A routine late-night e-hailing trip turned into an unexpected ordeal for a driver in Kuala Lumpur after his passenger fell into such a deep sleep that she could not be woken even after reaching her destination.
Sharing his experience on Xiaohongshu, the driver, known by the username 在KL打拼的沙巴仔, said the incident occurred at about 11.30pm. He had picked up a female passenger near Bangsar, with Cheras set as the destination.
The driver said the journey, which lasted about 30 minutes, passed quietly as he usually avoids initiating conversation with passengers. Upon arriving at the drop-off point, he tried several times to wake the passenger but received no response. She remained fast asleep, reportedly unaffected even by the sound of her dog barking nearby.
Uncertain about how to handle the situation and encountering it for the first time, the driver contacted the e-hailing platform’s customer service. He was advised to bring the passenger to the nearest police station, which he did.
At the Cheras Kajang police station, a male officer called for a female colleague to assist after noticing the passenger was a woman. Although the driver did not elaborate on how she was eventually awakened, he said the situation took another unexpected turn once she regained consciousness.
According to the driver, the passenger told the female officer that she did not want to get out of the car. It later emerged that she did not want to be dropped off at the police station and instead requested to be sent back home.
The driver said he eventually complied and sent her back after several minutes. He added that while the passenger promised to tip him for the inconvenience, he had yet to receive anything at the time of posting.
The prolonged incident caused the driver to lose about an hour and miss out on potential bookings, leaving him frustrated. Reflecting on the experience, he said that if a similar situation were to happen again, he would take the passenger straight to the police station and advise her to book another ride from there.
Speaking to WeirdKaya, the driver added that he had sensed the passenger was not fully conscious from the moment she entered his car. He estimated that resolving the situation took an extra hour, but noted that such incidents are rare, adding that in his six months as a driver, this was the first time he had encountered a passenger who could not be woken up.
