Singapore — An appreciative mother of three has taken to social media to praise a taxi driver who went the extra mile of assisting her with her children on a rainy morning, even going as far as discounting her total fare.
It was a rainy Tuesday morning (Jan 12) and Ms Noor Shakila had children to send to school. Her first attempt at booking a taxi was already unsuccessful.
A ComfortDelGro taxi driver, Mr Cai Jiaxiang, eventually accepted her booking.
The driver, who was in his 30s, according to Ms Shakila, asked when she boarded the taxi with her children whether she had only one destination.
Ms Noor Shakila confirmed that, and they made their way to her daughters’ school. However, when they arrived, it was raining heavily.
“You got umbrella? Never mind, I take for you. You stay inside the car. You go go!,” wrote Ms Shakila, quoting Mr Cai. He offered her his umbrella so she could send her two children to school.
“My son stay inside the car for awhile, ah,” she suggested. Mr Cai responded: “Okay, okay, can.”
Ms Noor Shakila went back to the taxi with a crying son, yet the driver was understanding. “Don’t worry, I understand. I also have a kid. Now Primary 1 already. I don’t know how you can handle all three,” he said.
Mr Cai then asked if she was working. She explained that she had resigned recently but had a job interview scheduled that day.
After discovering that Mr Noor Shakila was not sure of her job interview’s exact location except that it was in Hougang, the driver parked the taxi in a safe location to help her find the best route to her destination.
Ms Noor Shakila also shared that she grew anxious about the taxi fare increasing at this time. However, when they arrived home, Mr Cai gave her a S$5 discount on the S$15 fare.
She insisted on paying the full amount but Mr Cai declined. “I’m trying to earn a living, and so are you. The rest you use to feed your kids. I assure you there’s no need to worry. I also have kids. I know it’s difficult,” he said.
Ms Noor Shakila praised Mr Cai in her post. She was joined by members of the online community who also shared the post more than 2,500 times.
In a follow-up comment, she mentioned she had called the taxi company to express her gratitude in the hope they could convey her message to Mr Cai. “I don’t usually do that, but Mr Cai is an exception!,” she said. /TISG
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