r/askSingapore • u/xidaren • 1d ago
General Chase to break even $160 / day
For context, I have spoken to about 6 Phv drivers who rented the car to ply the trade as I took their rides over the last 2 months .
They shared their daily schedule is such : drive 6am to 1pm , lunch and nap 1-5pm, drive 5pm to 12mn. Per day car rental cost + petrol is $160. So anything beyond then is their earnings .
Car type: Toyota Noah
How many trips after platform commission etc in order to make the $160? I’m wondering if this is suitable as a retiree job or there’s some pressure to it , given the $160 cost before anything
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u/fun_anxiety146 1d ago
On average
6-7 hours of relaxed driving = break even
7-9 hours small profit
9-11 hours medium profit
11-13 hours large profit
Not considering off days which will skew your earnings downwards as your fixed cost (car rental) still runs when you are off
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u/douboong 1d ago
most of them are probably thinking about the car benefit.. like a normal family man with say 6K salary working in an office will be down 1.5k per month if he buys a car, so the difference may not be that big
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u/DiscussionExternal24 1d ago
Im a tour guide. I work with many drivers. 90% own their vehicles. For noah alphard kind of vehicles, they usually work by the hour and their costs are very low. Only when there are no tourists then they start doing phv jobs.
The drivers who serve travel agents, tourists earn more than those who fight the hours to do PHV.
If you wonder the prices, the hourly rate for noah are 40 sgd per hour.
Now multiply it by 6 or 8 hrs or even 10 hrs full day city tour. Many of my guests would be sightseeing slowly at their own accord and the car would be waiting in the carpark. I believe the carpark waiting costs more than the petrol consumption for the tourist disposal vehicles but it still doesnt add up to the petrol cost if the driver were to drive phv for the same number of hours.
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u/xidaren 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hi brother . Good sharing . But the upfront purchase cost of alphard , vellfire, Noah are super high
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u/KopiSiewSiewDai 1d ago
Once you rent, you lugi already. Buying own vehicle is always better in long run
You are essentially helping car rental company pay their car loan installment and salaries
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u/danielling1981 1d ago
Why would retiree want to chase 160 / day?
If you like driving, just drive and don't think about the 160.
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u/xfrezingicex 1d ago
$160/day is to cover cost tho. Else it will be paying to work.
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u/danielling1981 1d ago
Don't get a car.
There's many free stuff to do.
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u/Designer-Salt-3119 1d ago
Why are you downvoted
This is facts, if a fixed cost is fuing you over just drop it before it becomes a problem
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u/danielling1981 1d ago
Some people hates people whom suggest car is not necessary and can avoid the cost.
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u/xidaren 1d ago
Some retiree they want to do something . For instance in the morning have a part time flexible job and afternoon pick grandchildren etc.
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u/WarthogDecent5354 1d ago
Im a retiree and I just started doing grabfood using motorbike. Its fairly easy to cover the cost and make a small amount.
Bought bike for 4.8k
Doing grab Monday to thursday about 4 to 6 hours a day. Daily amount earned is around $100.
Although you might not have air-conditioning but its way lesser overhead to cover per day.
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u/danielling1981 1d ago
Then don't worry about 160. I wrote that already.
Do it for the sake for do something.
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u/OkConfidence4561 1d ago
160 per day is a significant cost. Before you earn money for a kopi or lunch. Get it?
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u/DoubleElle124 1d ago
I rather just be a bus driver.
Don’t have to worry about vehicle cost, petrol etc. Just focus on driving the bus, draw a steady pay and get employer CPF contribution.
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u/throw2503 20h ago
The difference is that as a PHV, you have a personal vehicle that you can use. For some people this adds a lot more value than the additional benefits of being employed as a bus driver.
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u/CheckThePID 1d ago
Does the math change if you own your own car. 160 per day is nearly 60k pa. Serious question.
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u/Rough_Nothing_2975 1d ago
If your aim is to find a retiree job for your relatives or friends, I suggest the following:
Part Time Jobs
Corporate office cleaner
Condominium security guard
Mediacorp Calefare
Event booth keeper
Grocery store cashier
Pamphlet distributor
eCommerce order packer
Anytime tired, quit and relax with no liabilities or annual contracts to worry about.
There should be much more jobs that are suitable for retirees without having to go into GRABGOJEKTADAZIPRYDE.
Good luck!
