18 Stories About Taxi Rides That Could Rival Any Thriller

When you get in a taxi, you hope to get to your destination in peace. But sometimes it doesn’t happen this way. The driver may suggest that your mom needs him as a son-in-law, or the car could stall in the middle of nowhere. The Internet is full of such stories.

• A very old car arrived to get me to my destination. So, we’re driving, and about halfway down the way, the driver gets nervous. He started shaking his leg, like on gym equipment. Suddenly, he said, “We can’t go. I think the brakes have failed.” And it’s late, we’re in the middle of nowhere, my phone’s dying. I asked in despair, “So, we can’t make it?” And the driver replied, “We can. I’m just worried about you. But we can make it.” Eventually, we got home. Slowly, in low gear. I didn’t complain. The man did his best. And there were no taxi apps at that time to complain to. © Tri-Anon / ADME
• I was young, caught a taxi, gave the driver the address, and we were off. And this driver was staring at me in the mirror the whole time! I said, “Look at the road!” He didn’t react. When we got to the place, I asked him to stop, and he kept going! I freaked out and roared, “Pull over!” He slowed down, turned around, and looked at me again with his crazy look! I threw the money and darted out of the car. © B.Atayewa / ADME

• Of all my taxi rides, the most memorable was the one with a rude taxi driver. When my son was 7 years old, I picked him up from school and called a taxi. In the comment to the order, I specified the age of the child. The first thing the driver said was that he didn’t allow children in his car. Then he became nervous that my son would make his expensive car dirty. But my son was just sitting quietly watching videos. © Natalia / ADME
• I love my job as a taxi driver. I love the interesting variety of people you encounter. I always try to make each customer remember the ride fondly. I also look for opportunities to be of help, a good samaritan, and an angel to others. I’ll give free rides because it’s raining or offer one to a mother with small children who are carrying a lot of groceries. I’ve taken in a woman stranded by an abusive boyfriend in a strange city and state to make sure she gets safe help. I’ve driven nights for over 30 years and have been blessed with angels of my own. © Brenda Rae Pike / Quora
• I was coming home from work in the evening and decided to take a taxi. It was pouring outside, there was a huge traffic jam on the road, and I kept getting calls from my mom who was worried about me. The taxi driver saw that I was worried and said, “Don’t worry, I will get you home safely.” In total, we were stuck in traffic for over 2 hours, and the driver even missed dinner because of it. On the way, we spoke a lot about his family, his daughters, his childhood, and, of course, my future. It was a lot. I was glad I got to spend 2 hours getting to know someone like him. © Nishi R / Quora
• We were running late for the first day at school. I got a taxi. But when we arrived at the school, my son suddenly said, “We forgot the flowers at home.” I’m lost thinking over other possible options when the driver turns around and says, “Don’t worry, I have a bouquet in the trunk. I bought it for my mother-in-law, but you need it more now.” I was over the moon and thanked him. Later, I transferred the money for the flowers to his phone number. © Podsushano / VK

• I ordered a taxi using a mobile app. I got into the car and said hello. The driver replied, “Good afternoon, Tory.” I asked surprised, “How do you know my name?” The driver replied that he also knew I was a nail technician. I froze. It turned out that he had a special program on his phone that identified how my phone number was recorded in contacts. © Tatiana Mardari
• A friend ordered a taxi and marked that she’d be with a child. The taxi arrived without a child seat, and the driver said, nonchalantly, “It’s okay, I know the city like the back of my hand. There will be no policemen on the way.” The friend canceled the trip and wrote a complaint in support. © Anastomus / ADME
• We went to visit friends in Japan and called a taxi. In Japan, the streets and localities are marked as numbers. We asked the driver to enter 218 into the navigator, but unfortunately, the map had only up to 217. Apparently, the locality had been added recently and the map hadn’t been updated yet. The taxi driver explained something to us in Japanese, but we didn’t know the language. Anyway, he took us to number 217, stopped the fare meter, and started circling in the neighborhood. We tried to tell him that we could walk, but he said something in Japanese, like, “It’s my duty.” Eventually, we saw our friends who came out to meet us. The taxi driver only charged us the amount that was on the meter at our first stop. © Varun Pai / Quora
• I have only come across female drivers a few times, and each time it was something extraordinary. The first driver’s car broke down as soon as she pulled out of the driveway. The second one was holding the phone all the way and was telling someone that she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep and could barely keep her eyes open. © Ekaterina Alexandrovna / ADME

• I left my phone in a taxi. I called support and the driver brought it back to me. I gave him a hot pie and drinks to thank him. The man smiled and handed me the phone. I went home happy and only then noticed that for 5 minutes, he had my phone, he had already removed my SIM card. © Katis***** / Pikabu
• I was on my way back to the hostel and decided to take a taxi. On the way, I talked to the driver, and he told me about his little daughter and how he dreamed of her becoming a doctor. Tuition fees were raised every year, so he had to work 14 hours a day to earn enough money. At the end of the journey, he said, “People usually don’t talk to me, so I won’t charge you.” He gave me his phone number and said, “Next time you need a car, call me.” © Unknown author / Quora
• I climbed into the back seat of a taxi, and we pulled off. The driver asked me why my husband let me go by myself. I replied that I was single. You should have seen his predatory look! I tried to change the subject, but he insisted that he could help me around the house, like by moving furniture or taking out garbage. But he calmed down quickly when we picked up my friend on the way. The driver kept silent for the rest of the journey. © Gulnar Kasym
• I ordered a taxi and indicated that I was with a baby. The taxi driver arrived and said, “The seat is in the trunk, it takes a long time to install it, so let’s go without it, I’ll drive carefully.” I insisted on installing the seat, so he drove angrily as if I stepped on his sore foot. © lerahalera / ADME

• I was on my way to a party dressed like Little Red Riding Hood carrying cakes in the basket. The taxi driver asked permission to stop by his house so he could fetch his camera and take a photo of me to show what kinds of customers he drove. But I said that the cakes were getting cold and the wolf would be angry, so I just gave the taxi driver one of my cakes. © Inna Sabodash
• I left home in a bad mood and still had to go to the dentist. The taxi that arrived was a wreck. The driver asked something and we started talking. We talked about our childhoods. Eventually, he lifted my spirits. I entered the dentist’s office with a smile on my face. © Penne Al pesto / ADME
• I was riding in a taxi from college. On the way, we chatted with the driver about karma. When it was time to pay for the ride, I suddenly realized that I was 3 rupees short. The taxi driver replied, “That’s alright. Maybe, sometime, somewhere, or in some birth I might have owed you 3 rupees. It’s karma.” I looked at him blankly as he began to drive away. © Ashish R / Quora
• My girlfriends and I were riding in a taxi from hiking, tired. Suddenly, the driver braked sharply, slammed his hands on the steering wheel, and yelled, “Is it a setup? Am I being filmed on a spycam?!” We stared at him in bewilderment and he continued, “It’s the first time I’ve seen women who ride in silence!” And for the rest of the journey, he laughed like a madman and mumbled something under his breath. © mask / ADME

Want more? Here are a few other fascinating stories about taxi rides.