Top Stories
Mortifying Adult Temper Tantrums

Mortifying Adult Temper Tantrums

These Geniuses Beat The System

These Geniuses Beat The System

These Rude Jerks Got Humbled BIG Time

These Rude Jerks Got Humbled BIG Time

A Good Date Instantly Ruined

A Good Date Instantly Ruined

When Your Gut Feeling Is Right

When Your Gut Feeling Is Right

Taxi Drivers Who Had A Passenger Get In And Yell 'Drive' Explain What Happened

Taxi Drivers Who Had A Passenger Get In And Yell 'Drive' Explain What Happened
Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Taxi drivers deal with all sorts of people, day in and day out.

Normally, their fares are just regular Joes and Janes on their way home or to their jobs or to a restaurant to meet their friends. Maybe they take people to the airport or the bus station while they're at it.

Then there are the times that people jump in, rushing all the while, and order them to gun it, adding some excitement to their shifts.

Who were these people and what were their stories? Drivers (and passengers) told us what happened after Redditor SDMFTX asked the online community:

"Taxi drivers of Reddit. Have you ever had anyone jump in your car and yell drive!? What did you do?"

"I always get my tickets..."

"I have been the person to jump in a car and yell that, followed by the address."

"My dedit card expired on the day I was going to embark on a £180+ train journey (The loss would have been crippling to me at the time and I also could only do this journey once), and I couldn't get the tickets as a result, so I had to go back to my house to retrieve documents to prove I was allowed aboard."

"I tipped him very well for his speed and understanding, by which I mean I threw a twenty and a ten at his passenger seat, shouted 'Thank you very much!' and gunned it out the door because I had only a few minutes to get aboard the train on the ride back. Went so fast I skidded into the station."

"I always get my tickets in advance now."

MaievSakashi

It sounds like you really learned your lesson.

Getting tickets in advance makes the most sense.

"It was awesome..."

"I’ve done it! Years ago in San Francisco, my family mostly got into one taxi except my dad and I. We hailed the next one, jumped in and yelled, 'Follow that cab!!!!!'"

"It was awesome, our driver thought it was hilarious and drove like a crazy person."

Good_parabola

Your driver sounds like a good sport—thankfully you didn't get into an accident!

"Yeah."

"Yeah. He jumped in, screamed, 'Drive!' I asked where. He said, 'Home, i need to piss!' He was very drunk. Didn't tip."

KrisElke

Sounds like a crappy excuse. Tip your drivers, people!

"So another ten minutes pass..."

"Not exactly a jump in and drive, but, yeah, it happened once."

"Got an early morning trip picking a guy up from a busy part of the city at like 7am. He tells me to go sit in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot facing the main road. I'm getting paid wait time. So, I don't care at first, but after a good 15 minutes, I had to ask."

His story: He broke up with his ex girlfriend some months prior so that he could get his shit together. They broke up for both of their sakes, but it definitely sounded like her idea. Anyway, he tells me he's getting on a plane to another state to start a new job, new life kind of thing. Tomorrow."

"He knows his ex girlfriend's route to work and we were watching her neighborhood exit. We were going to chase her down for a final goodbye."

"So, another ten minutes pass and we finally see the vehicle he had described for me pull up to the light to turn right."

"We get to the light across from it and are waiting to turn left. Naturally, when the light changes, she goes first and we end up having to literally chase her down through morning rush hour traffic on a busy 2 Lane road for about 2 miles and 4 intersections before we get next to her, he flags her down, and we all pull off into a restaurant parking lot."

"Much to my delight, she was actually glad to see him, they exchanged a lot of hugs and kisses, held each other, and spoke in intimate, soft tones for a good twenty minutes. (Yeah the meter was still running.) It was really sweet, if a little boring to sit through."

"I got him back home afterwards, he was really grateful, and paid me what I was owed. No tip, but it was a decent fare of about $50."

LoneQuietus81

Well, dang.

Did they get back together??

You can't just leave us hanging like this!

"Was clubbing..."

"Was clubbing with a large group of friends in Blackpool, and we had to split to two groups to fit in cabs, my friend who knew where the club was got in the front car, and me and a few others got in the one behind."

Which meant I got to say to the driver, 'Follow that car.' The driver just smiled and did exactly that."

PurplePurp

The driver was probably waiting for someone to do just that.

