By Isabel Pancake
Actually, I don’t expect much at all. I just want to get home safely and reasonably quickly. Why I (actually) prefer public transport at night to Uber or Bolt.
On Saturday evening I was again faced with the dilemma of getting home. The app told me that if I had started walking two minutes ago, I would be at the stop and catch the subway in ten minutes.
So run now? If in doubt, I still can’t do it. The next subway leaves in 15 minutes. That means I have to wait alone in the station for that long. And after the journey, walk home through the darkness with the front door key in your hand.
So I book a taxi alternative for far too much money. That’s definitely safer. This is the third time I’ve regretted this.
The first time the driver told me that he would like to cook for me and that I should get in touch.
The second time the driver was only supposed to take me to the subway station at Alexanderplatz and kept asking me why he wasn’t allowed to take me home.
The third time – that Saturday evening – I got in and said my name to confirm that I had indeed booked the vehicle. The driver turned on a raunchy song. The song title and my name – coincide. Definitely just a coincidence. He later told me to call him on my birthday so we could celebrate together. And every time I’m asked whether I live alone.
What would have been safer: sitting on the subway with other people and being able to get out at any time if I felt uncomfortable. But to do that I have to run through the rain, wait at the bus stop, walk through the darkness. I would really like to take public transport instead.