‘Uncle offered to […] show me a good time’: S’poreans share their wackiest commute stories after a drunk night out

Masks are optional in most places in Singapore, live performances have resumed, and alcohol can be sold and consumed past 10:30pm.

After nearly two years of battling Covid-19, life has more or less returned to normal.

Well, this is what it feels like at least, and I’ve been making good use of my time by making lots of plans.

This means late nights out chilling at a friend’s place, hitting the bars and clubs, impromptu late night karaoke sessions, etc, all of which typically involves one (or several) bevvies during the weekends, and sometimes even weekdays - but don’t tell my boss.

It seems like many others in Singapore are also doing the same, as evidenced by the responses we received from readers about their roller coaster experience in securing transport after all the merry making.

Here are seven of the wackiest commute experiences our readers on Instagram shared with us after a drunk night out.

1) Long wait and/or no cars

One common problem that many of our readers shared was having difficulties in booking a ride.

“Raining and I couldn’t find a car.”

“Stuck in town for more than two hours until Saturday night turned into Sunday morning because no drivers wanted to accept my ride and take me home.”

Even when they managed to book a ride, some unfortunate readers had to wait a long time for their transport:

“Got a car, waited 20 minutes, but the cab position never changed. Texted and called the driver a few times, but got no response.”

“I booked a car and the app said it would reach in five minutes so I waited, but the waiting time kept increasing from five to six, seven, and then to 10 minutes. After waiting for some time, I finally cancelled and called a new one.”

Unlike the previous story, lady luck was not shining on this reader, who simply could not wait any longer to get home and resorted to booking a 10-seater for themself (RIP wallet):

“Booking a 10-seater car for myself at night because none of the other taxi drivers were accepting my ride 💸”

2) A game of hide and seek

Right along the previous issue of long waiting times were difficulties in trying to find one’s ride, having the ride look for them, or both:

“MY DRIVER DON’T KNOW GO WHERE SIA. I NEED TO WALK HERE WALK THERE TO FIND (the driver).

Rumour has it that this reader is still searching for his/her ride:

“I can’t find the car.”

3) Driver asked for extra money

Another common issue that our readers shared was drivers asking for more money.

“The driver picked us up from Orchard and we were going to Yew Tee. The price was S$30, but he kept insisting that it was S$35.”

In some cases, it seemed that drivers tried to ‘catch up on lost time’, perhaps to recoup the losses they had suffered for the past two years when there was a dearth of late night passengers.

As the saying goes, time is money, and this one driver really made his time count:

“Bruh, my driver uncle kept insisting on charging me extra S$2 for making him wait 2 minutes.”

4) Questionable behaviour

Some rather unlucky readers ran into not-so-friendly drivers:

“Driver was my last hope after searching for more than an hour. After I got into the car, I was treated to a racist rant about how my home country is inferior in every way to Singapore.”

“Got scolded by the driver during the entire journey home just because he wanted to knock off and go home ASAP?!!?!?!”

On the extreme end, there were also some drivers who were too friendly, as one reader recounted:

“The driver forced me to text him on WhatsApp. Ever since then, he hasn’t stopped texting me 😢😢😢”

And when drivers are “too friendly”, their behaviour becomes questionable and borderline creepy, making for an uncomfortable experience:

“One of my friends got her hand kissed by the drivers. She was very uncomfortable.”

“Uncle offered to take me somewhere else to ‘show me a good time”

“My driver kept making creepy and almost lewd comments about my dressing for the whole trip. And as if that’s not enough, he started commenting that my job was very ‘man’ (masculine), saying that girls should only do ‘xyz’ jobs that are befitting of their gender. After I got out of the car, I lodged a complaint with the ride hailing company.”

Those experiences are only the tip of the iceberg, as some readers shared their run-ins with creepy drivers whom they caught leering at them:

“The driver kept adjusting the rear view mirror so that it would reflect my thighs.”

“When the driver takes the longer way on purpose and keeps staring at you through the rearview mirror.”

In one extreme example, a reader said the driver apparently wanted to touch him:

“The driver wanted to touch my kuku 🍆 (singlish for the male anatomy).”

With that said, not all drivers are rude or act like creeps.

Some are just… quirky, which when compared to the previous experiences, might not be the worst thing:

“Was on the way home when the driver abruptly started laughing for no apparent reason, and for 5 minutes straight 💀”

“My hitch driver was only wearing boxers 😢 I only realised after I got into the 2-seater car.”

5) Private-hire- /taxi-driver-cum-F1-racer

After a two-year hiatus, the Formula 1 race has finally returned to Singapore.

While it may have just concluded, the effects of the grand prix can still be felt on the island, as some drivers take to the roads as if they are on a racetrack.

“Speed camera caught him twice but he still continued at the same speed.”

“The driver was driving 160km/h just because he didn’t like the car behind.”

“Haha, I think my uncle (is an) ex-F1 driver.”

