Many ride-sharing companies try to ensure a certain level of respect be reciprocated by both passengers and drivers.
Despite their best efforts in instilling respect within the ride-sharing community, the reality is that these companies can’t control the things that happen during the car ride — which means there are times when a passenger may ride with a rude driver or a driver may service an ungrateful passenger.
Situations like these seem unavoidable. For Uber driver Darwin De Lara, the solution was simple — create a set of rules for your passengers to abide by. On the headrests of De Lara’s vehicle, there hangs two laminated papers containing the rules for his passengers, and it’s funny AF!
De Lara’s set of rules is divided into four categories, namely “Inside the car,” “While on trip,” “Compliments and ratings” and “After the ride.” It consists of the following rules:
- Bawal pong magkalat (Do not leave trash in the car)
- Bawal maglampungan (Performing any promiscuous act is prohibited during the ride)
- Bawal umutot (Do not fart during the trip)
- Bawal sumuka (Do not throw up or vomit whilst inside the vehicle)
- Bawal magyosi (Do not smoke inside the car)
- Bawal maarte at pabebe (Do not act “pabebe” while in the vehicle)
- Bawal magmadali (Do not rush the driver)
- Pwede pong kausapin ang driver (Feel free to chat with the driver)
- Pwede pong palakasin ang aircon or sound (You may request to increase the temperature of airconditioner or the volume of the radio)
- Pwede niyo pong ituro ang daan na sa tingin niyo ay mapapabilis ang inyong biyahe (You may instruct the driver to take the quickest route to your destination)
- Pwede po kayong maki-charge ng cellphone (You may charge your mobile phones using the car’s charger)
- Wag po kayong mahiyang magbigay ng 5 stars sa rating (Feel free to rate the driver 5 stars)
- Wag po kayong mahiyang magbigay ng tip (Feel free to tip the driver)
- Pwede po kayong magcomment kung na-satisfy po kayo sa service ng Uber Driver (You may comment on the Uber app if you’ve enjoyed the service the driver has provided)
- Wag po makalimutang mag- “thank you” (Please don’t forget to say thank you to the driver once you’ve reached your destination)
- Wag pong ibalibag ang pinto pagbaba ng sasakyan (Do not slam the doors of the car once you get out of the vehicle)
- Ingat po and thank you for patronizing Uber (Take care and thank you for patronizing Uber)
De Lara tells InqPOP! that he created the set of rules in his vehicle because of experiences he’s had with some passengers. “Nangyari na po lahat niyan sa akin habang nasa biyahe. Ayan po may naglampungan, may nagsuka na din…” he details. (As an Uber driver, I’ve experienced all of those things during my trips. For instance, there were passengers who were making out, some even vomited during the ride…)
Although his rules elicit snickers from his passengers, De Lara admits many of them respect them. De Lara shares one instance where a passenger who kept nagging him to speed up changed his tone upon reading the rules. “After po nakita niya yung rules, tinanong ko po siya ‘Ano oras po kailangan niyo makarating doon?’ at sagot niya po, ‘Ay wag na, okay na po kuya,’” he explains. (I noticed a change in my passenger’s demeanor when I asked him, ‘What time do you need to be at your destination?’ and he replied ‘It’s okay, don’t worry about it,’ and this change in attitude was probably because he saw my rules.)
Whatever your opinion may be about De Lara’s set of rules, one thing’s for sure, respect begets respect. So remember that the next time you book any one of these ride-sharing services!
