E-hailing drivers meet different kinds of passengers every single day, and sometimes we hear interesting stories from them. Be it good, bad, crazy, or even scandalous, these stories are exciting to read and hear about. Though sometimes it’s not just drivers that have the crazy stories, but the passengers too!
Just a few days ago, a Twitter user named Intan had tweeted that she wanted to hear some juicy “secrets” from e-hailing experiences. Much to her surprise, numerous people chimed in with their e-hailing stories. Here, we thought we’d share some of the posted tweets.
Drivers’ stories
Because of the tweet thread, many Grab drivers were more than happy to share their side of the story. Although rest assured, none of them disclosed any names or any form of identity. There were stories about creepy uncles, political scandals and more!
- “Can I share this? I picked up one guy from BSP to KLIA. The wife even kissed his hands, probably because he was about to work abroad. But then during the car ride, the husband called someone and said ‘Abi, I’m about to reach home.’ He then changed the drop-off location from KLIA to Cyberjaya.“
- “I drove 2 Africans once, (they were) sisters. One in the front and the other in the back. At 2am in the morning, they requested a drive from BSP to Trec. But they didn’t have enough money to pay in full. So one of the girls asked me to kiss the younger sister so that they wouldn’t have to pay the difference. Crazy. I still wanted money though, so they went and asked a friend in the area. They just threw the money in.“
- “Not a secret, but I drove a passenger once. A college kid broke up with him during the ride until he cried. When I dropped him off, like an idiot, I asked him to rate me 5 stars. I regretted it so fast, I turned off the Grab application, went to a Mamak, and reflected on why I was an idiot.“
- “Me: Baiya, on holiday today? Baiya: I work at a snooker center. Behind the door, there is a gambling machine. Me: Wow, aren’t you scared Baiya? Baiya: Why should I be scared? The police always go there anyway. Even the chief of police plays the gambling machine.“
- “I drove a Nigerian diplomat once, from KL to Semenyih. He asked me whether I’ve been sexually harassed by an African man since I’m a lady driver. After I said yes, he suggested if I ever come in contact with Africans in the future, I should always say I’m married. Apparently they will leave me alone.“
- “I drove Uber once, and this couple – both were drunk – said ‘Please drive safely, we’re not married yet. Hello? You guys are drunk, not me.“
- “(I was once an Uber driver.) A pretty woman stayed around ****AK, and asked me about politics. I couldn’t share much (due to Uber policies). She then shared a few secrets about Rosmah Mansor. I was shocked….“
- “I picked up a handicapped beggar once; Dug up secrets on how they work; Revealed their modus operandi and their daily income. There are 2 work sessions (10am – 12pm), (8pm – 10pm). Their total pay for 1 session is RM250 (if they’re lazy) and RM450 (if they work hard). The wages for a Mak Cik to show the way is RM100 per day.”
- “There are a few stories I remember from Grab, especially when driving foreigners. First, Bangladeshis are not stingy. He gave RM50 but I didn’t have enough change. He didn’t mind. The fee was only RM10+. Second, English-speaking people are fascinated that I can speak their language fluently. Third, one Arab passenger kept rambling about how much wealth he had back in Saudi. He was Muslim but is going to a pub. He asked for my number so that he can send me gifts. I declined. Said he was rich but he didn’t even tip me.“
- “I picked up this woman from Shah Alam who had gotten back from a (kidney) dialysis session. The account she used was a man’s name, so I asked her about it. She said that the account was her husband’s, who just passed away 2 weeks ago. She explained that she wasn’t used to the app since her husband usually booked the Grab. Because she was just after a dialysis session, I brought up the topic, ‘Oh, my dad died too because of kidney failure.’ I felt so stupid at the time. The whole day I was thinking of how insensitive I was. I hope that she is still healthy and strong going through the dialysis sessions.“
One of the most heart wrenching thing I've read on Reddit. pic.twitter.com/HRE2ctY5AB
— I (@brahma_dba) October 3, 2022
Passengers’ stories
After many e-hailing stories, passengers too were keen to share their stories.
- “I’m not trying to be racist but I had a bad experience with this one Chinese uncle. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met other Chinese drivers who were nice and polite. (This driver) was insisting that I join him for clubbing and drinking. (The driver also) said that I should try pork since it’s delicious. Could he not see that I’m a Muslim wearing hijab?“
- “I as a passenger whispered to my friend sitting at the back, please be quick because I’m about to get diarrhea. The moment we reached the hostel, the Grab driver said ‘go faster, or you won’t make it. I died.“
- “I’m usually quiet when I’m in a Grab ride. But once I cried while on the car ride because that morning, my dad couldn’t send me to the bus terminal. The Grab driver asked if I ran away from home. Stupidly, I nodded.“
- “I once got into a Grab car feeling stressed out and numb. When the Grab driver asked where I’ was going, I said I didn’t know. He then treated me to a free meal and gave me a free ride back home. I’ll never forget his kindness.“
- “(I was) talking about my studies with the Grab driver. At that time, I was only in Form 4. He asked what stream I was in. Suddenly he asked, ‘Do you take Tasawwur?’ I didn’t understand so I asked him to repeat several times. Again, he repeated the question four times. I was confused, I thought he was asking whether I had Suhoor this morning.“
- “(My story) is fun. I was from my house in KL going to TBS because I needed to go back to Ipoh, my hometown. I farted so loud like a stereo. I said sorry and rolled down the windows. But then after a few minutes, the brother (driver) countered back with a fart attack. When we reached TBS, I tipped him RM5.“
- “This one time when I got into a Grab car, I requested to sit at the front sit. The driver suddenly burst into tears. When I asked why, he said my face and voice reminded him of his late wife that had just passed that same year. They were married for two months.“
- “A driver once shared that contractors will never earn ‘clean money. Every (business) is under the table (unofficial). That is why he resigned because he had money but it wasn’t honest money. So he prefers driving Grab because at least the income is legit.“
- “One time I got in this taxi. The driver was a lady. I don’t remember how this topic came but I was complaining about Indonesians being everywhere. There are so many Indonesians in KL. In the end, when we arrived at my destination, I was leaving the cab, and paying my fee when I asked her, ‘Where are you from?’. ‘I’m from Indonesia, originally from Makassar.’ I immediately felt like fainting. When I left the car, I couldn’t feel my legs. Crazy!“
https://twitter.com/nabilmuhaimin/status/1577165285911842816?s=12&t=drEzq7Bwf9CfNzt8bhSl3Q
There were so many interesting stories, we just couldn’t stop reading. If you too are keen on reading more, go and check them out here! If you have any stories you’d like to share with the world, comment down below!
Puteri Teja contributed to this article.
