Private-hire drivers plying the road every day earning an honest living would meet all kind of riders, Most are good, some are ok and a small group are idiots. We explore what drivers really want the riders to do to earn their 5 stars, its not surprising that its common sense and respect.
1) Mutual Respect
Be always respectful and courteous to the driver. The driver is not your slave, They are here to provide a service to earn an honest living, have the basic courtesy to greet them with at least a Hello. Your life is also in the driver’s hand for the next couple of minutes and miles, you wouldn’t want a tense atmosphere on the trip.
2) A misplaced sense of Entitlement
Please do not have a misplaced sense of entitlement and expect Driver to carry your luggage into the car boot. Drivers are not obliged to carry the luggage. The private-hire driver is not your porter though Most driver would gladly step out to help. If the rider needs help, request and not demand for it. Otherwise, the rider might end up leaving the luggage behind
3) Key in the Right Addresses and be ready
Make sure the pickup and destination address are keyed in properly. Petrol and time are always a key consideration for drivers. Making the driver detour to find the rider is a sure way to frustrates the driver. When you are in the CBD area or office building, the rider app will show specific pick up points for the rider to select. If you know that Driver often cannot find your pickup point due to GPS error, call or text the driver and guide them along. Be ready at the pickup point to board the car, pickup points are filled with cars and drivers do not have much time waiting period before being shooed away by the security.
4) Understand Private hire vehicles rules
Private hire vehicles are governed by a set of rules that is different from traditional taxis. Private hire vehicles are not allowed to pickup or drop off at Taxi stand. Besides LTA enforcement, Taxi drivers are also encouraged to report such instances. Rider travelling with small children should call Grabfamily or Uber car seat that comes equipped with a booster seat. The Road Traffic Act states that all children below the height of 1.35m are required to be seated in a booster seat. There are various options to call for a bigger car if there are more than 4 riders on a trip. Carpooling per trip request allows up to 2 riders. Infant, babies, child, kid, brat or whatever name that you want to name that human being in your arms, they are also considered as 1 rider.
5) Dirtying the Car
Eating is generally prohibited in all Uber/Grab vehicles unless you are dying of hunger. Always ask the driver politely for the permission to eat. Why the fuss? If you had owned a car before, you would understand how fast mini cockroaches would appear after someone started eating in the car. At the end of the trip, be responsible for your own trash! be a civilised human being and chute the rubbish you created! Don’t be an uncivilised barbarian like you know who!
In the unfortunate event that you Merlioned, a.k.a vomit, please know that you have just put the driver out of work for the next 2 days at least and incurred a major cleaning fee for professional cleaning. Be responsible and pay that man what he is due.
Get your child to take a seat at the rear. Until the day that your child becomes a superstar, the backseat is not a walk of fame for them to trample on.
6) Route to take
Fares are fixed and displayed up front on all UberX and JustGrab trips, Driver has the right to decide which route to take. Most drivers are generally receptive to suggestions from Riders who may offer sound advice on the best route to take but are not obliged to follow if the route was chosen is longer or for the sake of avoiding ERPs.
7) Cash tipping
What better way to show your appreciation to the Driver than to leave a tip. Leaving a tip for the Driver is equivalent to acknowledging for work well done above and beyond. Tipping is not available in the app yet but always available in person. Uber has launched tipping in America and tipping may be an option for Uber soon.
Putting in a little effort to appreciate the service our private-hire drivers provide will go a long way. Respect is a 2-way street, be nice to others and you will receive the same.
