Local radio DJ Rosalyn, in a Facebook post yesterday, expressed her dislike towards private-hire drivers who over-rely on GPS and urged them to be familiar with the Singapore roads.
Her main gripe is that some drivers rely on the GPS so much that they miss a huge road sign that points them in the right direction.
Here are some snippets of conversations that transpired on her Facebook post.
Some points are valid, IMHO (internet lingo for “in my honest opinion).
1. Does technology control you or do you control technology:
2. It’s not directed at all Uber drivers. Take a chill pill.
3. Licensing the private-hire car industry will help to level the playing field.
4. Analogy: Just because you’re a budget airline, doesn’t mean you can’t provide great service.
5. Cabbies still have their value in this gig economy.
6. Taxi drivers will be happy to hear this.
7. Don’t be too quick to defend, pause for a moment to think if there’s some truth in what the person is saying.
A taxi driver, John (not his real name), whom we spoke to said they used to memorize routes in the street directory to pass all the taxi tests. However, 60% to 70% of cabbies these days rely on GPS while driving. He thinks that GPS can point out bad traffic conditions which is useful for drivers.
While cabbies no longer need to learn the hard way to obtain their taxi licence, John is mindful that GPS do take passengers on longer routes so drivers should be familiar with the roads – that means taking the most efficient routes wherever possible.
Singapore’s Ubergrapher take on this issue
Singapore’s Ubergrapher, Maverick Tsao, tells us that passengers can guide the drivers if they are not comfortable with the use of GPS.
Well, it’s not just the Uber drivers who use GPS. All drivers will use GPS. So if the passenger is not comfortable with the driver using GPS then he/she can guide the driver so the driver can focus on the route condition.
While it seems like Uber drivers should brush up on their road knowledge, we should be reminded that over 50% of Uber drivers are doing it part-time. Therefore, they may not be as experienced as taxi drivers (mostly full-timers) in terms of road knowledge.
Here’s Rosalyn Lee’s Facebook post in full.
https://www.facebook.com/heyrozz/posts/1390851384308886