What these drivers might not have realised when they went past the speed limit is that they are endangering their passengers and making the ride incredibly uncomfortable:

“It was literally F1 for me from Jurong to Pasir Ris and the worst experience I’ve had in my life.”

“Driver was going damn fast with the windows down. Fearing for my life while getting whipped by my hair and the wind and wondering if I will die with my hair looking like a hot mess.”

6) Safety compromised

There’s driving fast, and then there’s driving poorly, which is equally as dangerous.

Here’s what some of our readers shared with us:

“No, the driver is falling asleep. What should I do?”

“Uncle drove like he was driving for the first time, and I was so close to vomiting inside his car.”

“I was in a car and the uncle anyhow drive for like an hour and said he don’t know in the end.”

“Told me he changed companies recently after he got fired because he got too many complaints from passengers.”

Besides driving poorly, readers shared several other ways in which a ride they took was “unsafe”.

One reader shared with us about his/her experience riding in dirty and infested cars.

While a run-in with unwelcome insects is unlikely to lead to immediate mortal danger, it is equally deserving of mention.

“We were not going home but on our way to the central area and the car was dirty. It was littered with small pieces of food that looked half chewed. Around five minutes into the ride, I saw a huge cockroach above, crawling towards me. I signalled to my sister, who then signalled to the driver. He tried to catch the cockroach with a piece of tissue WHILE HE WAS DRIVING, but that only scared the cockroach and made it crawl quickly towards me.

We told the driver to drop us off at the bus stop ahead, but he refused to even though there were no cars or buses behind us. We tried to tell him to stop us at the bus stop multiple times, but he continued to refuse until we said we would report him. He braked the car immediately and stopped us at the bus stop.”

7) Drink driving

Last but not least was drink driving.

It goes without saying that you should never get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.

It is extremely dangerous as it impairs your cognitive functions, which not only puts yourself and your passengers’ lives at risk, but also endangers the safety of others on the road.

One of our readers nearly did not get home and narrowly escaped a disaster.

“We spontaneously decided to check out a new bar, and drove there thinking it would be chill, but no, that place was popping. We got supper to soak up the booze before driving home. All was good, until it was not. We failed to keep a safe distance and crashed. Hindsight 20/20 and all, but we should have gotten a valet. Very expensive lesson learnt 💸💸💸 but luckily, no one was hurt.”

Another reader was thankfully more responsible, but the same could not be said about the driver:

“When I got into the car, I could smell strong alcohol fumes. Initially, I thought it was coming from me because I just demolished several drinks with my friends. Never would I imagine that it was from my driver, who told me that he just finished a bunch of drinks with his friends. He was driving really quickly and swerving left and right recklessly. That sobered me up real quick and I was praying for my life.”

Skip the hassle with ValetGo

As evidenced from the many horror stories that our readers have shared with us, securing a safe and comfortable ride home after a late night out comes with a host of challenges.

However, this does not necessarily have to be the case.

ValetGo is a valet company which aims to provide safe, secure, and seamless valet services, ensuring that you will have to go through none of the experiences mentioned above.

All their drivers are safe and trustworthy, and are required to have:

• Over two years of experience in driving on the roads;
• A squeaky clean driving record for at least one year;
• A valid eClass 3 driver’s licence.

About ValetGo

As ValetGo is owned by a logistics and shipping company, you can be assured that getting precious cargo from point A to B is where their expertise lies, and their main priority.

This precious cargo includes you and/or your friends.

Additionally, ValetGo drivers can drive your car for you and deposit it at a destination of your choosing so that you can save the hassle of picking up your vehicle the next day.

Please do not attempt to drive yourself home after a booze-filled night as it is extremely dangerous, not only to yourself and the passengers in your car, but also to others on the road.

If you drove and had a late night out, please consider engaging a valet like ValetGo if you are intoxicated.

How to use ValetGo

Now that ValetGo’s got your attention, here’s some good news: The ValetGo mobile application is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play! Store.

To get started, all you need to do is register with your phone number and enter your destination, or destinations.

Bookings can be made 48 hours in advance, so you can make merry whilst having peace of mind knowing that your late night ride has been taken care of.

Additionally, you can always check where your driver is through the application’s location tracking system, which reflects where the driver is in real time.

Each ValetGo booking costs S$45 flat.

While it is admittedly not the most affordable, it is comparable to existing valet services, and even other late night transport options during a surge.

In return, you get to skip the hassle and enjoy a smooth, seamless, fuss free ride.

You can also share the ride with a friend, as additional stops come at a flat rate of S$10 extra, no matter the distance.

There can be up to three additional stops in one trip.

This way, both you and your friends can get around safely.

Find yourself strapped for cash? No worries, because payments can also be made using credit cards.

If you are eager to do away with dreadful commute experiences, try ValetGo for yourself and by clicking here and here and get S$5 off every time you use the code "valetgo5".

P.S. The code can also be used multiple times and will be valid until Dec. 31, 2022.

This sponsored article by ValetGo made the author look forward to nights out again.

Top image by Gabe Pierce from Unsplash