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donsan · A Forum Mentor

How to familiarise with Singapore roads ?

pirate · Guru

6 mths?

taxiuncle · Senior Guru

i still cannot 'catch' yishun estate.
the ring road there is really giving me a hard time.

bridgestone · Guru

donsan wrote:

Hey, taxi bros, 大哥,

Share your experiences and advices on how to familiarise with the streets and routes.

How long do you think it takes for a new taxi driver to be confident on the road ?

How long? disbelief IMO night and day definitely make a big difference.

For new night shift driver like me:

3 mths roughly know which road belongs to which area, how to go also no confidence.

6 mths know most major connectors and some short cuts.

9 mths know how to go in from heads and tails.

12 mths think know already then howlian liao.... always kenna scold... biggrin

bridgestone · Guru

donsan wrote:

.....how to familiarise with the streets and routes....

Many areas to me was new when I started, left, right, straight... catched no ball.

My learning curve definitely is much longer than any TD. Worst areas all on the westside which I seldom go b4 I drive taxi. Bukit Batok is nightmare to me until today disbelief

How I learn? Don't talk about GPS, it triples my learning curve.

1. Memorize and able to name all HW exits names, sequence and where exits lead to.

2. Memorize major connectors head and tail joints. e.g. Grange Rd @ Orchard and Grange Rd @ Tanglin etc.

3. Memorize road continuations. e.g Carinhill->GrangeRd and GrangeRd->Napier Rd;Serangoon N5@AMK3 and Serangoon N5@YCK continues to Hougang A9 etc.

When no pax, I stop taxi along road side wait for pax then I shall try to visualize surrounding roads name; most important how to go HW. If still no pax then I drive around see if my memory is correct or not. Sometimes real hands on may start when inside an unknown road pax came in ask go somewhere.... good hands on.

TechSee · Veteran Member

bridgestone wrote:

donsan wrote:

.....how to familiarise with the streets and routes....
Many areas to me was new when I started, left, right, straight... catched no ball.
My learning curve definitely is much longer than any TD. Worst areas all on the westside which I seldom go b4 I drive taxi. Bukit Batok is nightmare to me until today
How I learn? Don't talk about GPS, it triples my learning curve.
1. Memorize and able to name all HW exits names, sequence and where exits lead to.
2. Memorize major connectors head and tail joints. e.g. Grange Rd @ Orchard and Grange Rd @ Tanglin etc.
3. Memorize road continuations. e.g Carinhill->GrangeRd and GrangeRd->Napier Rd;Serangoon N5@AMK3 and Serangoon N5@YCK continues to Hougang A9 etc.
When no pax, I stop taxi along road side wait for pax then I shall try to visualize surrounding roads name; most important how to go HW. If still no pax then I drive around see if my memory is correct or not. Sometimes real hands on may start when inside an unknown road pax came in ask go somewhere.... good hands on.

My situation and learning style quite similiar to yours but why using GPS triple your learning curve? I have just got a GPS receiver and intend to start using it.

bridgestone · Guru

GPS guides you every turn like pax guiding us, we never use our brain so learning is definitely slow.

I was GPS die heart supporter, now very seldom use it though it still mounted on my dash board every shift, reason is I want to learn quicker.

For instance, Joo Chiat to Boat Quay, GPS guide you go Tg Katong Rd->Paya Lebar->CTE... and if the pax doesn't know then we may think this is the model route and it will be burned into our memory... can't correct easily.

The same situation above, without GPS first thing of course panic lar cos duno how to go... but since pax flag on the side towards Geylang Rd, most of the time they already know the direction, so I will dim dim go towards Dunman direction. While on the road I can ask pax for help... quite embarrass situation but once learned never forget.