"I was running late..."

"Not quite 'drive' but more of an emotional breakdown got him to drive faster.

"I was running late to my plane because I was in a new city. My phone was running flat, so I borrow his car charger to call the airport."

"It was the last plane of the day and his ETA would have my arrive as the plane was due to leave. I asked if they could hold it 10 minutes to save me spending the night in the airport and they said no."

"I started bawling my eyes out because I was broke and facing the prospect of spending $300 and a night in an airport all alone."

"Without saying anything, he took the very expensive toll roads and got me there with 5 mins to spare. I ran like hell and made it with literally seconds to spare. I think the uber cost $50 but the toll roads were like $10."

MetalDetectorials

That driver was a good person—thankfully you made it!

"One time..."

"One time, I had to explain to him I did Uber EATS."

chillest_dude

So what you're saying is that you gunned it to the nearest restaurant, right?

"Rest assured..."

"I drove in my early 20s for about half a year. My taxi training was pretty comprehensive and I really enjoyed it."

"It covered using the street directory effectively, rubbed in the point that I had a permit to drive a taxi but I was still driving on the same licence and so despite driving 12 hrs a day, I still only had 12 demerit points to last an entire year."

"It taught that passengers will not cover your fines despite any claims to the contrary, gave very clear reasons to resist the temptation to accept 'alternative financial arrangements' but it did not cover what to do when a guy, face covered in blood, jumps in the car with his girlfriend and urgently encourages you to GO! while angry people are running up the mall towards you."

"I had no idea of what to do! The compassionate side of me said 'Get this guy to the nearest medical facility' (or at the least, away from trouble). The risk-averse side of me asked, 'Do you really want to be an accomplice to a crime?'"

"So, coward that I am, I just left my foot on the brake and told him sorry mate, not getting involved! Please leave! He tried for another 20 seconds then his girlfriend said, 'He's not taking us hon, let's go" and they both got out and hoofed it."

"Rest assured that I replayed that scene dozens of times in my memory that night and in the days that followed. Did I do the right thing? I still can't answer that question."

ratsta

Something tells me that it's unlikely there is a single jurisdiction that would criminalize you for taking a wounded person to a hospital, though.

"Anyway..."

"I drove a taxi for a few months in a town next to the sea. It was a quiet afternoon, I’d only had two fares in 90 minutes and whilst parked on the taxi rank reading, suddenly one of the rear doors gets yanked open, a rucksack thrown in."

"A guy dives in headfirst shouting 'Get this car to the boat as fast as she’ll go,' and I burst out laughing, I’d never expected anything like that to happen in real life."

"Anyway, being familiar with the ferry times I knew we had plenty of time, it was only a two-mile journey and the boat didn’t sail for another 20 minutes, so no laws were broken getting him there. The guy was in too much of a hurry though, he threw me a £20 and didn’t wait for his £18 change."

EarlyGovernment190

Well, you made some quick and easy money for taking him to his destination, so it sounds like a win-win to me.

Who knew being a driver could be so exciting?

Well, they certainly know.

Trust—they've seen it all.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
taxi drivers

Products That Don't Really Work But People Still Buy For Some Reason

Reddit user NoBridge255 asked: 'Which product doesn't work as it should, but people still buy it?'

person using laptop computer to make a credit card purchase
rupixen.com on Unsplash

Sometimes we look at a product and think "who would buy that, and why?"

For me the "Flowbee" home haircutting tool comes to mind. If you're unfamiliar, it's a shaver you attached to your vacuum cleaner so you hair was pulled past cutting blades.

It was sold on late night infomercials in the 1990s.

Who wouldn't want to style their hair like this?

Flowbee infomercial GIFGiphy

As fabulous as that looks, results did vary with most veering toward "yikes!" yet by 2000 the company reported 2 million were sold.

And *surprise* you can still buy one—for about $150.

It seems no matter how bad a product is, someone will buy it.

Keep reading...Show less
shopping

People Confess Which Things They've Always Done They Didn't Realize Were Gross

Person washing their hands
Photo by Andrew Valdivia on Unsplash

There's this amazing quote by Maya Angelou that we can all put into practice: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better."

This can be applied to anything in life, from learning more about a subject that we're passionate about, to practicing better time management skills, to being a better friend.

But there are some things that we may not even realize we need to do better... until we suddenly know better.

