write about how stressful TD job is? Never make effort to find out? Find out lah, then you know why Sinkies so TL MIW.......
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Originally posted by Poolman:
new year mai kung hua taxi , huat la
oh ya...huat ar... -
The state of journalism these days
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You still believe in ST reporting. The news standard has dropped. Dun take it too hard. They got nothing to write about. See the Pinoy reporter who reported the $7k taxi driver. She sucks big time. I dun know if she is around. The ST reporters should go to middle east for one month to report about the unrest there. Then they know how to cover a story. Anyway they wouldn't want to provoke a TD in the snake year ? Real Tds bites like the rattle snake. SSSssssssssss.
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this sicko journalist is as yucky as his or her master PAP ................... too self centred. Not every passenger dislike talk from taxi drivers.
Most of the time, I enjoy talk with the td. Most interesting is they will talk on things which we do not know. They know a lot more than some of the people who don't care a thing about their surrounding.
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Ya… I just find it strange that someone of her profession shud feel stressed by service staff being friendly to her. She mentioned salesgirls, hairdressers, personal trainers as well…not only taxi drivers. Don they need a good listening ear to get more ideas…angles…opinions of others to do their own opinion writing? With the “celebrity attitude� and the kind of aloofness she projects in the article, I wont be expecting her to come forum to read others opinions
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Talking about “celebs�…wonder members ever fetched some famous ppl before? So far I only carried 4 pax that are bit famous.. one is Mr X (the DJ William Xavier)….then the blind singer who won the mandarin Idol contest… then 2 Mediacorp actresses… All of them quite polite and very chatty…but only one (the DJ) is very chatty with me….the rest ….chat non-stop ….on the phone …hahaha…(the blind singer Chen Wei Lian very fast talker).. I won say wat they chat (invasion of privacy) ….lol
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i dont relli like to chat with the cabbie
at least i dont initiate
got one nite the unker bery cute. drove past his house. he say he wanna go back to koon liao (it was 2am) and i can drive the cab home myself
of cos he joking lah
but i think the convo was quite ok......... he bery 幽默 oso
maybe he gotta keep awake too
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I like to talk and chat with pax, of course if pax don't talk, than I talk in my talkie loh........
Because my radio will be off throughout the journey, if pax got nothing to do behind, than they got to endure total silence for the whole trip.........and I'm happily listening to my talkie group talk 3 talk 4, with ear piece of course........LoL
Most time, they beh tahan, will start talking to me.........
My experience on the road.........can talk and talk but still won't miss any turn and reach pax destination with ease..........
Of course, frankly speaking, there's something that I place in my cab that make a lot of pax curious to start a conversation, heeheehee, cannot reveal here, my secret weapon last time...........
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This ? -
Got eat Viagra boh? You know the tiny blue pill. Must buy original and must be doctor prescription. Otherwise the Td heart cannot take it and he will go to heaven smiling. He died as a happy man.
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Depend of situation ba...
Sometime late at night when u go home tired or half drunk, then TD bah blah blah blah like chanting whole journey, quite beh tahan -__-
Other than that, most of the time I usually dun mind abit of chitchat, unless I'm busy with something like typing msg, using phone etc etc...
Oh, some time chitchat with TD also can get good information...
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Bro RBS hv secret weapon to make conversation? Not TD anymore still cannot reveal?…R rated wan izit? Hahaha.
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If pax don wan to talk, I will keep quiet lah… Sometimes, I talk to pax not just to keep myself awake and also to keep pax awake…I am quite scared paxs fall asleep in my cab…reached destination also buay jin chu….One time a guy fell asleep in my cab, really deep sleep leh…try so long to wake him up still cannot …until hv to do something “drastic�… If it’s a lady…dono wat to do liao (wait kn accused of molest n other things)….I see some ladies posting here…any good suggestions?
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I think many members knew i dun talk so much with locals ...... locals very dangerous one .
They complaint you from behind u dunno one ....
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I also dun talk much with FT , esp to Ang Mor ...... they say one place , i sent them one place , pay me money , fuck off , i find another pax .
But i do talked to tourist and business people .....
Guide them in Singapore if they ask me anything about Singapore .
For one topic i never talk in cab ..........
to tourists . -
That secret weapon not R-rated la.........
Than female pax on board, how? Must quickly keep.......
Is nothing unusual la, I don't want to reveal because individual had their own preference, if I list out, wait people say I how lian.........LoL
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Of cos 90% of my pax are from the same hotel and clubs ..... so generally very short distance trip ..... nothing much to talk .
Those departure trips , nothing much as well , just wish them all the best and come back again .
Short n Sharp .