A case study about moonlighting has been circulating and generating conversations online.
Long story short, a SAF regular who was in his uniform was caught “moonlighting” as a GrabHitch driver. The female passenger (Ms. Danielle Goh) whom he picked up, complained to MINDEF that he was “moonlighting”.
The regular was then fined $2,000 for not gaining approval before driving GrabHitch.
This happened all because of a $3.50 GrabHitch ride.
Now before we start pointing the gun at Danielle Goh’s head for baotoh-ing (exposing) the SAF regular, there are a few questions that we should be asking.
Is driving GrabHitch considered moonlighting?
Under LTA regulations, GrabHitch rides are “carpooling trips”. It’s in a different category from private-hire car services such as GrabCar and UberX/UberPool.
GrabHitch drivers cannot complete more than 2 trips a day as their own vehicle insurance may not cover additional trips.
GrabCar drivers have to convert their car to a commercial vehicle and purchase commercial insurance but GrabHitch drivers don’t have to do that.
Therefore, they are not allowed to make profits like other private-hire car drivers. They receive about $8 to $12 per pickup on average and that helps to subsidize their driving costs like petrol, maintenance etc.
Even after the ride has been confirmed, GrabHitch drivers can cancel on their passengers if they’re not able to fulfill the ride.
With these differences, can driving GrabHitch still be considered a second-job, bearing in mind that it’s not meant to be profit-making?
Cannot do GrabHitch but can rent out rooms?
The SAF regular received a total of $1,129 for completing 140 trips over approximately 5 months.
This means he took home on average $225 a month for picking up a passenger on his way to work or on his way home. It is also possible that he was heading elsewhere and just wanted to cover some petrol costs.
If driving GrabHitch is considered moonlighting, what about renting out rooms in your home? If it’s your own asset, why are you not allowed to find ways to cover costs in a perfectly legal manner?
What if the SAF regular was not in uniform?
Would the SAF regular have gotten into trouble if he was driving GrabHitch in plain clothes? Even if GrabHitch is not meant to be a profit-making service, could the regular have been more discreet so that he doesn’t set off alarm bells?
Apparently, there are some things that soldiers can’t do in uniform. Like eating while walking, listening to music, expressing public display of affection, falling asleep on the train or even watching movie.
At the end of the day, soldiers must remember that when they are in uniform, they are serving and representing the country so they must uphold the image as people will be watching.
Consider this comment by a forum user:
“As long as your conduct is not prejudicial to good order, it is fine. So long as the general public is not offended by your action, it is ok.”
So perhaps Danielle Goh was indeed offended by the SAF regular’s actions. Perhaps the SAF regular should have been more discreet and not be in uniform while driving GrabHitch. Perhaps MINDEF could have been more lenient by not slapping him with such a harsh fine.
Lastly, this is merely a case example so there is no need to spend time and effort CSI-ing Danielle Goh who got the SAF regular in trouble. The name could be fictitious for all we know!
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