Terrible Taxi Drivers in Singapore

It's no secret that cab drivers in Singapore have less than golden reputations. Complaints of shockingly rude and aggressive taxi drivers have been the subject of discussions upteen times. Of course, not ALL taxi drivers are bad. I've met some truly nice ones who really go the extra mile in terms of service, but sad to say, numbers of such amicable drivers are thin on the ground.

I was taking a cab from Bukit Merah to Farrer Park last Friday, and hopped into a cab with a plump uncle with a booming voice. I asked him to take the shortest, fastest way possible to Farrer Park as I was in a huge hurry, and he very enthusiastically agreed. What a nice uncle, right?

WRONG.

Never make premature conclusions cos they WILL be wrong.

About 3 mins into the journey, the Uncle suddenly asks me. 'Hi, Miss, can you do me a favour?'

Me (albeit sceptically): Erm... Yeah?

Uncle: Are you really in a rush?

Me: Yes... Yes, I am.

Uncle: Never mind then. Forget it.

Me: What? What is it?

Uncle: I wanted to ask you if I could stop at the petrol station to use the restroom cos I urgently need to go, but never mind.

Me: What!? Well, go ahead! Go ahead and use the restroom first.

Uncle: Never mind. Forget it. You've already said no, so it's a no. My goal right now is to take you to your destination and that's all.

Me: Yeah.. That kinda was your goal right from the start. But for the record I DIDN'T say no. You didn't even ask me if you could go to the restroom. You simply asked if I was in a rush, to which I answered yes.

Was I supposed to telepathically know you wanted to use the restroom, and should I have lied and said I was NOT in a rush just to accommodate your inability to ask a proper question?

If you urgently need to use the restroom then you should have just said so.

Uncle: In all my 10 years of driving taxis, you are the first customer who has ever disallowed me from using the restroom. Most people would just say 'go ahead, Uncle, using the restroom only a few minutes anyway!'

But since you have said no, I know from now on not to take any passengers when I urgently need to use the restroom. I thought I would be KIND enough to pick you up, but now I will never be so KIND again.

Me: ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME. NOW.

Dude.

Dudeeeeee.

Why. Why are people intent on being so, so painfully stupid?

This Taxi Driver didn't even ask me if he could use the restroom. All he did was ask if I was in a rush, to which the answer is YES. Was I supposed to know he urgently needed the restroom if he didn't communicate it to me right from the start? Was I supposed to develop instant mind-reading abilities and be aware of the meaning behind the loaded question of 'Miss, are you in a rush?'

If he wanted to use the god-damned toilet, any smidgen of common sense that should exist in his befuddled mind should tell him to COMMUNICATE HIS DAMNED INTENTION, instead of asking an indirect question and proceeding to jump to his own conclusion. And that little snide comment about being 'kind enough to pick passengers up despite urgently needing the restroom'?

Dude. That's not kindness. Kindness would be if he decided to pick a passenger up out of goodwill without expecting payment in return. THAT is the definition of kindness.

But here, little Mister Taxi Driver didn't pick me up without expecting anything in return. He picked me up EXPECTING payment, which makes this a JOB. This JOB wasn't done out of kindness. It was done out of ECONOMICAL REASONS. Pulling out the Kindness card is just laying it on really thick. That's akin to me giving paid tuition lessons to a kid and calling it 'kindness' when I'm receiving $40 per hour for said 'kindness'.

GIVE ME A BREAK, MAN. You're killing me with your idiocy here.

It's times like these that I really lose hope in the intelligence of human beings.