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Robbie · New Member

Not familiar with routes

Rom · A Forum Mentor

Hi Robbie, same here, newbie. I can understand your situation as I've been this jobless stage last year too. Don't be afraid and just give your best shot. Gurus here will help us with our queries. smile

O_jigger · Veteran Member

Hi Robbie,
I just started driving and today will be my 6th day on the road. I am too not exactly familiar with the roads. What i did when i was unsure of how to get to the place which my pax wanted are as follow.

1) Ask if the pax has got a prefered route to the location. Normally if the pax can tell me, i roughly will know the place. If still unsure, go to next step.

2) Ask if my pax is able to guide me to the location. Most of the time pax are able to guide me to the location they want to go. If still unsure go to next step.

3) Ask politely to have a minute to check out the street directory to confirm location. Normally pax will be ok if you ask politely. If still unsure then

4) Tell pax politely you do not know how to get to the location and if the pax can take another taxi there.

Personally i have reached only the 3rd option which i listed above.

Also when you make a wrong turn or take the wrong route, apologise to the pax immediately and tell the pax you will give a discount when you reach the destination. Do not wait until the pax ask why you are taking the wrong route. Normally when this happen, the pax will be very unhappy. Do not be afraid to ask. And be prepared to meet nasty customers. But do not let the nasty customers put you down. Afterall when they alight, they are more or less history to you.

Trust me. If you passed the TD course, i believe you are prepared to face the challenages on the road.

Regards
O_J

Robbie · New Member

thanks bro Rom and O jigger for the encouragement and advice, really appreciate your inputs and will take note of what you guys just mentioned. after doing a search and read up what some of you have went thru, really have affected my mindset, once again thanks to all.

taxiuncle · Senior Guru

driving night shift is better if you are not familiar with the route becos pax goes home at night, so most of the time they can guide you the way.

bridgestone · Guru

Judge by yourself, don't just listen to wrong doctrine...

Driving taxi is long term, a profession, your mission is to send pax SAFELY to destination. Some of my recommendation here...
1. Take FASTEST route or ECONOMICAL route. Fastest route NEVER means speeding!

2. Earn more but no need to speed, why? Speeding doesn't mean you can earn more. Take least traffic route, every trip you save 5 mins without cut lanes and speed. You want to know how? OK, go to BKE, follow a yellow Jorhor CAB to Queen's street then you see how they drive. They never speed! Hardly cut lane! They know exactly where shift left or right! They know the route very well because it is the only route they drive daily. Compare to a youngster driving a Mitshibishi, tailgale, speeding, cut lane 1 to 4, 4 to 1... at the end, see! the Jorhor cab reaches Queen's street 5 mins earlier!

3. Cultivate a good road manner. Give way doesn't annoy your pax, if fact most pax feel good when they know they are lucky on your cab.

4. Every trip, you are holding $2000 dollars on your hand, don't ever get into accident otherwise your hard earned money GONE! You may also terminated by the company. I am lucky, until today after 5 years Zero at-fault case, because I don't speed, never tailgate, hardly change lane unless really really necessary.

5. Deal with pax smartly. When pax comes in, within a minute they know how good you are by reading your body language. You are good only when you are real good, ask destination clearly with landmark confirmation before you move, DON'T say OK when you are not sure.

6. When having difficult pax on board, don't panic! Remember, the most you may have $20 fare thru this trip, really can't handle then stop bleeding.... aboard fast without collect a cent. Don't let it spoil your day! Take a cup of coffee, give yourself half an hour to refresh.

7. Do not overcharge!!! Apply surcharge according to company/LTA rule. Outside CBD if you charge CITY surcharge may lost your VL.

Good Luck and Safe Driving.

-- Edited by bridgestone on Saturday 9th of March 2013 10:51:54 AM

bridgestone · Guru

Not familiar routes? hmmmm everybody have gone thru same thing when firstly started. No worry, no big deal, not end of the world.

How to familiar with routes? IMO, nothing better than long hours on the road, important you need to read and STUDY maps plus memorize key "trunk road"s starting/ending/entry/exit.
E.g. Bukit Timah leads to west from central passing many estates, read and memorize, starting Cavenagh upto Clementi Rd... etc. What is key junction along BT? read and momorize... Newton, Balmormal, Stevens, Evans, Farrer/Adam, Coronation, Duchess, Namly, Sixth Ave, Wilby, Blackmore, King Albert and Clementi Rd.

Where do these roads lead to? just try to memorize, if can't nevermind, ask pax they will guide you. But you have no excuse if you don't know key junction. Eg. Steven, and, Sixth Ave.

