Coronavirus: Amid fewer customers, taxi driver in Singapore cuts working hours by half
Schools are closed, most workplaces are shut and people have been urged to stay home as stricter measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 kicked in last week. The Sunday Times finds out how Singaporeans are coping as the month-long circuit breaker period, which began on April 7 and lasts till May 4, enters its second week.
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Before Covid-19 struck Singapore, cabby Ho Eng Keey would usually pick up about 20 fares a day, from 8am to 10pm. He has cut his working hours by half - spending late mornings and afternoons at home.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HO ENG KEEY
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HO ENG KEEY, 51, CABBY
Taxi driver Ho Eng Keey, 51, has seen better times.
"I drove only five people today. Sad, isn't it?" the cabby of more than 20 years told The Sunday Times in Mandarin last Thursday.
Before Covid-19 struck Singapore, he would usually pick up about 20 fares a day, while plying the streets from 8am to 10pm. Now that customers are few and far between, he has cut his working hours by half - spending the late mornings and afternoons at home.
The good-humoured driver has found plenty to keep himself occupied on the domestic front. He helps with housework and has put his cooking skills to the test, whipping up dishes such as mee soto for his three sons, aged 11 to 16, whose schools have turned to home-based learning for this period.
This comes with a price, Mr Ho said. His wife, who works in the shipping industry, recently spent about $2,500 for two laptops as they had only one computer.
He is glad that his taxi rental fee has been waived by ComfortDelGro for a month, and hopes the waiver will continue if these circuit breaker measures go on. "Otherwise, I don't know how we'll go on. It's very jialat," he added, using the Hokkien term for tough.
Mr Ho wears a mask and provides passengers with hand sanitiser. He is worried about catching the coronavirus too, and feels that the 14-day quarantine period should be extended to a month.
"When my passengers cough or sneeze, I roll down the windows immediately," he added with a laugh.
