Sometimes, the direct path to take when you are out of work is to
rent a cab and be a taxi driver. After all, if you are willing to work
hard, you might be able to take home a decent earning everyday. Of
course, this assumes you are willing to put in 12 hours shifts
consistently, including on weekends.
In Malaysia (and especially in Johor Bahru), things get a little complicated. And we list down why exactly it is not easy being a taxi driver in Malaysia.
Firstly, if you adhere to using the meter, your passengers will smile or roll their eyes in disbelief. The RM$2 starting fare, set 13 years ago, is not even sufficient to buy you a plate of chicken rice. The incremental fare of 10sen/200m is just as incredulous. Cheap cheap!
And if you do the natural thing, which is to turn off the meter and charge a flat fee, you risk a fine if caught. On an especially irritating day, you have a Singaporean passenger that will blurt out in their typical clear and pronounced English: "Uncle, how can you not turn on the meter? Don't cheat us! You must use the meter!!"
Fares aside, there are equally irritating matters that makes things yet more difficult for a taxi driver in Johor Bahru.
There are few designated taxi stands in Johor Bahru. You make a stop to pick up a passenger by the road side. Suddenly, someone taps on your window - The Man-in-White. Traffic Police who either enforces the law or makes a wink at you. Either way, you can be assured that your entire day's taking will be gone.
On a clear day (when there is no Man-in-White), plain-clothes officers from the Johor Bahru Transport Council can also board your cab and do a spot check on you. If you do not wear a white sleeve shirt, or if you taxi is not spotlessly clean, you risk a fine. Or he too, can wink at you.
And if the lawful people does not get to you, your might have a chance with the lawless kind. Johor Bahru does not has an enviable crime rate.
Human factors aside, there are yet more irritating matters which adds to the difficulty.
The Proton Saga you are driving hardly seems like a good workplace, especially when you look across the causeway and Taxi Drivers in Singapore are driving 2000cc Hyundai Sonatas, Skodas and even Toyota Camry. You get a terrible leg cramp from the clutch and backache from the poor suspension. The windows are not tinted and your right arm is similar to that of a trailer driver.
Things get worse at night. Except the main roads, the streets are not well lit and you really strain to distinguish a passenger from a Pontianak.
Once in 10 years, MPJB or the Johor Bahru City Council takes on a big project. For example, the new Johor Bahru CIQ throws the entire Jalan Wong Ah Fook into disarray. You are confused, scared and helpless. For a few days, you wonder around without any passengers in sight. The only comfort? You are not the only one affected.
Having mentioned only some of the bad things about being a Taxi Driver in Johor Bahru, there is one positive thing worth mentioning. Mm.. Parking is cheap!!
In Malaysia (and especially in Johor Bahru), things get a little complicated. And we list down why exactly it is not easy being a taxi driver in Malaysia.
Firstly, if you adhere to using the meter, your passengers will smile or roll their eyes in disbelief. The RM$2 starting fare, set 13 years ago, is not even sufficient to buy you a plate of chicken rice. The incremental fare of 10sen/200m is just as incredulous. Cheap cheap!
And if you do the natural thing, which is to turn off the meter and charge a flat fee, you risk a fine if caught. On an especially irritating day, you have a Singaporean passenger that will blurt out in their typical clear and pronounced English: "Uncle, how can you not turn on the meter? Don't cheat us! You must use the meter!!"
Fares aside, there are equally irritating matters that makes things yet more difficult for a taxi driver in Johor Bahru.
There are few designated taxi stands in Johor Bahru. You make a stop to pick up a passenger by the road side. Suddenly, someone taps on your window - The Man-in-White. Traffic Police who either enforces the law or makes a wink at you. Either way, you can be assured that your entire day's taking will be gone.
On a clear day (when there is no Man-in-White), plain-clothes officers from the Johor Bahru Transport Council can also board your cab and do a spot check on you. If you do not wear a white sleeve shirt, or if you taxi is not spotlessly clean, you risk a fine. Or he too, can wink at you.
And if the lawful people does not get to you, your might have a chance with the lawless kind. Johor Bahru does not has an enviable crime rate.
Human factors aside, there are yet more irritating matters which adds to the difficulty.
The Proton Saga you are driving hardly seems like a good workplace, especially when you look across the causeway and Taxi Drivers in Singapore are driving 2000cc Hyundai Sonatas, Skodas and even Toyota Camry. You get a terrible leg cramp from the clutch and backache from the poor suspension. The windows are not tinted and your right arm is similar to that of a trailer driver.
Things get worse at night. Except the main roads, the streets are not well lit and you really strain to distinguish a passenger from a Pontianak.
Once in 10 years, MPJB or the Johor Bahru City Council takes on a big project. For example, the new Johor Bahru CIQ throws the entire Jalan Wong Ah Fook into disarray. You are confused, scared and helpless. For a few days, you wonder around without any passengers in sight. The only comfort? You are not the only one affected.
Having mentioned only some of the bad things about being a Taxi Driver in Johor Bahru, there is one positive thing worth mentioning. Mm.. Parking is cheap!!
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