Danny Hui, a private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver since 2016, claims his earnings from fares have remained “very stable till today,” despite some drivers reporting a drop in demand and income. Hui shared his perspective in an interview with Fathership, aiming to contribute to the ongoing discussion about PHV drivers and their vocation.
Background
Hui, a 58-year-old semi-retiree, earns up to S$1,390 a week in “semi-retired mode,” excluding costs like fuel and vehicle depreciation. He transitioned from driving a four-seater to a premium vehicle and owns his car. As an administrator of a small Facebook community of PHV drivers, Hui encourages members to share tips and support each other. Some drivers in his group have reported weekly earnings of S$2,735, S$2,839, and even S$3,033, including incentives for hitting targets. Hui uses the Grab driver app and is currently in the ruby tier, having dropped from sapphire after reducing his hours.
Semi-retiree driving PHV
Hui explained that he and his fellow drivers typically drive 10 to 12 hours a day. “Some days are good, some days are bad, but at the end of the week we hit or even exceed the targets we set,” he said. A premium vehicle driver who followed Hui’s advice managed to complete 184 jobs in a week, averaging about 26 trips a day, and earned over S$3,000. The Grab app sorts drivers into tiers: emerald, ruby, sapphire, and diamond, with diamond tier drivers usually being full-time PHV drivers.
Wrong strategy
Hui believes that drivers reporting lower earnings often prefer to drive only during peak periods with surge pricing and park their cars during off-peak hours. “That’s all wrong strategy because they are wasting and throwing their time away,” he explained. In his community, drivers focus on time management to hit their targets efficiently. One member earned S$534 in a day by driving between 250km and 350km. Hui emphasised that drivers must accept lower fares as well, stating, “It can’t be high fares 24 hours. Someone must accept five, six, seven-dollar fares.”
Community of drivers
Hui’s Facebook community, consisting of roughly 500 PHV drivers, focuses on positive dialogue and excludes “negative members” to maintain morale. Members share encouraging messages and screenshots of their earnings, not to show off but to boost morale. Hui also posts about topics like buying versus renting a car and finding the best fuel deals. “My group not many posts cos we concentrate on driving, instead of spending time to post and complain,” he quipped.
Lower earnings…?
In Parliament on Sep. 11, Tampines GRC Member of Parliament Desmond Choo mentioned that some drivers reported a drop in earnings by over 30 per cent in the past six months. Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor responded that this dip must be taken “into context,” as fares are subject to seasonal fluctuations in demand. Khor also noted that the number of active private-hire cars and taxis rose by 8 per cent over a year, while the average daily number of passenger trips increased by just 1 per cent. Consequently, drivers’ earnings have been moderated, with point-to-point fares now back to 2022 levels. Hui, in response to this parliamentary exchange, expressed a preference for less regulatory intervention.
