The impressive feat of raking in earnings exceeding S$8,000 in Dec 2023 has drawn a lot of attention to a food delivery rider in Singapore.
The man, who wants to be known only as Mr Teo, said December 2022 was when he “started afresh” after battling a years-long drug addiction.
He hopes to share his story to reach out to others with financial issues.
He also wants to emphasise that effort and commitment are how one can hit one’s goals when facing financial hardship.
On 26 Feb, Mr Teo or Panda King on TikTok posted a series of photos capturing his earnings in Dec 2023.
In particular, one photo showed his total income for the month to be S$8,454.98.
Source: @foodpandax13 on TikTok
Having completed 1,364 deliveries that month, Mr Teo earned an average of S$16.68 an hour.
On average, he told MS News that he earns a “constant S$6,000” a month despite the “low” amount he gains in his area per trip.
During festive seasons like Deepavali, Chinese New Year, and Christmas, there are “special quests” on the delivery app that allow riders like him to earn more.
Other opportunities to earn more include peak hour and wet weather surcharges.
Mr Teo, who’s 29 this year, shared he’d struggled with his drug addiction relapse between late-2020 and late-2022.
“I was heavily in debt and lost the trust of my family and friends,” he said.
Source: @foodpandax13 on TikTok
It was only in Dec 2022 that he began to get his act together.
Many people began to call him ‘Pandaking’ after he posted about his achievements.
“I didn’t call myself Pandaking, that was [coined] by the people,” he laughed.
When asked about how he achieves such impressive figures, Mr Teo said: “Being fast and reckless is not the key to earnings.”
Instead, he emphasises endurance, hours, and commitments.
He revealed in a comment that he had cut his work hours to 14 hours on weekdays and 16 to 17 hours on weekends, implying that he used to work even longer hours.
Source: @foodpandax13 on TikTok
If you think his Dec 2023 earnings were impressive, Mr Teo said he actually earned over S$10,000 in a month before, back in Dec 2021 during the Covid-19 period.
Image courtesy of Mr Teo
Although he rides an e-bike, he notes that each mode of transportation has its own pros and cons.
Ultimately, what matters is one’s effort.
In 2022, Mr Teo earned an award for “Social Media Superstar” at a foodpanda award show.
Source: @foodpandax13 on TikTok
This was in recognition of his rise to fame and his inspiration to others on TikTok.
But Mr Teo emphasises that his posts aren’t meant as a flex.
“I believe most concerns came from thinking that I’m flexing. But usually what I wanna show is my hours,” he clarified. “I believe one person’s mentality can change their discipline issues.”
I only wanna let people know, don’t just complain that you can’t do it. Put in more effort, one day your results will be shown.
He also shared that he had learned a hard lesson from his addiction issues which led him to lose many people and things.
“But because people learnt the hard way, that is how they change from there.”
MS News has reached out to foodpanda for comments.
Also read: S’pore Food Delivery Rider Claims He Made S$8.5K In Mar Working For 3 Platforms
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Featured image adapted from @foodpandax13 on TikTok and TikTok.
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