We’re living in the big 2026, and while the future may not look like flying cars just yet, getting around effortlessly has become almost second nature to us Singaporeans. A quick, comfortable ride is now just a few taps away on private hire ride apps, taking you from pick-up to drop-off with zero hassle.
With this service so essentially woven into our fast-paced day-to-day life, I sometimes wonder, “Man, the stories that these private hire drivers probably have!” The Ministry of Transport (MOT) is allowing us to peek behind the scenes, with a casual but no less insightful interview between Acting Minister for Transport of Singapore, Jeffrey Siow, and his buddy Gabriel Goh, who has been driving private hire cars for close to a decade at the time of writing.
This is part of MOT’s online series called Lift To Lunch, where the Minister catches up with a different transport worker in each episode via a lift to their favourite lunch spot. You’ll get a glimpse into the work done by these different members of the MOT family, with guests across the land, air, and sea transport industries. For the first ep, let’s hear from Gabriel:
In the Lift To Lunch episode, Gabriel introduced Min. Jeffrey to a tantalising hae mee from Old Airport Road Food Centre’s Kallang Cantonese Live Prawn Noodle stall. Like many other private hire drivers, Gabriel is privy to an abundance of stellar food spots dotted all around the island.
Image adapted from: Eatbook, Max Lew via Google Maps
We got him to spill some of his best reccs, and he wasn’t stingy at all. Keep this list handy for the next time you’re in need of new hawker haunts!
You might think that rushing soon-to-give-birth pregnant ladies to the hospital is a scene that only exists in movies and TV shows, but that was very much the reality for Gabriel one fateful morning. He arrived at a pickup in Sengkang, due for Thomson Medical Centre. That’s about a 20-plus-minute ride away, mind you!
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Upon whipping the door open, the passenger informed Gabriel that his wife’s water had already broken, and that the baby was highly premature. Fuelled by a sense of purpose, Gabriel managed to ferry the couple to the hospital in the knick of time, and later came to know that both the mum and her newborn baby girl were fine.
This took place 8 years ago, but the memory still surfaces clear as day for Gabriel when it comes to the most unforgettable ride in his career!
At its core, being a private hire driver means sending your passengers safely from point A to point B. But for Gabriel, that extra bit of effort to potentially improve a passenger’s day or lift their spirits is part and parcel of his job. It comes naturally to him to initiate convos with people he picks up, and it’s not just a simple “How are you?”, either.
Gabriel taps into details, like their destination, to create a relatable topic and start the ball rolling. Depending on the day of the week, he might also ask what the passengers have planned for the weekend. And for passengers who seem like out-of-towners, Gabriel loves to check in on whether they’re visiting Singapore for work or a holiday, before dispensing lots of tailored reccs for their time here.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: Red Line Mods
In his previous car, Gabriel would even adjust the ambient light colours according to the passenger’s favourite colour. And to this day, he’s very attuned to the passenger’s mood, and will put on soothing tunes on Symphony 92.4FM if he senses frazzled nerves.
Contrary to popular belief, driving private hire cars isn’t just about whizzing around on the roads. Gabriel shares that customer service and good public relations skills are part of the job scope, and having patience and strong self-awareness are a must.
Image credit: Gabriel Goh
With close to a decade of experience under his belt, Gabriel has learnt the importance of listening to your body’s signals. Power naps and well-timed breaks are key to being able to soldier on. He shares that a typical day of work starts at 5.15am before the crack of dawn, and only winds down at 4pm on weekdays or 3pm on weekends.
This is his routine 7 days a week, with breaks only taken on days with family commitments or the occasional vacation with his loved ones. So, the job is really not a walk in the park that anyone with a driving licence can do.
Speaking of downtime, let’s talk about whether tardiness is really that big of a deal. Admit it, it’s sometimes tempting to aim for as close to the cut-off point as possible to saunter into the vehicle, whether it’s to catch up with your pals just a tad more, or to take your time to get ready in the morning.
While it’s true that there’s a window of time before you get charged a late fee, it really isn’t a good habit to strive for just shy of the countdown ending. On an individual level, we may feel that it’s no harm, no foul to skedaddle aboard at 2 minutes 50 seconds past your ride arriving. But as Gabriel puts it, if around 80% of passengers practise this logic, it would add up to roughly 1 and a half hours of lost income per day. Over time, that really adds up.
So if you wanna make your private hire driver’s day, just be present at the pickup point by the time they pull up. It truly does make a difference.
Little acts of kindness and consideration go both ways. On Gabriel’s end, he has a habit of doling out caring reminders to passengers who are heading to the airport or Woodlands Causeway.
It’s a must for him to do a quick check of whether everyone onboard has their passports on hand, and while you may think this is a pretty “duh” thing to ask, it’s almost always met with gratitude. After all, it’s a small but nonetheless thoughtful sentiment that could make the difference between a missed flight or wasted trip to the checkpoint if the answer turns out to be a nope!
As someone who spends a hefty portion of his everyday life on the road, you’d expect Gabriel to have some well-informed insights on the driving scene in Singapore – as well as some hard-won tips and wisdom to share.
Not sugarcoating the situation at all, he admits that driving in Singapore can be “extremely stressful”, with common woes like drivers inappropriately filtering out at the last 50 to 100 metres of an exit, or refusing to let signalling mergers enter, even speeding up just to block them.
Gabriel observed that seasoned drivers actually have to adopt defensive driving tactics so as to avoid accidents. He advises fellow drivers out there to always stay sharp and locked in, an important practice to avoid falling prey to the fault of errant drivers. He also stresses that sudden manoeuvres are a no-no, such as jamming brakes or reversing when missing a turn.
And finally, all that time spent in a car means that whatever’s playing on the speakers is pretty much the soundtrack to Gabriel’s daily life.
Image credit: meWATCH
When asked if his music reccs are as diverse and colourful as his list of food spots, Gabriel shared that he mainly tunes into Class 95FM on the radio. It’s not even about their music lineup, either, as the main draw is the talking segments courtesy of the station’s DJs. Gabriel’s absolute fave? The Muttons, and their hilarious interactions throughout the years.
Private hire rides have become part and parcel of our fast-paced, hectic lives in this concrete jungle. We’ve all been in a situation where we heave a sigh of relief upon boarding a clean and comfy car, knowing we’ll be able to get to our destination promptly, safely, and without getting caught in the rain or squeezing with bus and train crowds.
But in these moments of contentment, we tend to forget the unsung heroes: private hire drivers who slog for hours day in and day out, getting us where we need to be.
The Lift To Lunch series gives us a rare glimpse into the lives of everyday Singaporeans who work hard to keep our world moving. Hanging out with Gabriel and getting to hear his insights – from foodie reccs to his views on autonomous vehicles – was just the tip of the iceberg.
Stay tuned to the Ministry of Transport’s Instagram page for upcoming Lift To Lunch episodes, where transport workers spanning land, air, and sea will be featured.
This post was brought to you by the Ministry of Transport.
Cover image adapted from: Gabriel Goh, Max Lew via Google Maps, Land Transport Authority
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