Booking a ride online is supposed to be a simple process—you request a car, the driver picks you up, and you get to your destination without much trouble. Most of the time, that’s exactly what happens. But every once in a while, things don’t go as expected. One night, after visiting a friend, I had an experience that left me both frustrated and shocked.
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It was late, and I needed to get home quickly, so I booked a ride through a well-known app. The driver, whose name I won’t mention, accepted my request and even called to confirm my location. Within a few minutes, he arrived, and I got in, expecting a smooth ride home.
At first, everything seemed fine. We exchanged brief greetings, and he started driving. But after a while, I noticed something odd—he wasn’t following the usual route to my house. Thinking it might be a GPS adjustment due to traffic, I asked about it. That’s when he casually said, “Sorry, don’t be angry. I just need to quickly get something from someone by the roadside.”
I was caught off guard. This was supposed to be a direct ride home, not a personal errand for the driver. Still, I decided to be patient, assuming it would only take a minute or two.
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We parked by the roadside, and he assured me that the person bringing the item was almost there. But as the minutes passed, I realized this was not going to be quick. Five minutes turned into ten, then twenty. I started getting frustrated and asked him why he couldn’t have picked it up after dropping me off.
Instead of apologizing, he snapped, “You small girls don’t have patience. Just wait!”
At that moment, I was completely done. First, he had gone off-route without my consent. Now, he was wasting my time and speaking to me disrespectfully. I told him this wasn’t part of the ride agreement and that I would report him. Rather than fixing the situation, he got angrier, raising his voice and acting as if I was the one being unreasonable.
After more than 30 minutes, the person finally arrived with whatever he was waiting for. I didn’t even care what it was—I just wanted to get home.
When we finally got near my house, I asked him to drive me inside my street. That’s when he gave me another excuse—he wouldn’t go in because the street was flooded.
I looked at the road. Yes, there was some water, but it wasn’t deep enough to cause any damage to his car. I even told him, “The water won’t even cover your tires. You can drive through.” But he refused. Without another word, he ended the ride and told me to get out.
At this point, I was beyond annoyed. I told him I was going to report him. And just like that, his attitude changed. He started begging, telling me that this was his only job, that he had a wife and children, and that if I reported him, he might lose his account.
For a moment, I stood there, unsure of what to do. On one hand, I felt sorry for him. Everyone has struggles, and losing his job could put his family in a difficult situation. But on the other hand, his behavior was completely unprofessional. If he had just been respectful from the beginning, I might have been more understanding.
In the end, I decided to leave an honest but fair review. I didn’t want to get him banned, but I did report the unnecessary delay and the way he spoke to me. I believe feedback is important, not just for passengers like me but also for drivers who need to understand how to treat their patronizers properly.
I still use ride- apps regularly, and thankfully, most of my experiences have been good. But this one ride was a reminder that not all drivers respect their passengers' time and comfort.
Have you ever had a ride go completely off-script? Share your story—I’d love to hear it!
