Today, the National Taxi Association (NTA) and ComfortDelGro Taxi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a Training Committee for Cabbies to provide relevant digital training so that they can keep up with technological changes and seize opportunities in the industry.
The taxi industry has undergone rapid digital transformation over the last few years. As commuters rely lesser on street hail and cash payments, cabbies must know how to make use of relevant apps and other technological tools to find passengers to secure passenger bookings and locate passengers, collect payment of fare, pay for parking, transact with taxi operator, rent taxi vehicles, and navigate around the island in the most efficient manner. The Training Committee will help raise awareness on job opportunities created by technology, gather feedback about current training plans, identify training gaps required to seize those opportunities and facilitate cabbies to attend training.
First Step is to Send 10,000 Cabbies for a Customised SFDW Course by 2020
For a start, ComfortDelGro Taxi has committed to sending 10,000 cabbies for a customised SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace (SFDW) course, which is supported by early partners NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB). SFDW is part of a national initiative by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to help equip Singaporeans with the mindset and basic functional skills to prepare for the future economy.
Initiated by NTA, some 150 taxi leaders have attended the SFDW pilot classes and provided relevant feedback to NTUC LHUB and ComfortDelGro Taxi. The curriculum was designed to focus on hands-on learning so that participants can easily apply what they learnt to their work. Taking in feedback from the pilot classes, the customised course that ComfortDelGro cabbies will go through has been updated and enhanced to include the learning of the various ComfortDelGro Taxi Apps, its Cabby Portal and Mobile Data Terminal (MDT). Cabbies will be sent for training by batches, and 10,000 of them are expected to complete the SFDW course by 2020.
Cabby Pek Ban Choon, 60, said, “I’m glad I went for the course. Not only did I learn more about the ComfortDelGro Driver App and the MDT but also how to use other apps such as Waze and Parking.sg. By learning how to use these apps, I am better equipped as a cabby to take on more jobs and earn more.”
“New technologies will upend and influence the way we work and live, and training is key to enhance and strengthen the employability of our workforce. e2i will support the Training Committee to identify gaps of cabbies and recommend relevant training to help them scale the digital learning curve. As the cabbies pick up foundational digital skills through the SFDW training to become familiar with common digital touchpoints and acquire digital literacy, the increased confidence and ability to leverage technology will help in enhancing their wages,” said Mr Gilbert Tan, CEO of e2i.
"NTUC LearningHub is excited to be an early partner with the NTA in rolling out the pilot phase and now, with the Training Committee to expand the programme to more drivers. The pace of change in the taxi industry has been swift, but taxi companies have been adapting by rolling out new digital initiatives. As the industry transforms, taxi drivers themselves will need to learn new digital skills to stay competitive. The commitment by ComfortDelGro Taxi to send 10,000 of its drivers for the SFDW programme is a big step forward for its cabbies. We have worked closely with ComfortDelGro Taxi to customise the programme to focus on hands-on learning that cabbies can immediately apply to their work. We look forward towards this transformation in the next two years", said Mr Kwek Kok Kwong, Chief Executive Officer of NTUC LearningHub which is one of SSG’s appointed SFDW Programme Partners.
Training Allowance for Cabbies
Training is a challenge for cabbies. Being self-employed, cabbies have to forego opportunities to make money when they attend training. Thus, NTUC’s e2i and ComfortDelGro Taxi will be providing training allowance to defray some of the opportunity cost borne by cabbies. As a show of the strong bipartite partnership between the taxi operator and the taxi association, ComfortDelGro Taxi will also provide additional allowance support for cabbies who are NTA members.
Mr Ang Wei Neng, Chief Executive Officer of ComfortDelGro Taxi said, “We are happy to collaborate with NTA and the early partners – NTUC’s e2i and LHUB – in equipping our cabbies with digital skills that are relevant to their everyday driving. We are also more than happy to help defray the opportunity cost for our cabbies. Mobile applications have become so prevalent in the ride-hailing industry that it is important that our cabbies learn how to use them. For example, we have a ComfortDelGro Driver App that cabbies can use to bid for booking jobs even when they are not in the taxis. Learning how to use the app, the MDT and the Cabby Portal will help our cabbies become more tech savvy and aware of job opportunities that digital skills can bring."
Mr Ang Hin Kee, Assistant Director-General of NTUC and Advisor of NTA concluded, “To attract our taxi drivers to attend training, we need to balance the opportunity cost with the ability to better seize future job opportunities. Thus, we appreciate the additional allowance support from ComfortDelGro Taxi to help encourage more taxi drivers to go for training. Close to half of the taxi drivers are age 60 and above. It is important that they recognise the importance of being updated with practical and useful digital knowledge. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that the training courses are bite-sized, useful and easy for them to adapt to their work. Through the Training Committee, other training initiatives can be explored and rolled out to help our drivers navigate a rapidly transforming industry.”
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