Singapore taxi driver embraces AI and autonomous vehicles to prepare for the future

• Singapore taxi driver Charles Ban Kum Cheong shows how cabbies can prepare for the future by embracing electric vehicles, AI and autonomous vehicle technology.
  
  

• From switching early to an electric taxi to taking AI courses, he believes taxi drivers must adapt before technology overtakes them.

• As autonomous vehicles emerge in Singapore, the veteran taxi driver hopes fellow drivers can move into future roles through upskilling.
  

• For him, the future of taxi driving is not just about new technology, but also stronger protection and better support for drivers.
  

• Through the National Taxi Association, he helps older taxi drivers gain confidence using everyday digital tools such as PayNow, Google Maps and navigation apps.
  

“No, thank you, I’ve eaten,” Strides Premier taxi driver Charles Ban Kum Cheong said politely when I asked him if he would like to have something to eat.

We had just arrived at Satay by the Bay for the interview at 5pm on a Friday, and I had offered to get us some food while we chatted.

“I eat when my car eats,” the 55-year-old added cheekily, searching my face earnestly for a reaction.

My raised eyebrows gave him one. “Your car eats? Eats what, ah?”

Charles laughed, patted the bonnet of his car affectionately and explained that he drives an electric vehicle (EV), which he recharges twice a day.

Instead of planning his meals around a growling stomach, Charles usually eats when his bright green MG5 is charging, at around noon and 7pm.

It is a routine he has had plenty of time to get used to.

Charles was among the first batch of SMRT Strides taxi drivers to switch to an EV in 2021, when electric taxis were still relatively new in Singapore. Strides Taxi later merged with Premier Taxi in 2023 to form Strides Premier.

“Embracing technology as early as possible puts you one step ahead of other people who don’t want, condemn or refuse to accept technology,” said the 10-year taxi veteran said, explaining why he traded his diesel vehicle for an EV.

More than a taxi driver, a technology champion

Charles’s willingness to embrace new technology did not happen overnight. It was shaped partly by his career before he became a taxi driver, when he worked as a consumer electronics salesperson.

“Look at Nokia and Sony-Ericsson. The reason why they are not here anymore is because they didn’t embrace technology. When iOS or Android came up, they didn’t want to follow and lost out,” he said.

Now, after EVs and ride-hailing apps, another technological shift is taking shape in Singapore’s land transport industry: autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Ride-hailing giant Grab and local taxi operator ComfortDelGro are already operating autonomous shuttle services in Punggol. Grab is also moving closer to a taxi-like model with its upcoming on-demand AV pilot, slated for public use in the fourth quarter of 2026.

For drivers such as Charles, the technology raises a more fundamental question. What happens when the vehicle no longer needs someone behind the wheel?

“Aren’t you afraid of losing your job to an AV?” I asked.

This time, it was my turn to study his face for a reaction. Charles simply shrugged.

When autonomous driving technology matures, Charles hopes he can move from driving one taxi to remotely operating a few autonomous vehicles. He believes such a future could still be at least a decade away, but he does not intend to wait until then to prepare for it.

He has already started learning about artificial intelligence (AI).

“Upskilling is a must for everyone. I’ve taken AI courses and used all my SkillsFuture Credits,” he said.

“I need to ask Cheng Hu [the Government] for more money,” he joked.

In the meantime, the Government has said that the scale-up of AVs will be progressive due to concerns raised by taxi and private-hire drivers on the technology affecting their livelihoods.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had reassured workers in his recent National Day Rally speech: “We will not let adoption run ahead of our ability to retrain and support affected drivers, and help them move into new jobs.”

Driven to improve taxi driver livelihoods

Charles’s enthusiasm for technology extends beyond his own career.

As an Executive Council Member of the National Taxi Association (NTA), he also wants to help older taxi drivers become more comfortable using the digital tools that are increasingly part of their work.

“We conduct around 10 IT courses almost every month for our members, whether it is for PayNow, Google Maps, or navigation,” he said. 

For Charles, preparing drivers for the future is only one part of the NTA’s role. He also wants to ensure they are adequately protected today.

He fully appreciates the work injury compensation that moved with the Platform Workers Act in 2024 to provide taxi drivers and other platform workers with employee-like benefits.

Before stronger protections were introduced, Charles said taxi drivers could typically receive about $60 a day from taxi operators or insurers to compensate for lost income following an injury.

He believes the current approach is fairer because compensation can better reflect a driver’s actual earnings. With annual earnings of $100,000 not unheard of among drivers, the union leader said some could earn the equivalent of about $274 a day.

Just as Charles adapted his daily routine to his electric taxi, he is adapting his career to what comes next, rather than waiting for change to overtake him.

For Charles, EVs were one transition. AI and autonomous vehicles may be the next.

And when that future arrives, he intends to be ready for it.

Want to boost your technology skills for the future? Discover what NTUC LearningHub has to offer today.