By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent

WITH the recession hitting home, more people are applying for the licence to drive a cab.

According to the Land Transport Authority, there were 1,880 applications for the taxi driver's vocational licence in the last quarter of last year. That compares with 1,633 and 1,542 in the same periods in 2007 and 2006, respectively.

Industry observers expect the number to climb as the economic slump deepens and unemployment rate worsens. But unlike previous downturns, driving a cab may no longer be able to see the unemployed through the tough times.

For one thing, there are many more drivers and taxis on the road now. There are 87,000 licence holders, half of whom are not active, operating 24,300 cabs on the road.

Growing competition and the worsening economy have taken their toll on earnings. Industry players also said the new ERP gantries put up in the second half of last year were partly to blame for the cabbies' higher operating costs.

The Straits Times understands that a single- shift driver who clocks around 10 hours a day took home around $2,250 last November, 6 per cent less than in October. The impact was greater for double-shift cabbies, whose net income shrank 8 per cent to $4,700 in November.

Observers reckon takings will slide further with more commuters switching from cabs to less costly modes of transport as the recession worsens.

All this was enough to persuade Mr David Ng, 52, to throw in the towel, just about a year after taking up the trade.

The father of two teenage boys became a cabby after leaving a job in the computer software industry following a company restructuring.

"I like driving, and meeting people. I still do," he said. But the newbie found it was not as easy as it seemed. It is a job that is physically and mentally exhausting, peppered with lots of frustration.

"When I first started, I told myself that I'd answer every call booking. But quite often, the booking would be cancelled by the time I got there.

"Or the passenger had got into another cab that came along."

After dozens of wasted trips, he now answers bookings "only when I'm very sure of getting it".

The other challenge is remembering street names and building names.

Commuters expect cabbies to know it all, he said. "Old folks will tell you their destination in dialect. Foreigners don't know the names of places in English. One China girl described a shopping complex by the advertisement billboard on it.

"And they can get angry and abusive if you don't know the way."

So, he often resorted to what many cabbies do. "I ask, which way do you prefer?"

Still, he has had his share of good customers. "There are people who are genuinely interested in making a conversation with you."

But as if the work itself was not hard enough - sore backs and full bladders are the order of the day - Mr Ng has had to stomach other common hazards. These include non-paying fares and other cabbies who "swerve into your path to steal your fare".

Then, there is the high cost of accidents. "I picked up a fare from Tanjong Pagar, going to Duxton. When I was getting her the change, she opened the door - and another taxi rammed into it.

"It was a $5 fare, but it cost me $1,500."

Other hazards include not remembering to key in electronic road pricing and central business district charges. Some taxi meters are not fully automated, and require the driver to punch in surcharges.

"I tried all ways not to forget, but sometimes, it just happens," he said.

He has one more week to remember all these practices before handing his taxi back.

What will Mr Ng do next?

"I'm thinking of going back into the software line. I want to come up with a navigation program that picks the best route to your destination, wherever you are.

"But I'm leaving everything in God's hands."

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Feb 4, 2009.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.