Take your pace, no need kenchong, slowly slowly you'll know.

bridgestone · Guru

As TU mentioned, night shift easier provided your pax is not drunk, he/she is able to guide you.

Morning peak NO JOKE. Must ask pax, because they know how to get there better than any taxi driver, they go everyday, where jam when can go when cannot go they all know. Some funny route where you never have in your mind all come out during morning peak guided by pax. Morning peak kenna fxxk all laojia and howlian one. You dun ask and once trapped inside massive jam then good luck.

E.g. Farrer to AYE, what time jam, what time can't move, what time no problem... all you have to ask smartly and experience by yourself.

bridgestone · Guru

Learning and memorize roads is very difficult, but fortunately it comes naturally once you feel confident.

A few exercise you need to practice:
1. Ask yourself, how well you know the Expressway?
2. Ask yourself, how well you know neighbourhood roads within your estate?
3. Ask yourself, how GOOD you want yourself to be?
4. Ask yourself, how well you know about buildings' pickup/drop off lobby?

If Q 1,2,4 you are confident then #3 must be good!

OK, take a piece of paper, a ruler, a black ball pen, a red one.
Get ready!!! Let's self check how well you are.

On the paper, draw a straight line, right to left use RED pen mark arrows from right to left. On the right, write down Changi Airport. On the left, write down Keppel Road. On top of the paper, write down BIG... ECP from Changi Airport to City (Keppel).

Now, don't look at map, closed book test started.
Draw small lines on the bottom of the ECP, they are EXITs from ECP leading to estates. Do it, and DO NOT BOTHER if you have missed any at this moment.
Use RED ball pen, write down estate names as much as possible next to each exit.

Example, in Airport pickup, pax told you, Uncle could you send me to Bayshore Park. You can only say OK if you really know. Confirm with pax. You need to decide take which way, exit where, all these you need to know. From the paper you've drawn, Airport->ECP-> exit where, exit Bedok! Memorize it and that area is yours.

2nd example, in Airport pickup, if pax goes Marine Vista, your paper tells you exit Bedok. If pax goes Marine Drv, your paper tells exit Marine Parade. Simple right?

If you know how to go to the estate, you already passed. If you don't know, then ask, and need more exercise at home.

-- Edited by bridgestone on Saturday 9th of March 2013 07:50:52 PM

Rom · A Forum Mentor

金玉良言! thx for sharing aww

bridgestone · Guru

Rom wrote:
金玉良言! thx for sharing

When I started years ago, brothers here guided me everyday. Just my 2 cents for new drivers. Not worth to mention. :)

bridgestone · Guru

OK, as times passed by, complete all exercises for Expressway, both direction.
And completely memorize critical roads, such as Bukit Timah Road, Right to Left, Starting and Ending, small roads noted down thru your memory. All these small roads go where? Memorize them.

Even taxi drivers who have been on the road many many years may not able to answer within 5 secs orders of small roads. If you have mastered them, then you are very good!!!

Rom · A Forum Mentor

eh... my memory always quite jialat... especially for town area. Need to depend on my customers or my GPS a lot for the time being. Hopefully I can pick up fast enough. :)

taxiuncle · Senior Guru

Rom, FYI, bridgestone was NOT born here and came singapore only during the 90s.
but he took the hard way to learn the trade and remember the routes in the shortest time.
really have to salute bridgestone for his determination to be a professional driver. :)

bridgestone · Guru

Robbie, to become a good limo driver few mandatory requirements must be ready prior to hands-on.

1. Discipline (no excuse if any error happened)

2. Good time management (most jobs are advanced pre-book)

3. Smart outlook (why your guest willing give you more $)

4. Good communication skill (A must in all business, limo has no difference)

5. Good driving skill, never speeding, always drive with excellent road manner.

If the above 5 are no issue to you then you can try.

Difference between normal cab and limo cab, income are almost the same but limo drivers have plenty of time sit inside kopi shop.
During the day, limo drivers also need to sweep street, Q airport... no difference.
During school holiday, limo drivers all very jialat!!! big boss all overseas, no job... no $$$

I always say, "normal taxi drivers knows all the roads and landmark", "limo drivers are identical, but limo drivers have to know restaurants/shops inside the building, mamasang's name & mobile" (haha good if you could).

Being a limo driver is challenging, easily kena speed cam, easily kena LTA undercovers....
Pax on board, hardly tells limo driver how to go... limo driver also don't ask which way to go... interesting? Yes, it is.

-- Edited by bridgestone on Tuesday 12th of March 2013 12:47:52 PM