Being a private hire vehicle (PHV) driver for platforms like Grab has become a popular job in recent years thanks to its potentially lucrative pay.
Like many jobs, however, the good pay comes at a significantly high cost to one’s time and energy.
A Grab driver in Singapore shared the reality of such an arrangement in a TikTok, showing screenshots of his earnings.
Source: TikTok
According to him, he has managed to earn an average of S$3,000 a week, making 30 trips a day to achieve that figure.
His decision to publicise his earnings has drawn mixed reactions online, with some netizens doubting the authenticity of his claims.
In a TikTok video shared on Wednesday (12 July), user Mr Chua shared a series of screenshots that reportedly shows his weekly earnings.
@dorson_chua You will never go hungry if you work hard in singapore. Let’s all work hard together! #singaporetiktok #singapore ♬ 原声 – DJ音乐
Over a span of four weeks, he made an average of S$2,840 per week, with the highest weekly amount being S$3,334.95.
Source: TikTok
By comparison, most PHV drivers earn an average of S$200 per day, or S$1,000 a week for a five-day work week, according to ComfortDelGro Taxi.
Seemingly proud of his achievement, Mr Chua stated in his caption that one will never go hungry in Singapore, so long as they work hard.
Additionally, he encouraged everyone watching the video to “work hard together”.
Naturally, his handsome earnings got many viewers curious, and a few asked him how he came to achieve this amount.
Taking to the comments, Mr Chua shared that he works 12 hour-shifts each day.
Source: TikTok
Working such long hours apparently means that he could complete roughly 30 trips in a day.
Source: TikTok
Mr Chua’s video led to a mixed bag of comments, with some being amazed by his earnings while others were decidedly less convinced.
Some pointed out that his take home pay would not be as impressive if he were to deduct petrol and car rental expenses.
Source: TikTok
Taking those factors into consideration, they estimated that he earns less than S$5,000 a month.
Such figures sparked further disbelief as Mr Chua had told AsiaOne that he used to make S$5,000 a month working in the landscaping industry. Netizens thus couldn’t fathom why he would give up his previous career to become a Grab driver.
Meanwhile, there were others who were simply concerned about how Mr Chua’s long hours will impact his driving. They suggested that Grab create a feature to keep passengers from getting drivers who have been working too long without taking sufficient breaks.
Source: TikTok
Speaking to AsiaOne, Mr Chua shared that he has been in this line of work since Sep 2022, which was when he made the switch from the landscaping industry.
To get through a 12-hour shift, he usually takes two, short, half-hour meal breaks a day.
Grab’s website states that the app has a feature to remind drivers when it’s time to consider taking a break.
Furthermore, it recommends an uninterrupted rest time of seven hours after a working period of not more than 11 hours.
MS News has reached out to Mr Chua for comments and will update the article if he gets back.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from TikTok and by MS News.
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