Taxi Driver Online

Reward plan for taxi drivers

Taxi driver Richard Chia is looking forward to going on holidays for up to 14 days — and not have to pay his taxi rental.

All he'll have to do under the rewards scheme the firm launched yesterday is to earn points by maintaining accident-free records, paying rent on time and give good service.

He can then exchange the points for up to $1,200 worth of benefits like 14 days of free cab rental, diesel vouchers and HDB parking coupons.

A taxi driver for eight years, Mr Chia, 59, welcomed the SMRT Taxis Hirers' Care (Hi-Care) Programme.

"We work the whole year round without any rest days, so the new scheme is good. It looks into the welfare of taxi drivers and gives us motivation to provide better service to get rental-free days."

Under the scheme, which will cost SMRT $5 million to implement, drivers also get three days of compassionate leave when an immediate family member dies.

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IDFIMH

That aside, I'm not too sure about this bit.

I hope it's been lost in translation.

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IDFIMH

we get a few weeks each year rent free for holidays etc...

That really makes so much sense.

Yes I know firms have costs that must be met, but I would have thought some sort of loyalty bonus, maybe one week a year for every 5/10 years a drivers been on a firm, has got to be a great idea.

Clever firms could even use their brains and incorporate it into the weekly fees, and then the drivers would feel they are getting a deal, without the firms losing out.

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IDFIMH

ive considered going it on my own and having 52 weeks a year free.

but i just cant be away from my radio, and my £400 school run.

A few of the firms charge a percentage of the fare, so if drivers have a holiday then they don't pay a bean because 10% of nothing is nothing.

Flyer

thats what i keep trying to tell the tax man, 20% of bugger all is still bugger all!!