NO DRIVING LICENCE, NO PROBLEM

 Okay, let’s address the elephant in the Grab car: at 63 years of age, I still don’t have a driving licence. Shocking? Maybe. But honestly, no licence, not a problem at all.

Sure, I did signed up for driving lessons and had actually passed the theory exam — big achievement, right? I’m basically a certified theoretical driver. I know my road signs, my rules, and can even tell you what to do if a traffic light turns red. 

But the actual driving part?  After passing the theory exam, I thought I’d be on the road in no time. Spoiler alert: I was not. 

I had zero desire to learn about the mysterious world under a car’s hood. Yes, one of the requirements of driving school is for you get to know the car better. I don’t want to spend hours memorizing pistons, spark plugs, or whatever that magical thing is that makes a car go vroom. If my car ever breaks down, I have a whole crew of mechanics on speed dial — and if worse comes to worst, there’s always Grab or a tow truck. Life’s too short to become a part-time mechanic.


And so, the motivation disappeared. Suddenly, “book driving lessons” turned into “maybe next month,” and next month turned into... well, here we are.


Plus, public transport has been my loyal sidekick through it all. If I can take buses and trains in New York City, Washington DC, London, Tokyo and Singapore, why not in KL?

Furthermore, buses and trains don’t judge your parking, they don’t stall, and best of all—they don’t expect you to steer. As long as they show up on time (which is rare, but we take what we can get), they do the job.


So no, I’m not a licensed driver yet. Maybe, one day I’ll get behind the wheel—for now, I’m riding shotgun with pride. And you know, sometimes the journey is better when you’re not behind the wheel.

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