Passenger Question—Do You Do Coke or Hardcore Drugs?

As a rideshare driver, I have encountered my fair share of unusual passengers, but one ride stands out as particularly strange. It was a short trip that took me from one liquor store to another, with a final stop at the Wilmington Airport. Little did I know, this ride would be filled with oddities and a sense of unease that I wouldn’t soon forget.

The passenger I picked up was clearly inebriated—perhaps high too. From the moment he slid into my back seat, I sensed something was off. His gaze was intense, almost too intense, and his slurred speech made it difficult to keep up with our conversation. We exchanged pleasantries, but I could tell this wasn’t going to be a normal ride.

He asked if I wanted anything from Joey’s Liquors, which struck me as an odd question for a rideshare driver. I mean, you shouldn’t be promoting drinking alcohol to people who are out on the road all day. I find that inappropriate, but maybe it’s just me because I’m very vanilla. I politely declined, saying I was all stocked up for the weekend. But then the conversation took an even weirder turn.

“Do you like to cook?” he asked, and I thought he was just being random. I responded, “Yea, I like to cook. A little bit here and there—I don’t mind it.” But he quickly clarified, “No, I mean, do you like have any coke?” At that moment, I was flabbergasted. “Oh, coke? I replied—completely thrown off because I couldn’t believe he was openly asking his rideshare driver about drugs. “Nah, no coke, man,” I replied, trying to hide my bewilderment and stifle a laugh.

“Oh, ok,” he said, sensing a dejected tone while gazing out the window for a few seconds. The conversation continued to spiral into bizarre territory. He then asked if I was a straight man. I assumed he was referring to my personality rather than my sexuality, and simply answered, “Yeah.” But the questions didn’t stop there.

“Do you know where I can find any hardcore drugs?” he inquired nonchalantly. Seriously? And this wasn’t the first time I had been asked this by a passenger, and I was beginning to wonder if it was a trend among certain riders.

I firmly replied, “Nah, man. I never dabbled in that stuff,” hoping he would change the subject. Clearly feeling down about himself, answering “My bad. God Bless you.” I really wanted him out of my vehicle, and I very quickly regretted taking this trip. Especially having to wait for him at the liquor store. I told myself that if he takes longer than five minutes, that I’m going to cancel the trip and leave.

But he was actually out pretty fast, purchasing what appeared to be a forty and maybe a small bottle of some mini liquor shot. I remember feeling very uneasy about this trip as he entered my vehicle again. Is this a setup to get carjacked or robbed? It was a short trip. And the second stop at the county airport only added to the overall strangeness of the encounter and the peculiar nature of this dude.

As I swiped to continue the trip to the last destination in the app, he opened up about his life, sharing how depressed he felt and why he drank. “I’m on my way to work, and I hate my job,” he lamented. He said he was on his way to work and hates his job and nothing is going well in his life right now. I just kept the conversation focused on him and told myself that it would be over in a few minutes.

I mean who the hell takes an uber from one liquor store to the next and then to the county airport. And how did he end up at the first liquor store where I picked him up? Was he dropped off there by another Uber driver who decided to leave due to his strange behavior? And what was his purpose at the airport? I didn’t inquire further, but I couldn't help but hope he wasn't involved in anything significant that might lead to negligence.

Finally, we arrived at the airport terminal, and I felt a rush of relief—the ride was over! This trip remains one of the strangest passenger encounters I've had as a rideshare driver, leaving me to wonder what was really going on with this guy. I know I'll always have more questions than answers regarding this bizarre encounter. 

But that's part of the beauty of driving rideshare. Each trip is a new story, filled with unique characters and unexpected twists. Each one leaving a mark and a story to tell. So, here’s to the weird rides that keep us on our toes and make every day a little more interesting!