Uber mums who go the extra mile
All mothers go the extra mile for their children. For some, literally.
Madam Fazidah Rahim, 50, and her daughter, Miss Nurfaezah Zakaria, 26, are Uber drivers in their spare time.
Miss Nurfaezah, who is studying part-time for her degree in electrical engineering, began driving with Uber in November last year to pay for her education. Her mother began around a month later to support Miss Nurfaezah and her younger brother, who is 18.
Madam Fazidah, who is married, and has another son who is 28, drives on some weekday nights. She has a full-time job in the tourism industry.
Miss Nurfaezah also has a full-time job, and drives some weekdays after classes end at 10pm.
They own a Proton Exora and take turns driving it.
Miss Nurfaezah told The New Paper: "I started off giving my mother advice on how to use the Uber app, but now she is the one giving me tips, like telling me which areas have surge pricing and are better to pick up passengers."
Madam Fazidah used to worry about her daughter driving late at night, and now her own mother worries for her .
Madam Fazidah said: "When I drive late at night, she will call me and ask me what time I am coming home."
The experience has brought her and her daughter closer together.
Madam Fazidah said: "We share our experiences, and I have something new and exciting to tell her every day."
Mother of two, Miss Judy Wong, 58, is a full-time Uber driver.
She told TNP: "I was a millionaire, but after my divorce, I lost almost every cent I had in the bank."
Miss Wong had been a real estate agent for more than 20 years, but she felt her income was not stable and the market was not doing well.
Worried about providing for her two children, aged 19 and 25, she chose to find a new job.
Her daughter, the younger child, had taken Uber rides before, and felt her mother would enjoy the job.
She suggested her mother try it out and in June last year, Miss Wong began driving with Uber.
Miss Wong could not be more thankful.
She enjoys meeting interesting passengers, and even writes about the more memorable experiences she has in a notebook she keeps in her car.
Miss Wong jokes that she will use these stories to develop a comic book in the future.
Despite the exhausting 12-hour work days, she always tries to make it home for dinner with her children.
Miss Wong said: "My children think that their mum being an Uber driver is very cool.
"The hours are long, but what to do? I have to provide for my children."
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