[Current Affairs & Culture] Model Use Cases of Substitute Driving Services During Year-End and New Year Period

A few days ago, I drove a designated driver after a long time. It used to be a job for making a living, but now it sometimes serves as a means of transportation and helps when my mind is unsettled. He, who was going from Gongdeok in Seoul to Siheung, was a very impressive person. I have met at least hundreds of people so far. I have met many good customers, but this man in his 50s was arguably the most exemplary among them. For those of you who might use a designated driver service around the year-end and New Year holidays, I want to record his way of using the designated driver service. He was the person I wanted to take home most comfortably and safely.

1) While I was diligently heading after receiving the call, I got the following message from him.

"I am the white OO car on the ground level of the OO parking lot."

The moment I saw that message, I knew. This person would be a good person. Many people just tell you to find them at the address specified in the application (app). That is actually correct, but sometimes the location is mistakenly marked at a nearby building, and I cannot know which floor of the underground parking lot he is on. It sometimes takes a few more minutes after arriving to find him. Moreover, sometimes contact is lost or the customer leaves with a designated driver who arrived first. About 1 or 2 out of 10 people send their location first like this.

2) When I arrived at the parking lot and found the car with the hazard lights on, he greeted me first by raising his hand.

"Hello, driver Kim Minseop!"

How often does a designated driver have the chance to hear their name from a customer? I can say definitely never. The customer sees my name and photo through the driver information in the app. Even so, hardly anyone pays attention to that. I also use various services and often see someone's name on a name tag or badge, but I do not call them by their name. It seems fair to say they do not care at all. They are people you will probably never see again after today. I met a customer who called me by my name for the first time. Thanks to that, I realized how grateful that is.

3) After getting in the car and starting the engine, he said,

"You can search for my home on the navigation. Please feel free to use the phone holder as well."

He was a person who specified the destination as ‘OO-dong OO Apartment’. In fact, some people only disclose up to ‘OO-dong’. Then you might wonder if the entire OO-dong is their home. When I ask for the exact destination and say I will turn on the navigation, some customers get angry, saying, "Does the driver not know the way? Do I have to listen to the noisy navigation voice?" Sometimes it is embarrassing to ask to use a phone holder or charger because of the awkwardness.

4) Not long after starting to drive, he cautiously said,

"Driver, I am really sorry. I have to give cash to a colleague at work, so I have no cash at all to give you a tip right now. I should have withdrawn some beforehand. Ah, really, I am sorry."

What designated drivers probably want most is a tip, and what customers probably feel most burdened by is whether they should give it or not, and if so, how much to give. I was beginning to feel a kind of respect for him.

There are many more anecdotes about him, so I think I should continue writing in the next issue.

Kim Minseop, Social and Cultural Critic

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.