Story of Singapore Taxi Driver

As promised, I'll share some of the stories based on my hubby's experience as a Taxi driver. Hope you enjoy reading it! :)

Source: Google.com

Angmoh gave compliments

“Just now got one angmoh – foreigner - gave me compliment,” told my hubby while we were having lunch in the Airport.

“Oh ya? What kind of compliment?” asked me curiously.

“Ya, before leaving the Taxi, he said to me, ‘I would like to give you compliments. Your Taxi is very clean, very nice. You drive in a right speed and carefully. You make me feeling very comfortable, very good.”

“So, what did you say?” asked me again.

“I told him, ‘Thank you, thank you…’ and smiled at him lo,” and smile appeared on his face.

“Did he give you tips?” – Don’t know why suddenly I was curious about this :P

“No la… He paid using NETS. So, no tips left.”

“Ooo…,” I nodded my head.

I think that’s quite a waste. But for him, the effort that angmoh made to leave compliments to him was much worth it rather than just the additional money received. But personally I think that it would be nicer if the angmoh would leave some tips to him to spread more happiness on my hubby’s face :)

Lecturing ‘young’ passenger about life

“Today I fetched a Secondary 2 student from near the Vivo City there. She stood up at the roadside and waved her hand. But I didn’t stop right next to her as there were two yellow lines so I had to turn left first before she got in. She thought I didn’t want to stop for her but then I explained the reason why. From then on we started to chit chat.

I asked her where she studied and which class. She studied in one of the best schools located near where my ex-boss lived and she was in Sec 2. I told her that I too had a son studying Sec 1. Then she complained to me that her parents giving her so much pressure. Although she gained good results, it was never enough for them. And they always expected more.

I told her, her school was one of the best schools in Singapore. Therefore, it’s just right that your parents expected more from you as you had to compete against the rest of the students, which as clever and as diligent as you. If you didn’t score well enough, you wouldn’t be able to enter a good University once you finished Sec 4. Bla bla bla… Wah, so funny ah Laopo (it’s how he called me – means wife)! I macam lecturer sia… telling her and advising her as if my own children. I think I can become one of those motivator sia…”

“Yayaya… if you’re good at it, I hope you can lecture and teach your son too more about life...,” answered me.

He just smiled here and there and recalled back that sweet moments.

Joo Chiat encounter

“Huaa… Laopo…  吓死我了 (xia si wo le)!!! (Scared me ya!!!) Just now I fetched one girl from Sengkang. It was raining mah… She said she wanted to go to Joo Chiat Rd to drink.”

Fyi, Joo Chiat is a residential area in the eastern part of Singapore where you can find the preserved Peranakan cultures and houses. However, for the past few years, many pubs and KTVs have been built and it has invited the other kind of business around the area, which displeases the local residents.

“Then?” asked me.

“Ya lah, once reached the place, she told me she didn’t have enough cash money. Her fare was $14.90. Xiao liao!! I thought I would be one of those victims who fetched passenger without paying money with that kind of excuse. But then she gave me $12. After that she told me she would try to draw some cash at the ATM nearby. In a while, she came back and told me that the machine was spoilt and she needed me to fetch her to the other ATM machine. No choice, I dropped her there lor. And once she’d done, she asked me again to fetch her to her initial dropping area. By that time she reached, I also didn’t know how much I should charge her liao as I had already stopped my meter when she paid me $12. Wah! You know what she said?”

“What?”

“Ya lah, the girl told me, “你是好人 (ni shi hao ren),” means ‘You are a good people.’ Sekali, she took out $10 note and asked me to keep the change. Wahahaha… In total she gave me $22 lor… Heng ahh…!!! – means Lucky ah!!! You know ah Laopo! All the way I kept chanting ‘Amituofo Amituofo Amituofo’ as I scared that she would be like other girl that other Taxi driver ever experienced.”

He was referring to the story where instead the girl paying the Taxi fare, she would touch the driver’s private part and tried to seduce to sleep with her.

“Hahaha… you were thinking too much la, Dut!!! 好人有好报 (hao ren you hao bao – which means good people will have good things in return),” said me.

“Yaya.. fortunately….”

Avoid the 'angmoh' as a passenger

This afternoon I fetched a couple of husband and wife. They were old already. And the guy said he used to drive Taxi for over 30 years, since the starting meter was only 80 cents.

We talk talk and chit chat lo.. He also gave me lots of advises. One of the advises oh, he told me not to pick up angmoh as passenger. He said, they often give funny funny address.

(Usually they stay at the Condominium or landed property where the location or names were seldom be heard. Or the vast development of new Condominium made it hard for him to find).

He then continued, angmoh don't know the road, I also don't know the road! Jialat liao la!!! - means terrible!! Confirm zhong (kena or receive) complain!!! So every time I saw angmoh flagging the Taxi, I siam - runaway - liao!!!

(Again, during his time, perhaps GPS was not out yet. So that's why those things were common to happen).

I just xiao xiao - laugh - lor....