If you ever find yourself in a rush, you’ll know that you now have more than just standing by the roadside, desperately hoping for an empty cab to come by as an option.

The government has recently said that there are anywhere between an additional 8-10,000 private-hire car drivers who add to the existing fleet of taxis plying the roads during peak hours in Singapore.

But who are these people? Nobody has really tried to find out — so we decided to.

We first asked our two main private-hire-car companies, Grab and Uber, what their driver profiles are like.

Are they foreigners out to steal our cabbies’ lunch money?

Uber told us that less than 2 per cent of their drivers are non-Singaporean.

43 per cent of their “tens of thousands” of drivers head out on the roads on a part-time basis (less than 10 hours per week), and these folks range “from retirees who want to continue to actively contribute to society and enjoy financial freedom; to mothers who like the flexibility; to young professionals and students who are supplementing their primary income or saving up before they even start their career”.

Also, while 90 per cent of their drivers are male, a quarter of Uber drivers are under the age of 30. 90 per cent of their drivers (both male and female) drive on Uber’s low-cost platform UberX — aka the direct alternative to Grab’s Economy Car service.

Yep Soon Lee, 55

“I do not speak a word of English so I’m very fortunate to at least have this job. It was not easy but with the help of the Grab staff they even wrote down something so that I show my customers.”

“With the new changes that will be implemented I do hope to be able to continue driving for Grab. I dropped out of primary school and have no qualifications unlike you young folks but I make do. Driving for Grab is easy due to the app. I’ve been doing this for over a month and I’ve gotten the hang of it. It gets challenging because the roads of Singapore are long and if the customer does not key in the address correctly I have trouble locating them. After working as a hawker for the past 40 years and now becoming a driver, things are much slower paced. From working with up to four in a stall and now going solo is a big change. I try my best and take things one step at a time.”

Rennu Mahajan, 55

“I usually drive in the mornings and I’m done for the day. The morning peak with bonuses are more than sufficient for me to cover my rental for the day. And my back prevents me from driving long hours, so it amazes me how some professional taxi drivers are able to do so for long periods. I started driving for Grab and Uber when the property market went quiet — that was about one and a half years back — and so far it has turned out great. I get to meet new people all the time and they are surprisingly chatty. I’ve been able to network more to highlight my expertise in the property market and in turn I’ve also scored some good deals from customers who were in the sales line themselves. I think even if the property market picks up eventually, I would still see myself still driving. Regulation is always good and expected. Having been and still a property agent and seeing how things changed when the CEA swept in, I can see the same thing happening when the Ministry of Transport steps in.”

Philip Yeo, 65

“I’m a full time property agent and the market last year was bad with the various cooling measures in place. I used to have 25 staff in my team but the number has dwindled to only six now. Many switched professions and I joined Grab in October as a full time driver but now I’ve switched to part time.

Being a Grab driver is good for my profession as I get to network with many and some even sought my advice for housing-related matters. In fact, I managed to close a couple of rental deals!

My car rental is $62 per day, fuel costs me around $40 daily and add in the 20% Grab commission, I’m in negative $140 territory even before I ply the roads. I usually earn $60 to $100 daily but that means driving 250km to 300km, which equates to some 12 hours on the road. It’s tiring so if I get some free time while waiting for passengers, I will get out of the car to do some stretching.

To me, I think we are providing a service and helping Singapore’s public transport system. Youngsters these days are busy and being the digital natives they are, they are more inclined to use apps. Many tell me that they prefer booking through apps and not the traditional hotline. Some are so happy with the service that they say that they will not buy a car in the future, which I think is great because that’s good for Mother Earth.”

Jeremy Tan, 31

“I like the freedom of planning my own time and driving around. I also like meeting people from all walks of life. Having a good conversation with a customer is a good moment. And when my customer compliments me on your driving, I feel good. I also like to look back and remember the nice comments that customers leave when they give feedback on the app — that makes me happy."

“If I were asked what I think about complaints from taxi drivers about Uber and Grab, I would say taxi drivers have options — on call, taxi stands, calling apps and can pick up by the road. Have you ever stood in a taxi stand with a long queue? And when it's your turn the taxi driver asks you where you are going, and if it's not where he wants to go he will drive off. Have you ever been in heavy rain and after flagging down a taxi, he stops, but if it's not where he is going, he drives off? I have friends and relatives who drive taxi but I don't hear them complaining... and they earn more than us. The price is already very low, and the incentive keeps changing. We don't really make lots of money like they say.”

Joel Er, 25

“I juggle driving during the day with my evening classes at school. In terms of earnings, I'm averaging about $750 per week, after petrol and rental. However, during my exam period, I made just enough to cover rental and petrol for 2 weeks, which sucked. But as a friend said, the money can always be earned back. So my studies are still a priority!"

“That said, I like driving basically, and how I can choose the timings I want to work. It has taught me the value of reaping what you sow — the number of hours I put in will show for whatever I earn. There are good and bad days, for example, the incentives during peak hours are pretty much based on the number of trips we're able to hit to qualify for the hourly guarantee. Some days I hit, some days I don't."

“It isn’t too different for us (compared with taxi drivers) actually — I get my fair share of nasty and snobbish riders as well. In my time driving with Uber, there were a handful who were plain rude. "Turn the radio off now"/ "Yes hi, I see your car, just get over here now" (mind you there was a queue at the pickup point). I also once had a rider who happily wound down the window and started smoking without asking me."

“Since I started driving with Uber, knowing the roads much better is a given — I've had riders who showed me much faster routes to their destinations which I take into account for future trips. I’ve also learned that the tone you set to make every rider comfortable is important. A simple “Hello XXX, how was your day?” goes a long way!”

Andrea Lek, 29

“Prior to joining Uber as a driver, Uber was already my preferred travel option as a rider. As a service provider, Uber never failed to promptly address or follow up with any issues or queries I had posed.  This in turn reflected well on Uber's processes, and as a result, left a lasting impression on me. When it was time for me to choose a platform to link up with potential passengers, Uber was the first choice."

“I enjoy the flexible working hours, but of course, with great flexibility comes great self-discipline. It's very easy to give yourself multiple days off work, because after all, being an Uber driver is somewhat being your own boss. The thing about receiving requests from riders is that it's all about timing and location. There have been times when I wandered towards hotspots, and yet fares are nowhere to be found. I'd say this isn't a challenge solely with Uber, but generally with the private car/taxi transportation service. It's all part and parcel of the job!"

“I feel that it boils down to the question of demand. The thing about Uber is that us drivers do not know the destination until the rider hops on board. This means that riders don't get rejected just because their destination is too short a trip or too far. However, given past experiences, I've personally encountered taxi drivers who pick and choose their fares. I mean, after all, isn't this service all about getting people to places? I suppose to a certain degree, taxi drivers have every right to feel threatened. However, I hope they come to realise that this is our livelihood too.”

Top photo collage by Gerald Chan.

This post fuels the Mothership so we can take the occasional taxi.

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.