'Plan your trip earlier, wake up earlier': PHV driver's savage note to riders divides netizens

My car, my rules.

One private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver took that adage to heart when they put up a laminated note listing three things for their passengers not to do.

A now-deleted post was shared in the Facebook group Professional PHV Drivers Singapore on Saturday (Nov 2), and the first rule read: "No need to inform your driver that you are rushing or late for a meeting."

Continuing that there are "thousands of selfish riders" who only think about themselves, the driver added: "You are not worthy for me to put my life [at] stake. My only task is to transfer you from one point to the other point safely."

They added that they would rather spend more time at home with their family instead of on the road and that passengers had choices to avoid being late for their appointments.

"1. Plan your trip earlier, 2. Wake up earlier," the note read.

While some PHV and taxi drivers ask their customers for their preferred route, it appears that this one was vehemently opposed to receiving input from passengers.

"It is stated clearly in the app that: Your fare is fixed; driver decides the route," the note read. "No need to teach your grandfather how to drink coffee, PHV driver spends more time than you on the road.

"Each driver will choose the fastest route to end your trip."

Their last rule was perhaps the most sensible: "No food and drink inside my car," though they added a snarky, "Unless you want to help me catch cockroaches in my car" after.

The note received support from fellow PHV drivers in the group, with some saying they'd like to put up the same and sharing additional rules. A group member even commenting that they'd "volunteer to print and laminate" notes for others.

However, some netizens also poked holes in the driver's argument, suggesting that the point asking passengers to wake up earlier was moot as some take PHVs precisely because they are running too late for the MRT or bus.

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Others questioned whether PHV drivers really know routes the best, with a Redditor commenting: "You really think you know the housing estate better than the passenger that actually lives there and knows the route home daily?"

Many also took offence to the perceived hostility behind the note.

"The message is fine but I don’t understand why some PHV drivers are so mean-spirited towards their passengers," a Redditor wrote. "This could be said in much more neutral tone and achieve exactly the same effect.

"This is the tone of a person getting angrier and angrier in their own head about imagined offences and then applying it to all riders before they even do or say anything."

A Facebook user agreed with the message behind the note but said it was "asking for [a] one-star rating".

"Don't want to work in customer service, don't work in customer service," another Redditor wrote.

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drimac@asiaone.com