“The instructor, Mr. Raj, didn’t treat us like kids. Half the class were former managers, technicians, even a chef who lost his restaurant during COVID. Raj told us: ‘You aren’t just drivers. You are mobile business owners.’ That changed my mindset.”

The course wasn’t just theoretical. It included a practical assessment where Kenny had to navigate a passenger with a visual impairment and a mother with a pram. “You learn that a five-star rating isn’t about speed. It’s about the little things: the angle of your air-con vent, the silence of your phone, the scent of your car.”

“I don’t answer to a boss. I don’t sit in pointless meetings. I meet people—tourists, night shift nurses, late-night office workers. Every passenger is a different story.”

That is, until he discovered the at a community centre in Tampines.

“I thought I knew Singapore roads. I was wrong,” he laughs. The course covered everything from Dynamic Pricing Algorithms to Service Etiquette for Disabled Passengers . There was a module on Financial Literacy for Self-Employed Drivers —learning how to manage CPF contributions without a corporate employer—and another on Conflict Resolution .

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He has also used the digital literacy skills from the course to track his earnings via an Excel dashboard he built himself. “My wife joked that I over-prepared. But last month, when the surge pricing algorithm glitched, I knew exactly which zones to move to. The course paid for itself in two days.”

For more information on the SkillsFuture PDVL course, visit the SkillsFuture SG website or contact any NTUC LearningHub or accredited driving centre.