Free bento lunch for airport cabbies, who now have wait up to 3 hours for passengers

Singapore – The Covid-19 outbreak means that taxi drivers at Changi International Airport have to wait up to three hours for passengers, instead of about 30 minutes previously.

On Friday (Feb 28), an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC and adviser to the National Taxi Association, Mr Ang Hin Kee, together with association officials and other volunteers, were at the airport to provide free bento lunch to taxi drivers queueing there.

“The outbreak of Covid-19 has significantly impacted the livelihoods of our taxi drivers,” said Mr Ang. He added that the outbreak had caused a decrease in tourists which meant fewer passengers for taxi drivers.

“As a result of the dip in the number of incoming tourists, the waiting time for taxi drivers at the Changi Airport terminals has gone up from an average of around 30 minutes to as high as three hours.”

The Cornerstone Community Services and Cornerstone Community Church sponsored the meals, said Mr Ang. Airport staff assisted in the distribution of the lunch sets.

“The full impact of Covid-19 remains to be seen,” said Mr Ang. “We will continue to work with our partners to provide support to our drivers.”

Taxi drivers have been sharing their recent struggles amid the outbreak. These days people would rather use their extra cash to purchase masks instead of continuing their regular lifestyles, said Mr Peter Quek, who experienced a drop in passengers since Dorscon Orange was announced on Feb 7.

Taxi drivers struggling to make ends meet during Covid-19 outbreak

A video posted on the Singapore Taxi Driver’s Facebook page by Mr Lorenzo Lim JingXiang shows a long queue of taxis along Fullerton Road and Battery Road. “Friday night like that how not to return car?” he asked.

The Independent Singapore has reached out to Mr Lim about the post.

A netizen, Ms Jasmine P’ng Siok Lee, says that self-employed taxi drivers are upset because there has been no confirmation on the expected 50 per cent discount on car rental charges.

/TISG