Cabbies : The Inside Story

Synopsis

Author Sam Hwang takes you behind the wheel of Joe Benjamin’s cab and reveals the mind of a taxi-driver whom Singaporeans call the ‘taxi uncle’. It dispels the traditional image of a lowly-educated society dropout who is only good enough for the “job of last resort”. The Singapore public has a continuing fascination with the lives of cabbies and tries to probe into his earnings and wants to hear about his day-to-day encounters with his passengers. Sam Hwang will whet your appetite with his own revelations. Fare cheats, robbers, drunks and nasty types show up in cabbies’ lives, time and again. There are also reports of cabbies who perform charitable acts, as well as the drivers from hell. However, there’s more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye. In Cabbies : The Inside Story, Joe Benjamin recounts his experiences and tells of his many encounters with a wide range of characters.

He meets the commuters whose lives become connected for a brief moment with his as he captures a snippet of their world which can be so different from his own. It is an education of sorts, whether he simply observes and takes in the goings-on, or when he interacts with the cab’s occupants. These fellow commuters bring a new perspective to his world because of their different life experiences and knowledge. An endless stream of passengers ensures a different experience each day. He is a philosopher and story-teller rolled into one.

The book is dotted with numerous anecdotes and original quotes and shows how ordinary people conduct their lives, often revealing a bit more than they really intend to. He also talks about the driving scene and how a densely populated city tries to cope with congested roads and even offers a few suggestions on how to improve the traffic situation.

Basically, it is a window to the world of Singapore cabbies, which offers a peek into the inside story . . .

Published 2013