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u/NervousAnalyst7709 1d ago
I have a 70+ year old uncle doing part time condo security in a small condo. I think he earns about slightly over $100 per shift - the condo is within walking distance from his HDB flat. Good pocket money for him, walking to and fro keeps him physically healthy and interactions with residents and condo visitors keep him socially active. He doesn’t really need the money but it’s better than staying home alone and doomscrolling all day
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u/Designer-Salt-3119 1d ago
$100 per shift? Where do I sign up LOL
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u/virulentvegetable 1d ago
As shared by others, it is pretty intense trying to break even then earn a bit.
Could try other part time like cafe or lounges.
Of course not full blown fnb establishment where it will be even more intense
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u/Weenemone 1d ago
14 hours of work is much more hours than a regular 9-6 job, much less for a retiree.
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u/xidaren 1d ago
When I heard about their schedule plus the first $160 daily to cover rental + petrol, I wonder how many trips would that be and how long would that take , before they actually start collecting their own earnings ?
Some of them shared their children still in primary school , some have dementia parents , etc
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u/adrenaline_junkie88 15h ago
I spoke to a MPV driver recently, he said after his costs, he takes home about 5-6K a month, though he drives 6 days a week.
But he gets to send his children to school, and his wife works a slack job. And he can have some time off in the middle of the day to do his own errands. But it's still a lot of driving everyday.
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u/gtr057 1d ago
Those who pay higher for rental, maintenance costs are covered by rental company. Including wear and tear such as brake pads, tires, oil changes.
If they own the vehicle, all these costs will add up. Given that a Noah is 180k new, per annum vehicle cost is about 18.5k including interest. Add in insurance, road tax, maintenance costs, season parking, easily adds up to 23k ish yearly. Then there's the petrol. Hybrids thankfully are much cheaper to run, but it's 3 days a tank, each tank about $100-$150 depending on vehicle, can be even higher for larger capacity cars. Typically about $100-$130 of costs a day if the driver owns the vehicle. And that's based on a $180k Noah.
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u/wassup6969 1d ago
$160/day got exclude weekend and PH?
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u/Rhamstersdurian 1d ago
Aside to the topic, if not for PHV drivers, it'll be so difficult to get around sg , especially places that are less accessible, or for emergencies, less -abled bodied, when we are sick/tired or with elderly..etc.etc....
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u/JusthaHunch 22h ago
I will nvr drive phv simply because you are starting each day in debt. Maybe after working 5-7 hours is when you start earning. Not to mention you essentially have to pay for your off days.
Only upside is that you have a car even with the current state of COE.
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u/Adventurous_Scar_319 4h ago
Think they’re playing a different ball game compared to the old school taxi drivers.
I rmb last time they used to share one taxi between 2 drivers, one taking the morning shift and the other taking the night shift. But now everyone is a solo warrior, each taking a car for themselves. Like that, how to tank the rental costs?
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u/jeepersh 1d ago
If you’re >60 years old, please don’t. Don’t need more incompetent old drivers on the road who can’t seem to see clearly, make decisions quickly, keep in lane constantly, and drive considerately aka drive without road-hogging.
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u/SeaStructure6360 1d ago
Retirement job? Grab will screw PHV drivers with driverless and autonomous vehicle (AV) services. The government encourage PHV drivers to upgrade their skills to complement the driverless taxi. Like washing the car?
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u/reddie_odin 1d ago
I can’t wait to see AV vehicles navigate traffic and filter lanes during peak hours traffic.
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u/cutegirlgirl39 1d ago
Still better drivers than Sinkies
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u/EwanDelaPena 20h ago
How wld u know?? Just afraid u will be in the news if av start to run amok.. with u in it lol
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u/PineappleMedium411 1d ago
Goes beyond PHV too. Ebike food deliverers face a steep cost recovery as well. Looking at legit legal stuff, an average LTA certified ebike with a decent 20A battery will cost something around 1500$.
- Considering each delivery nets about 4.80$, thats ~313 orders
- Considering it takes approximately 20 mins for a complete pickup-drop (on a good day), thats 104 hours of work
- Considering 10 hr full on shifts, since any toilet/food/sick break = no orders, thats at least about 10 days of solid work before earning a single cent
- Also not yet including cost of grab registration costs misc costs
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u/Taiwan_is_a_Country- 1d ago
Don't fall into this trap. U can't take off days or afford to be sick. U need to drive EVERY SINGLE DAY.