Today I met a very friendly and polite uber rider. I was heading for my home from my office. I booked a uber moto. It is a ride-sharing service for sharing a motorcycle ride. Surprisingly this was the rider's first ride-sharing experience. I was his first rider.
I mentioned earlier that I am not good at first conversation. But this time it was different. I noticed that he is riding a Suzuki Gixer bike. A bike that is not so appropriate mileage-wise to share rides dedicatedly in Dhaka. The bike is expensive too. And by appearance, he didn't look like a professional rider. But I don't judge people or try to guess about themselves.
So I started talking and found out that he came to Dhaka just two days ago. He is a fresher at a university and started sharing rides in Dhaka to know the city. He is from Chittagong and has been raised up there. He knows nothing about Dhaka city. I had to give him the directions to my destination.
We started talking about Dhaka hacks and our academic background and career. I found that he is studying International Business. He is just trying to get an understanding of the city. Like millions of others, he also hates Dhaka's bitter traffic.
Since it was his first-time ride-sharing he asked me to give him some tips. I said that if you ride bikes it's better to stick to the left on busy roads. But I couldn't share the important fact or tip. It is about people behaving rudely to the riders.
In Bangladesh, we often treat our riders harshly. The bad behavior also depends upon the ride the person is offering. It's like if you ride a rickshaw, some people will never treat you well. If you ride a CNG you will be also treated roughly but a little less compared to the RIckshawpuller. The list can go on.
The thing is that people assume that the rider is inferior to them. In terms of money or academic background. It is not a good practice at all. But it has been the same for decades. I think you should not judge people let aside treat people roughly.
Let that go, So after reaching my destination I offered him tea and smoke. We talked for a long time and got to know each other a bit more. He is planning to leave the country to study. He and I have some mutual friends. I became his Facebook friend. We talked about basketball music and movies. I have had some beautiful and pleasant conversations with my riders but this was quite a good one. I will be in touch with him I guess.
That's it for now, stay safe and sound.