I am an over 50 ex-PME overseas graduate who lost my job in 2006 and now resorted to driving taxi this past 5 years as the only option left or otherwise remain jobless and desperate like many of my fellow Singaporeans in the same predicament under our harsh Singapore society.
I am writing this article as once again, I had to bear the brunt of an angmor FT who was "unhappy" and like many others like him, threatened to lodge a complaint againt me. Let me now relate the incident that just happened to me last Friday night.
Like many cabbies, I now use taxi apps like GrabTaxi to help supplement my income to get more bookings during my usual night shift work. At about 915pm last night, I took a booking via Grabtaxi to pick up a customer from the Singapore Cricket Club to Robertson Quay.Having successfully secured the booking, I felt quite pleased with myself as it meant an extra $3.30 booking fee (minus 30cents to pay Grabtaxi as their call levy charge) + the usual $3 CBD surchage for a nearby and "easy" trip that would still keep me nearby the CBD on a busy Friday night. So i reach the SCC in less than 3 mins, saw an angmor FT at the lobby who waved at me and before he boarded my taxi, I asked him , "sir, are you Greg, who booked my taxi" to which the angmor replied "Yes" and off we went towards the destination. I immediately pressed the "Pick UP" option on my grabTaxu app to signify successful pick up of booking.
Suddenly, baout 60 secs later, my phone rang! Alamak, I suspect something wrong and whilst fumbling to answer my phone and busily trying to dodge traffic along Coleman St, I answered and was faced with an ANGRY angmor on the other end . I realised that I must have picked up the wrong angmor but entirely not my fault as the amgmor FT now in my taxi did acknowledged that he was the person named "Greg:. So now the real Greg is on the other line and scolding away, So I said "Sir, I am sorry but I must have picked up the wrong passenger, so if u could just wait a while so I can turn back to your location". At this, FT "Greg" abruptly scolded me and said " I am not happy , I will lodge a COMPLAINT against you and straight away hung up, now even giving me any chance to explain what actually happened.
Wa, felt real sian and depressed then I realised what just happened and spoke to the Angmor in my taxi and he indicated he wanted to go Orchard Towers. I felt so sick that I didnt even bother to add in the booking fee and just continued my way with mistaken identity angmor FT to Orchard.
Along the way, I told this angmor FT, "Sir, you got me into trouble" so he curiously asked me why? I then related to him that bec he told me he was "Greg" , I picked him up and got scolded by the real "Greg" who threatened to lodge a complaint against me for picking up the wrong passenger. I told this Angmor that I was truly an honest mistake but I might get a complaint for nothing. I even said that why like that, all of you guys are fellow Club members , yet why complain against me. Then upon hearing this , the Angmor FT in my taxi offered to help and said he talk to this other guy named "Greg" so I dialled up the Greg's number but he refused to answer his phone and only left a voicemail whereby the angmor in my taxi asked him to call him back. But i guess it all was an exercise in futility as he didnt leave his contact number on the other "Greg's" voicemail so what to do?
I am relating this incident as over the past 5 years of driving taxi, I been hollered at, threatened , wrongly accused for going longer distances etc etc. But most of the time, we local cabbies always at the losing end bec so long as these high level FTs threatened to complain, if seems nowadays, we are at their mercy. I even heard of a case whereby some big shot Angmor FT who is a CEO of some MNC company, was not picked up and lodged a strong complaint against the cabby who actually got terminated. This taxi company is the same as mine, none other than Comfort Delgro. Over the years of driving taxi, I find such incidents truly distressing and it had made me so disillussioned with life that I actually now reduced my driving days from 6 days per week to now only twice a week.
The moral of the above episode is this.....that we citizens who are now deemed "unemployable" or suffering from "structural unemployment" now resorted to earning very minimal income as taxidrivers are now truly at the MERCY of FTs who , for the slightest of reasons, will be unhappy and COMPLAINT whereby even our already dwindling livelihoods now may even be threatened bec of their friviolous mindsets! So i ask this question as to why we locals are now at the mercy of these expat FTs who can just simply lodge a complaint and even take away our ricebowls??? What happened to this country????? How come Singapore has now degenerated to such a level whereby the hardworking and honest citizens are literally at the mercy of these FTs who now truly rule or ruin our lives so easily????? Since when every father, mother , son just unhappy at the slightest things can lodge Complaint and we have now degenerated into a COMPLAINT society whereby the complainant is like a KING who can anyhow complaint and make us all their subjects???
I feel so sad writing this article but wat else can do under this repressive reigime and society where foreginters literally rule over us, can so easily ruin our lives also and we are worst than 3rd class citizens in our own backyard!!!!!!
I guess the reak tragedy in the moral of this story is that now, it reached the stage where I am truly feel sad that I was born......A SINGAPOREAN
Sad Sinkie
TRS Contributor