Share driver’s details with friends

I REFER to the article “GrabCar driver removed from system following sexual assault report” (NST, June 12).

To address the issue of the safety of Grabcars, we should be very cautious when travelling with GrabCar and Uber.

Although they are deemed to be safer compared with usual taxis, these companies are only tracking the location of the car, and not what the driver is doing while on the journey.

I am not suggesting that we track the activities of the drivers, as that would be an invasion of privacy.

However, since it is something that we have no control over, we should be especially cautious.

Since I started college, my friends and I have been travelling with GrabCar more often.

Recently, a friend took a GrabCar home late at night.

For hours, she did not contact anyone, nor did she update her social media.

That got her friends and me worried, thinking that something had gone wrong during her ride home. Luckily, it was just a huge misunderstanding.

However, that incident is a wake-up call for us and is a reminder that we are not always in a safe environment, especially when riding in strangers’ cars.

From that incident on, we came up with an idea to maximise our safety in Grab rides.

Every time any of us took a ride with GrabCar, we would send a screenshot of the driver’s details page to several friends.

Therefore, at least someone is aware of whose car you got into and the journey that you will be on.

I recommend that we all pick up this habit to improve the safety of our Grab rides.

That said, we should not always assume the worst, but have a little faith in our GrabCar drivers.