Latest news with #LazyCabbie
Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Me And My Car: The taxi-driving YouTuber
Vlogger and taxi driver Edward Jui said he is still a newbie compared with senior cabbies with at least a decade's worth of experience. SINGAPORE – The person behind the YouTube channel @LazyCabbie is anything but idle, because Mr Eddie Jui, 48, works day and night. In between his daily 10-plus hours on the road looking for fares, he devotes time to film and edit videos, and respond to online comments. LazyCabbie has more than 6,000 subscribers and 36 videos as at July 17, and has clocked over 360,000 views since launching in mid-April. There is a certain cinematic quality to Mr Jui's videos. Each episode typically starts with a stylish introduction, such as a scene off the streets or a stroll through a garden. He then walks into the frame to give insights on the taxi trade, share his reactions to recent news or offer food recommendations. His style is casual and relatable, much like a friendly cabby talking to a passenger during a ride. Mr Jui stresses that the filming is never done when he is ferrying passengers and 'only during my lull period'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Business Global fintech firms expanding in Singapore with larger offices, APAC hubs Singapore UOB awarded $17.7m in civil suit against Lippo Marina Collection over inflated housing loans Life Kinokuniya opens third bookstore in Raffles City, weeks ahead of schedule Business DBS shares rally to a new record as STI clocks yet another high Singapore 5 foreigners charged over scheme to deliberately get arrested in S'pore to sell sex drugs Asia Lightning strikes kill 33 people in eastern India In the 2½ years he has driven his Toyota Prius taxi, he has covered more than 120,000km. This is the equivalent of nearly 10 years of mileage for a private car in Singapore. The Prius has never missed a beat, other than on two occasions when it was rear-ended and had to be sent to the workshop. The taxi still seemed to be in decent shape when Mr Jui drove to the interview with The Straits Times. He made the switch to be a driver when he needed money urgently to settle business debts after winding down his intellectual property rights agency, which provides trademark services. He drove a private-hire car for about a year before becoming a part-time taxi driver, renting a cab from other drivers. After that, he got his own taxi. Mr Jui said he is still a newbie compared with senior cabbies with at least a decade's worth of experience. He intends to rent another Prius when the current contract with transport company ComfortDelGro expires in February 2026. He will take out a new taxi instead of paying less for a used one, to avoid having to deal with breakdowns. Hardworking: Mr Eddie Jui's Prius has covered more than 120,000km in 2½ years without breaking down. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG Taxis are charged a daily rental, and Mr Jui said he is usually able to cover the rent with five to six hours of driving a day. He mainly uses two ride-hailing platforms: Zig, which is owned by ComfortDelGro, and Grab, to get jobs. His workday starts at 5am, and he stays on the road until 9am. The downtime away from driving the taxi is spent on filming and being with his nine-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. He is back on the road again from 4 to 9pm. He keeps his lunch break short to carve out time for creating video content. It used to take him up to six hours to film and edit a video lasting no longer than eight minutes. The filming alone takes two to three hours, for him to get the right angles. He has managed to cut editing time down to around an hour, and he edits a couple of videos at one go, spending five hours or so in one sitting. Mr Jui's 45-year-old wife, who is a clinic manager, came up with the name for the channel. She was also the one who encouraged him to make videos, instead of gaming, which he said he was addicted to before he started the channel to 'escape reality'. He does what he can to involve his family, from discussing story ideas with his wife to roping in their children to look at the channel's analytics data and respond to comments on his YouTube channel. Sieving through the comments and responding to negative ones with the kids are opportunities for them to learn about dealing with cyberbullies, he figured. He reads every comment and replies to them. His channel is gaining popularity quickly, enough for YouTube to pay him for the views a month after LazyCabbie was launched. He declined to disclose exactly how much he has received from the streaming platform, but said it was an encouraging start. Calling his perspective as a taxi driver the 'special sauce' for his channel, Mr Jui does not see himself giving up the car keys to be a full-time content creator. Instead, he is thinking of ways to make the content more unique, while broadening its appeal, so it speaks not just to fellow drivers or those who may be curious about the life of a taxi driver. Besides casual viewers who post encouraging messages, thanking him for making the videos, Mr Jui also gets thoughtful comments from other taxi drivers, who see the channel as a platform to pour their hearts out with lengthy messages. One of the most memorable comments he got was being called 'a bridge between the drivers and the people outside who see us differently'. 'We (taxi drivers) meet many passengers, but a lot of the time, we are just lonely people because there are no peers or colleagues to talk to.' Listen to the podcast here: What's in the boot? Under the boot floor: An air pump, a folding chair, a vacuum cleaner and a tyre jack. PHOTO: EDDIE JUI
Straits Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Taxi driver 'adding shift' to be a YouTuber
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Vlogger and taxi driver Edward Jui (LazyCabbie) in his taxi. Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport. Contrary to the name of his YouTube channel, Mr Eddie Jui is anything but lazy. The 48-year-old drives 10 hours daily and spends nearly as much time making videos. Like the friendly cabbie making conversation with his passenger, Mr Jui's videos are candid and honest. And based on how fast the LazyCabbie YouTube channel is growing, it is resonating with people. Highlights (click/tap above): 2:00 Spending at least two to three hours just to get the right angles for the videos. 14:20 Trying to create an online community that is more forward-looking and positive. 18:00 Taxi driving as a sunset industry but one that pays the bills, if you need money urgently. 20:10 Reacting to the rise of autonomous driving potentially taking away taxi driving as a vocation. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 600 Telegram groups in Singapore selling, advertising vapes removed by HSA Singapore Strong argument for cockpit video recording, says Iata chief in wake of Air India crash report Asia Former deputy minister seen as surprise front runner for Malaysia's next Chief Justice: Sources Singapore Baby died after mum took abortion pills and gave birth in toilet; coroner records an open verdict Singapore Qantas flight from Singapore to Sydney delayed for days due to mechanical issues Business Tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter Kuok Hui Kwong appointed CEO of Shangri-La Asia Singapore Acute psychiatry services to be expanded across all healthcare clusters: MOH Singapore New network links Home Team psychologists, mental health bodies to boost emergency response 23:00 Do not treat driving as a career because there is no progression. Zero progression. Read Lee Nian Tjoe's articles: Follow Lee Nian Tjoe on LinkedIn: Read more COE articles: Host: Lee Nian Tjoe ( niantjoel@ ) Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong Follow Wheel Insights Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Feedback to: podcast@ --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: Get more updates: The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store:
