The Covid-19 pandemic has been especially hard on taxi and PHV drivers.
If you’re a taxi driver and you’ve been hibernating for the last two months, you’d be shocked to see the streets of Singapore so empty when you finally head out.
With everyone stuck at home, finding customers is like trying to find good news these days; it’s possible but doesn’t happen very often.
It’s kind of like being an ice-cream uncle and finding out that all the children in Singapore have been transported to Mars.
How will I earn money then?
Thankfully, some taxi drivers in the country have been handed a lifeline.
Taxis Are Now Delivering Redmart Groceries
ComfortDelGro taxi drivers will soon help to deliver RedMart groceries, in a collaboration between ComfortDelGro and Lazada, which owns Redmart.
As you know, deliveries have surged during the Covid-19 outbreak, and more than 1,000 drivers from the taxi company have indicated their interest in this new role.
“With the big mismatch in demand and supply for food and groceries, we reached out to RedMart,” said Mr Tommy Tan, CEO of ComfortDelGro Taxi.
Ever since February, Redmart has experienced a “growing surge of orders” in February, most of which are probably toilet paper.
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To cope with the increased demand, the online retailer announced earlier this month that it will temporarily reduce the range of products available and prioritise daily necessities such as rice, flour, and eggs.
So, as Mr Tan says, this collaboration that allows taxi drivers to deliver RedMart goods will be a “win-win-win situation not just for our drivers, for RedMart but for residents as well”.
Once these drivers undergo the required training provided by RedMart, they can start their new delivery jobs, likely by the end of April.
So, if you try waving down a blue taxi and it flies past you with 65 rolls of toilet paper in its back seat, it’s not because the driver is having explosive diarrhoea; he’s just delivering toilet paper to one family.
Delivering McDonald’s Too
Some taxi drivers will also be delivering McDonald’s meals in a joint initiative with ComfortDelgro.
Around 50 drivers have signed up to be delivery men and will start picking up and delivering orders from 62 participating McDonald’s outlets after they’ve undergone the required training.
You would need the self-restraint of a monk to drive on while the smell of freshly cooked fries is wafting in your car.
According to Mothership, this delivery service will last till end-June 2020.
So, if you see several blue taxis on the streets filled with McDonald’s brown bags, it’s not because these cabbies have given up and resorted to eating their feelings; they’re just delivering some tasty burgers to hungry families.
Point to Point Regulations Eased
Did you know that taxi and PHC drivers are not actually allowed to deliver food and groceries?
Well, they weren’t before the coronavirus outbreak.
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But due to the increased demand for deliveries and lack of customers for taxi drivers, the government announced in March that there will be a “temporary liberalisation” of point-to-point regulations.
This will take immediate effect and go on until the end of June.
This venture is great, because it helps taxi driver supplement their income during a tough time, while aiding RedMart in keeping up with the increased demand.
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Reader: It really is great. Now I can order even more rolls of toilet paper since there are more delivery men out there.
You really need help, you know that?