Passengers share Grab drivers' tall tales – are they doing it for the money or just to kill time?
E-HAILING car rides are a blessing for many – convenient, relatively safe and (usually) more readily available than liveried taxis.
Just as important is that being a e-hailing driver has been a viable source of employment for many, cutting across lines of age, gender and even indeed, education.
Many would have also come across chatty e-hailing drivers who will regale passengers with all manner of small talk – some that will cause an eyebrow or two to be raised sceptically.
One such episode was shared by Facebooker Nik Lee who booked a Grab ride to get to the Kajang MRT station. He described the driver as being very friendly and talkative, claiming that he (the driver) had worked extensively abroad, including in the US, UK and Europe.
The driver further revealed that he had also worked in the Compliance Regulatory Department of Deutsche Bank, reaching the level of vice-president. But he quit at 40 to return to Malaysia.
The banker-driver was described as being very fluent in English and even owned houses in Bangsar and Ayer 8 (in Putrajaya which he bought cheap on auction) but lived in Bangi.
The poster made a wry remark signifying he thought these were just tall tales by the Grab driver.
The post has since generated 2.2K likes, 583 comments and 174shares with more than a few also coming across such corporate high-flyers who have opted to kill time by being an e-hailing driver.
It was confirmed that this driver was indeed the chatty type and was wearing exact same attire as in the photo.
Another commenter who claimed to have also taken this uncle's ride previously confirmed the driver's talkative nature.
He would speak on all manner of subjects even though receiving little or no response from the passengers. Though very well-spoken, the condition of his cab was less impressive.
At first, the commenter thought the Grab driver was 'a Chinese uncle' only to realise 'he's as Kelantanese Malay Muslim'.
'He dons a (short sleeve) suit shirt with short pants just like overseas … but his car is heaty till my hubby has to switch on a mobile fan to direct at our kid.,' recalled the passenger.
One commenter shared a similar experience of an e-hailing driver who claimed to have earned up to RM100,000/month working in Dubai previously.
He stayed in a five-star hotel but quit upon his children completing their education and securing employment overseas.
He claimed that they send him money to the tune of RM5,000/monthly and that he was being a e-hailing driver just as a hobby. But when queried to his working hours, his reply was 'from 7.30am till 8pm'.
It was then pointed out that such long hours meant it was no longer a hobby but actual toiling for a living. The conversation then stopped till they reached the destination.
Another commenter hilariously highlighted a case where an 'uncle' chose to become an e-hailing driver just to get out of the house and avoid the spouse's constant nagging. He would even sometimes send passengers for free!
At the end of the days, it was pointed out by one commenter that all this was 'just small talk', hence no need to take the ensuing conversation seriously.
If one does come across e-hailing drivers who are very chatty and seem to regale in tall tales, just bear with it for the duration of the trip. They may be just bored, lonely or both.
As for the tall tales, some may have fallen on hard times, thus necessitating them to take up this vocation. Have some empathy as it may be difficult for them to adjust to this new station in life. – June 23, 2025
Main image credit: Nik Lee/Facebook
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