Generous or reckless? PHV driver conflicted after passenger with money woes leaves $10 tip
A PHV driver who says he received a $10 tip from a passenger, ended up deeply concerned about her life choices.
User @taxitalessg, who posts videos telling stories from work, uploaded a clip where he says: "This story is about a passenger who tipped me in a way where I was left unsure to [sic] feel grateful or deeply concerned".
The post has so far garnered more than 173,800 views, 7,305 reactions, and 652 comments.
The passenger in question arrived late for the pick up, and was more than half an hour late for work by the time she got into car.
She also had a husband with health problems because of his poor diet, as well as nine cats which she spent more on than her children - who live on food stamps - and always borrowed money from her "generous friends"
To top it all off, she had also been passed over for promotion in favour of a younger colleague.
At the end of the journey, the passenger gave him a $10 tip - "a tip I didn't want to accept". He concludes by asking if users thought the passenger was generous or fiscally irresponsible.
'It is quite wasteful'
Commenters praised the TikToker's storytelling style. "Bro do PHV podcast, your voice very soothing to listen hahahaha," another said, to which taxitalessg replied: "Isn't this a PHV podcast?"
"I almost forgot this was a taxi ride, I enjoyed your ride experience very much. Great writing style, like you're recording a manuscript for your upcoming book," another said.
Many commenters were critical of the passenger's lack of fiscal responsibility. "Poor (money) management! for sure," said one.
"We can be generous and fiscally responsible. In this case, it is quite wasteful especially when she (has been) borrowing from her friends," another said.
"There's generous. And there's just plain reckless," said yet another.
One netizen suggested the driver did not have the full story of the passenger's situation. "Maybe she have [sic] been on time to work for so many years and then she got to know that someone else will get the promotion, so she starts to be tardy about things. Such a news [sic] is a dampener of things."
One user offered this sage opinion: "Very meaningful story, brother. At the end of our worldly life, we will leave behind our health, wealth, and even our loved ones. All we can do is live our best in this temporary world. Debts exist everywhere — even the air we breathe feels like a loan. Everything is temporary."