My pax told me 'uncle you can go by dunman, airport and nicol...' now this route already welded in my brain. So if same location pax goes Suntec, Espanade, CityHall.... same route no need to key in no need to press GO and wait for GPS to calculate. Faster learning curve right?

acekang · A Forum Supporter

bridgestone wrote:

donsan wrote:

.....how to familiarise with the streets and routes....
Many areas to me was new when I started, left, right, straight... catched no ball.
My learning curve definitely is much longer than any TD. Worst areas all on the westside which I seldom go b4 I drive taxi. Bukit Batok is nightmare to me until today
How I learn? Don't talk about GPS, it triples my learning curve.
1. Memorize and able to name all HW exits names, sequence and where exits lead to.
2. Memorize major connectors head and tail joints. e.g. Grange Rd @ Orchard and Grange Rd @ Tanglin etc.
3. Memorize road continuations. e.g Carinhill->GrangeRd and GrangeRd->Napier Rd;Serangoon N5@AMK3 and Serangoon N5@YCK continues to Hougang A9 etc.
When no pax, I stop taxi along road side wait for pax then I shall try to visualize surrounding roads name; most important how to go HW. If still no pax then I drive around see if my memory is correct or not. Sometimes real hands on may start when inside an unknown road pax came in ask go somewhere.... good hands on.

Your words enlightened me! Ever since i got that bad experience of lost my way and ended up $60 fare......i read up the street directory on the Expressway, but there are so many of them...still taking time to absorb...

Came across major roads, and they are starting to become my friends....just like Andy Lau play majong....he say majong tiles his friends biggrin

I am very scare of CBD area.....in out ERP......at some ocassions the ERP is $4 ,CTE City, first time see deduct so much.... doh

acekang · A Forum Supporter

I am reading street directory everyday.....seeing what i have gone wrong, but for places i totally have no clue where it is, i just have to follow GPS blindly......and i ended up going very weird ways.....found this street directory thread, i supposed it will be a good learning ground for me....posted some threads on routes...hope to have some valuable inputs if u got the time.

donsan · A Forum Mentor

When I first started driving, I used the "Conquer the Territories" method.

Bukit Batok, Chua Chu Kang, Yishun, Jurong housing estates all blurred and strange lands.

Once inside Bukit Batok, parked aside and studied the directory and how to get in and out. Sometimes spent an hour trying to learn just a few surrounding streets. Never try to get out of the place in a hurry, just because you are unfamiliar. Conquer it, if it means your meter is not on. I took several days and trips to conquer Bukit Batok. Next was Yishun and so on...

Same thing if want to make a living in Jurong/Tuas area or even Sungei Kadut/Kranji industrial estates. Get in and conquer them. Once conquered, the places are yours to roam.

Of course if you are new on the road, don't compare or expect to earn like an old bird. Need to sacrifice a month or two to learn the trade. Do make an extra effort.
Just like working in a restaurant, you come home also need to familiarise the menu or salemen studying sale products.

I guess bro Pirate is right. At least 6 months on the road to build confidence.

donsan · A Forum Mentor

taxiuncle wrote:

i still cannot 'catch' yishun estate.
the ring road there is really giving me a hard time.

Bro,
The ring road there is always there, same, fixed and dead.
Don't give yourself a hard time.
Spend some time studying the map and you'll conquer it.

Amk1777 · A Forum Mentor

first yr on the road i always write down the trip during the day...
then reach home i'll read the map, street dict, internet. To see if its correct/ any better route.

2nd yr still using this method but lesser.

now 4th yr liao. sometimes still came home, check the route again.

it'll be useful if u wanna learnt the hard way instead of using GPS.

pirate · Guru

another way t olearn is to get lose in places.. then u will learn as u get out of lost... sumtimes kena from paxs is also learning...

bridgestone · Guru

Sifu Don, how I wish to follow your Conquer the Territories methodology, but got no money to take home how to spend an hour to study?

When I started, the first 2 months using 'hit-and-run' method, i.e. Orchard->Bukit Batok after released pax quickly run to familiar area. Unfortunately no area in the west side I know so always ran to city. My hirer asked me, hey not bad you learn very fast.. 370km in 10hrs arrrr. He didn't know my collection is just half - one way ticket.

Words of wisdom: "Once conquered, the places are yours to roam"

bluenuts · Veteran Guru

Once learn the normal route, need to learn the alternate route.
Told you guys it's always a learning process for us everyday liao...