When carpooling services like uberPOOL emerged, there was a certain buzz around the office – “Eh, what if you meet someone cute on a ride ah?” “Aiyah you think life is a movie is it?”
Given that the concept isn’t as mainstream as it is in other countries, the possibilities that come with sharing a ride alongside absolute strangers were both daunting for the typically reserved Singaporean and exciting for the ones who are more curious.
When I asked my friends and colleagues who have taken the carpool option, most mentioned that the experiences were typically boring, with fellow riders keeping to themselves the whole time.
An article we did also revealed some not-so savoury experiences of Singaporeans with riders from hell.
Of course, reality is usually uneventful – but that was the case until our friends at Uber shared with us a story of how the service actually brought 2 young Singaporeans together.
When Dylan Met Dora
It was just another day on the road for Dylan, a real estate agent by trade, and a part-time Uber driver-partner.
It was just another day on the road too for Dora, a flight attendant on her way to Changi Airport.
And as fate had it, the uberPOOL ride that Dora took was driven by Dylan.
Given Dylan’s friendly demeanour and his penchant for chatting with his passengers, the long ride was filled with good conversation and laughter, and since Dora was the last to be dropped off, two of them had the opportunity to chat a little bit longer.
The conversation was nothing out of the ordinary – he asked her about her job, her reasons for taking on a job with an office in the sky, and about the university she graduated from – but the short time was more than enough for her to make a good impression on him, and him on her.
No numbers were exchanged, though, as Dylan felt that it wasn’t right to ask for her number since he was, after all, providing a service.
But he knew that there was something special about her.
This was when he turned to his social network and asked his friends, as well as friends of friends, in an attempt find out more about her. And just 2 days after that fateful trip, a “friend of a friend of a friend” got back to him, and through this intermediary, he asked if she remembered him.
To his relief, she did. And he then asked if it was alright for him to contact her personally. And to his relief again, she agreed.
Gathering up his courage before hitting the ‘send’ button on his phone, he kickstarted their soon-to-be unending conversation with the line, “How do you find your job?”.
And with that, the pair started chatting more, and got even closer with meet ups and suppers together.
Now, three months later, they’re still happily together and a living testament to love blossoming in the least expected places.
Do you have any stories about similar chance encounters like these? Let us know!
Featured Image Credit: Dylan and Dora, Uber
