Through the Eyes of a City Voyager
Cruising the bustling streets, where chunks of modernity paint the skyline, William is a nomad of the roads, a navigator of urban tales – a ride hailing driver. With the city skyline as his backdrop and the hum of its energy as his soundtrack, William witnesses the heartbeat of the Lion City.
"How long have you been driving?"
I asked, always the “kaypoh”.
He gave me guarded glance – why did I want to know. “A while, lah. Before the pandemic, a year and a half. Then, the world went quiet, and so did I. But we can’t be quiet forever ….”
Intrigued, I delved deeper, “Have you always been a driver?” A wry smile. Then, “Not always. I was a “saikang warrior”, just like most of us.” I laughed at his Singlish phrase – perfect for describing all those who’ve toiled away at crappy, meaningless jobs. He added, “Yah, I was just a cog in the company machine. So I quit. I’ve always liked driving and now I work on my own terms. Plus, I now feel like I’m part of the city and all you crazy people in it.”
As William spoke, I could feel that his work was interwoven with the pulse of the city. I wanted to know more about him and the “crazy” inhabitants who took up temporary residence in his car.
“Tell me about the most interesting encounters you’ve had,” I pressed.
“Hmmm,” he paused, giving me the once over, unsure how much he should reveal. “There’s not much you miss when you’re a private-hire driver. From the glitz to the gross … I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad and the totally unexpected.”
“Sometimes people even forget that I’m here! I remember one couple bickering in the backseat. Totally in their own world, an island of arguments. Then, out of nowhere they barked at me, ‘Uncle, go right!’ I got a shock, ‘Huh? Me?’ But the next moment, they were lost again in their own war of words. Until, suddenly, ‘Driver, turn left!’ Aiyoh! Very frustrating. Can vomit blood. But what to do? Take a deep breath and make the turn.”
William was on a roll now: “Another time, I had a ride-share. I had to pick up two women, total strangers – but connected by the whims of the app. The first was a fierce one, so angry at having to share her journey.” William became quite poetic, “She was so mad, the air was almost red!”
“She told me to stop and jumped out mid-journey, slamming the door with a nice Hokkien swearword. It hung in the air, a dark cloud. But then, the second passenger, an unwilling co-star in this unplanned drama, spoke up. Not to be outdone, her comment, ‘Bloody Bitch’ echoed through the car. I made sure I kept my mouth shut!”
As William wove through the congested city streets, he warmed to his theme of the less rosy side of driving. “And then there are the late ones, those phantoms who just disappear. ‘Here already!’ they happily send as a message, while I sit waiting in the designated pickup spot and they are nowhere to be seen. It’s like a dance – waiting, messaging, waiting again. It’s easy to lose your cool but that doesn’t help.”
“There’s a price for their delay. Every moment counts for me. The longer I wait, the more I lose. And sometimes, cancellations fall like rain.”
“Yet, even in all this chaos, it’s never boring. Every ride is different, the city brings me all kinds of people. And I become part of the story.”
I was silenced by this insight and William’s philosophical nature. Through his stories, I got a taste of city’s soul and all the people who moved within it. And I began to see William as a witness, to a city and its people, both of them vibrant and challenging, a tapestry of dreams and frustrations.
I arrived at my destination but William’s stories came with me — rude awakenings, shared journeys, the ceaseless pulse of a city that beats in harmony with the hearts of its people – each story a painting on our urban canvas, one ride at a time.
Danny Altia and Jaki Fisher
