A lot of people are doing what they can to make ends meet during this tough Covid-19 period.

And this includes private-hire drivers in Singapore.

On May 5, Minyang Chow, a doctor working at Tan Tock Seng Hospital wrote on Facebook that he noticed that Grab rides he has been booking from his workplace have been arriving in less than 20 seconds.

After speaking to a Grab driver who was sending him home, he finally found out why.

Grab drivers wait at hospital car parks

According to the Grab driver, he had been sitting at the hospital's car park for more than 30 minutes in hopes of getting a passenger.

He further explained: "If not, how can I get a passenger? I have to be the nearest to the passenger to get the job mah."

The Grab driver also shared that he wasn't the only one resorting to such methods.

Apparently, the hospital's car park had many other private-hire drivers who were also waiting to get a ping from a customer.

"They go Kopitiam da bao (takeaway food) eat in the car and wait!"

Absorb parking charges

As they exited the car park, Chow was "stunned" to see the amount he had to pay for the parking.

For context, this is how much it costs to park at the hospital:

• Monday to Saturday (7am to 6pm): S$2.40 per 60 minutes
• Monday to Saturday (6pm to 7am): S$2.40 per entry
• Sunday & Public Holiday: S$2.40 per entry

However, the driver shrugged the extra costs off, saying it's "nothing".

"I no customer already. Pay a bit of parking, got passenger, I happy already."

Missed son's birthday

The driver then told Chow that it was his son's birthday that day.

However, he couldn't celebrate it with his family as he had to work to earn enough to pay for the petrol, season parking, car rental and to feed his family.

"I can go hungry but I don't want my family to go hungry."

Upon reaching his destination, Chow decided to leave a little tip for the driver via the Grab app and left a note to buy something nice for his son's birthday.

He reflected: "For every Grab driver like Uncle, there are many more like him. Everyone’s hurting in this period. Let’s open our eyes, go the extra mile, love a little more because we’re all in this together."

You can see his full post here:

Top image from Google Maps & Minyang Chow/FB