APRIL 15 — (A few days ago, I had a long chat with a friend who’s a Grab driver. What follows is essentially what he shared with me about the hardship faced by people working in the e-hailing sector, as a result of the movement control order.)
Dear Malaysians,
First of all, do you know how much a Grab driver makes on average? Between RM20-25 an hour which totals up to around RM300 for 10 to 12 hours of driving.
Now, if we work really hard, the Maths shows that in a good month we can hit near, or even surpass, five figures. But that’s if we want to risk an early death.
Most of us drivers aren’t that crazy. And some of us aren’t that fortunate with passengers. And many of us have rest needs, family needs, etc.
Plus, you remember those long lines of cars waiting at the petrol stations near KLIA? Some of us end up waiting four to six hours for a passenger just to get that RM80ish single-trip fare from an arriving passenger.
Sure, some of us are blessed enough to have many of those lucrative “airport runs.” But these have almost nothing to do with Grab, instead it's down to friends and networking.
Now, since La Corona invaded us in February, this chirpy amount has fallen to less than RM100 a day. And since the MCO, sigh, don’t ask lah. Daily trips? Practically zilch. Airport runs? Finito.
Conclusion: We e-hailing folks are getting zero nowadays.
Nothing. Nada. Zip.
So, how is the government helping us?
Well, on March 27th there was an Economic Stimulus Package. I don’t know what on earth is going on there but feels more like an Economic Syiok-Sendiri Package, to be honest.
A RM60 million one-off aid package was announced for 120,000 drivers nationwide; this translates to RM500 per driver.
After I pay for my rental, my car instalment, my Maggi Mee and my toilet paper, how much do you think I have left?
Furthermore, it’s been about three weeks now, and I haven’t received anything. Not that I want to rush the government to bank in that massive amount, but I’m a bit concerned.
And then I found out that now you want to check who’s eligible. Huh? Seriously? Are you going to vet all the 120,000 drivers? (And, by the way, where did you get that number from?)
Here’s a tip to help save time: Why not just pay the RM500 to all drivers who have a valid EVP and PSV licence?
Drivers like me have painstakingly gone through the due process and have been certified to obtain the licence. So why not, you know, just make that an irrefutable criterion and move on?
Tak kan you’re gonna ask me how many miles or passengers I’ve driven, show you photo of my car, show you my Grab stats, semua tu?
Finally, there’s yet another thing I wish to highlight. Not that I feel there is anything unjust or unfair about the way taxi drivers are treated vis-à-vis Grab drivers, but why in the name of the North-South Highway are they given subsidies for their vehicle maintenance? These subsidies apply to tyres, refilling their LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) at the station and getting 50 per cent discounted toll rates
I know I know, some may argue that taxi drivers have a monthly licence fee to worry about. Uh, yeah, but folks like me got to pay monthly car loan instalments.
What’s the huge difference, really? What’s the supremely substantial difference which justifies taxi-drivers receiving RM600 one-off aid, a full RM100 more than guys like me?
I’m not being greedy or bitter. I’d just like to know why.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
