As the Christmas season approaches and more people rush out to do their last minute shopping. Grabbing a cab is close to impossible these days as it’s either full or the drivers reject. Luckily there are apps like GrabTaxi and Uber that make our lives easier. Unfortunately, though both apps have proven to be very reliable, there are times when the drivers may make passengers feel uncomfortable with side remarks.
Check out this story posted online. We opted to keep the rider anonymous.
Don’t really post things like this but I just had to share. A while ago, after a client meeting at BGC, I decided to book a cab back to Makati since it was hard to find a normal taxi. The driver called to ask my specific location and what I was wearing (This is a common practice based on past experiences). When I said I was wearing a brown skirt, the driver commented “Wow naman sexy”. At that moment I was already hesitant to ride but then I thought to myself that grabtaxi is trusted and I had a lot of things to do in the office so I needed to get back asap. The following was my conversation with the driver inside the taxi.
Driver: San po daan natin, ma’am?
Me: Sundan na lang natin yung waze niyo, kuya.
Driver: Di po kayo pamilyar sa lugar na to?
Me: (I didn’t want to look like a noob in directions) Ah pamilyar po kuya, lagi naman ako nandito. Di ko lang memorize pabalik ng Makati.
Driver: Pag inuwi ko pala kayo samin di mo mamamalayan ma’am. (After a few secs of awkward silence…) joke lang ma’am ah.
Me: Wag kayo magjoke ng ganyan kuya di nakakatawa.
Driver: Oo nga ma’am di na ko magjojoke ng ganon baka totohanin niyo na umuwi samin eh.
(Long awkward silence cause what why will a driver say these things he was freaking me out)
Kamusta po experience niyo sa grabtaxi? Ilang beses niyo na natry?
Me: okay lang po. Mga dalawang beses pa lang.
Driver: Maayos naman? Di ka naman po naloko?
Me: Di naman.
Driver: Edi if ever po ako yung una? (Silence) joke lang ma’am.
(At this point I was freaking out already and I was looking at my own waze to see if he was really following the right directions)
Ayos po sa grabtaxi noh? Nakikita mo picture ng driver pag magbo-book. Nakita niyo po ba picture ko?
Me: ahh oo.
Driver: Lasing panga po ako nung kinuha yan. Dapat kami din nakikita namin picture ng nagpapabook na customer para siyempre pag maganda, oo agad!
Me: ahh
Then the driver started asking questions such as where I live and if overtime ako. I said I lived in Makati (which is false) and that idk up to what time ako sa office. I was freaked out baka mamaya magabang siya outside the building or whatever if I told him what time I’d go home.
Ahh. Freakiest taxi ride ever. I don’t care if his remarks were just jokes. They were very inappropriate and indecent! Nakakabastos at nakakatakot at the same time. No, making scary and bastos remarks and accompanying them with a “joke” afterwards doesn’t make it a joke! Aside from assuring that you’re safe, grabtaxi or uber or whatever service should teach their drivers good manners and right conduct. Women should never let men talk to them like this. I was wrong to not comment on any of his remarks cause I was caught off guard and I panicked. I also thought to myself if I made this driver mad baka di na niya gawing joke mga sinabi niya.
Rough English Translation:
Don’t really post things like this but I just had to share. A while ago, after a client meeting at BGC, I decided to book a cab back to Makati since it was hard to find a normal taxi. The driver called to ask my specific location and what I was wearing (This is a common practice based on past experiences). When I said I was wearing a brown skirt, the driver commented “Wow! That’s sexy”. At that moment I was already hesitant to ride but then I thought to myself that grabtaxi is trusted and I had a lot of things to do in the office so I needed to get back asap. The following was my conversation with the driver inside the taxi.
Driver: Where do you want to pass ma’am?
Me: Please just follow waze.
Driver: Are you not familiar with this place?
Me: (I didn’t want to look like a noob in directions) Oh, I’m familiar as I am always here. I just don’t memorize the way to Makati.
Driver: So if I brought you home you wouldn’t even notice. (After a few secs of awkward silence…) just kidding ma’am.
Me: Don’t make jokes like that, it’s not funny.
Driver: You’re right ma’am, I won’t make jokes like that anymore ‘coz you might think I was really taking you home.
(Long awkward silence cause what why will a driver say these things he was freaking me out)
How’s your experience with grabtaxi? How many times have you tried it?
Me: It’s okay. I’ve just tried it twice.
Driver: It works well? You haven’t been tricked or fooled?
Me: No
Driver: So if ever I’ll be the first? (Silence) just kidding ma’am.
(At this point I was freaking out already and I was looking at my own waze to see if he was really following the right directions)
Grabtaxi is nice huh? You can see the picture of the driver when you book a ride. Did you see my photo?
Me: ahh yes
Driver: I was drunk when that photo was taken. It would be nice if we can also see the passenger’s photo when you book. That way, if the passenger is pretty, it’s an immediate yes!
Me: ahh
Then the driver started asking questions such as where I live and if I go overtime at work. I said I lived in Makati (which is false) and that I don’t know up to what time I’ll be in the office. I was freaked out that he might wait outside the building or whatever if I told him what time I’d go home.
Ahh. Freakiest taxi ride ever. I don’t care if his remarks were just jokes. They were very inappropriate and indecent! It was rude and scary at the same time. No, making scary and rude remarks and accompanying them with a “joke” afterwards doesn’t make it a joke! Aside from assuring that you’re safe, grabtaxi or uber or whatever service should teach their drivers good manners and right conduct. Women should never let men talk to them like this. I was wrong to not comment on any of his remarks cause I was caught off guard and I panicked. I also thought to myself if I made this driver mad he might actually make his jokes real.
Cases like these are not isolated to Grabtaxi, I’ve had a similar experience with an Uber driver who even texted me after the ride to make more comments and even asked to meet. Moreover, Grabtaxi is actually different from Grabcar. Based on an interview with a driver in the past, a lot of the drivers don’t really care. It’s just their company (i.e. MGE, etc) that applies for all of them.
Personally, I don’t blame the companies for drivers like these as 98% of the time, I get AWESOME rides and drivers. It’s sad that there are people like these who ruin the reputation of great companies.
What do you think of this? What would you do if you were in such a situation?
