Private-hire driver drove 22 hours in one day to win staycation, sparks online backlash over safety

SINGAPORE — A private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver spent 22 hours on the road last Saturday (18 November) to win a staycation in Sentosa from an online challenge. He started driving at 12.15am and took a break for only two hours for that day, and raked in $1,017 over 48 trips.

According to The Straits Times, the Facebook contest was organised by PHV driver Shawn Lee, who posted about the “4sMission500” challenge on Friday. It was conducted on Facebook group SG Road Vigilante - SGRV for drivers from various platforms.

According to various media outlets, Lee had organised the challenge as he found morale to be low among drivers, and had wanted to challenge to motivate and support one another.

The top-earning eligible driver, between 12.01am and 11.59pm on Saturday, would win a two-day-one-night stay at Hotel Ora at Resorts World Sentosa, which would be paid for by Lee. Four-seater vehicle drivers who hit a minimum of $500 in earnings that day were invited to message him their earnings privately to be in the running for the prize.

Winning feat draws mixed responses from netizens

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the winner was announced to be "James Lim", whose primary motivation was to exceed his personal best record. He accomplished the feat through a "decisive hunting and sweep technique".

In the post, Lee emphasised that Lim would usually drive between 12 to 14 hours. He also wrote that it is "not healthy to drive 20 hours and above every day" and does not encourage anyone to do so. Lee also acknowledged he should have set a cap on the number of participating hours in the mission.

Drivers in the second and third place drove “around 16 to 17 hours” to earn $831 and $778 respectively. The top 10 drivers in the contest raked in a total of over $6,700 in earnings.

Netizen have flooded the Facebook post, with many expressing their concerns over the safety of the driver, his passengers, and other road users. Some pointed out that Lim could be at risk of having his vocational licence revoked, while others congratulated him on the win.

"Whoever came up with such challenges is endangering the lives of passengers and other road users. Gotta do better instead of encouraging risky acts," wrote a netizen.

"Did he ask whether the passengers he fetched are willing to participate in this?" another online user wrote. "Endangering passengers' safety for personal gain. (Traffic police) should look into this and prevent future events like this."

Call for more responsibility and consideration when organising contests

Yeo Wan Ling, adviser to the National Taxi Association (NTA) and National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), has called for contest organisers to be more responsible and considerate of drivers’ health and wellness.

She told The Straits Times on 27 November, “With the upcoming festive season where ridership is expected to increase, NTA and NPHVA would like to remind drivers to look after themselves, take sufficient breaks and pace themselves in their driving hours."

Yeo also addressed the issue of PHV and taxi drivers driving for long hours on the road, saying there is a need to consider both working and livelihood conditions, as working hours directly affect their income.

“It is crucial to strike a balance between earning an income and keeping good health, so that drivers can ensure their own safety and lives and that of the passengers,” she said.

The NPHVA added that practices are in place to ensure the safety of passengers and drivers. It conducts regular dialogues and engagements, where road safety tips are shared with drivers. Meanwhile, the NTA said that taxi drivers spend about 10 to 12 hours on average on the road. They take breaks during off-peak hours, with some having relief partners.

Responses from Gojek, Grab

In response to the incident, a Gojek spokesperson told Yahoo Southeast Asia that safety is a top priority for the company.

"We do not encourage driver-partners to drive for long hours without taking sufficient breaks. Getting adequate rest is a crucial part of driving safely," the spokesperson said.

"To encourage driver-partners to get sufficient rest, we have introduced a rest reminders feature on our driver app, which regularly reminds drivers to take a break or go offline after they have been online for a certain number of hours."

Grab also referred Yahoo Southeast Asia to its app's “fatigue nudges” safety feature.

According to a Grab blog post in July, the “fatigue nudges” safety feature reminds driver-partners to take a break when they have been driving for long hours. The feature was rolled out in all Grab operated countries since late August.

The smart driver fatigue management model monitors a driver-partner’s total online hours, and whether it is followed by sufficient continuous offline hours. Four-wheel vehicle drivers, for example, will be prompted to take a five-hour uninterrupted break if they have have been online for over 10 hours.

According to The Straits Times, PHV drivers are not covered under the Employment Act, which states that employees are not allowed to work more than 12 hours a day, except under specific circumstances. Ministry of Manpower guidelines on preventing fatigue among drivers include taking a 15-minute break after every two hours of driving, and limiting shifts to under 12 hours including overtime.

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