Cringing in anticipation, Redditor one-droplet asked:

"What have you always done, but later found out was gross?"

The Best Ice

"When I was like five or six years old I would love going to the grocery store with my mom because the vegetable and fruit and meat tables always had the best ice to chew on..."

- campio_s_a

"I work in a restaurant, and I try to grab a cup to get the ice before they use it for raw oysters and shrimp cocktails. It really is the best ice."

- AustinRiversDaGod

Toilet Paper Use

"As an Asian, I was always taught growing up to throw used toilet paper in the trash bin. It wasn't until I went on a school trip to Italy and the chaperone mentioned to everyone, 'The plumbing system here isn't as good as the USA so you guys are just gonna have to throw it in the trash bin,' and everyone went, 'Ew.'"

"That's when I learned that it was gross to throw toilet paper in the trash bin since the issue was you're basically having shit bits sitting around in a bin."

- stigma_numgus

Toothbrush Bristles

"All my life, I wiped my toothbrush on the hand towel to dry it up until my sister asked what the f**k I was doing."

- Sark_Doul

"My sister used to scrub the bristles on the faucet where the water came out when she was done brushing her teeth. I guess to dry it off. I still cringe thinking about it."

- Suspicious-Craft4980

That's Not Clay

"As a child, I would dig up bits of clay from the local sandbox. It wasn’t as good as Play-Doh, so I would cast it aside and continue digging."

"Maybe I didn’t have a very good sense of smell at that age, because I was well into adulthood before I realized it was probably cat s**t."

- Blue_Moon_Rabbit

Dirty Showers

"I showered in a dirty tub. Once I discovered how gross it really was, my hoarder mother didn’t like it when I cleaned the bathroom, so I just lived with it til I was able to get a place."

- TrustIsOverrated

"My hoarder mom was like this."

- Best_Eggplant_9259

"When I tried to wash the nicotine off the walls in my bedroom, my hoarder parents were not happy."

- obviouslyanni

Fresh Towels

"I waited until a towel smelled weird to swap it out."

- DrippyFlames

"Look, the towel forgets everything before the next shower."

- gljivicad

Self-Service Assorted Candies

"I used to really like those self-service lollies/candy buckets with the scoops. They were in most big box stores in Australia, like Kmart, Target, Big W. So much fun mixing and matching."

"But then one day I started working at Target. Every single day I caught old people and kids with their hands directly inside grabbing them out and munching down all slobbery-like. That turned me off forever."

"Though not too long after they started disappearing from businesses so obviously someone got the unsanitary message."

- blahblahrasputan

Not Flushable

"I flushed my tampons my whole life until I was about 30. No one had taught me they weren’t flushable. I stupidly thought they were like toilet paper."

"One expensive and embarrassing plumbing problem later, I never did it again."

- Ew_fine

Dental Habits

"Not brushing my teeth when I wake up. I would only brush my teeth after breakfast, and I would rarely eat breakfast."

"So most days I would only brush my teeth at night. I figured, 'Well, I brushed last night and haven’t eaten anything since, so why should I brush again?'"

" Then I learned about all the bacteria that feed on the tiny bits of food left in your teeth and they literally expel gas and feces in your mouth as they consume it. And this is what causes awful morning breath."

"So I have this mental image of bacteria poop and farts coating my mouth and have brushed every morning since regardless of eating breakfast or not."

- scatteredwardrobe

"Brush at night to keep your teeth, and brush in the morning to keep your friends."

- coykoi314

Not Just Yellow Snow

"Eating snow. Just take the same handful of snow you might see a kid stuff in their mouth and let it melt in a glass. Bet you wouldn’t willingly drink it!"

- Affectionate_Cloud86

Don't Visit Everyone's House

"I sit on my couch butt naked when I’m alone watching TV at night. I mean I’m relatively clean but I feel sorry for anyone else that sits there."

- Rich-Abbreviations25

Letting the Hair Fall Where It May

"I'm suffering from hair loss at the moment (51 Female) and I'm often absent-mindedly raking a hand through my long hair, glancing at what comes out and then dropping the strands on the floor."

"Just read on another sub that that's pretty disgusting to other people. In my defense, I work exclusively from home in my own small office and would never do it in public, but even so, maybe my husband thinks I'm gross."

- RadioDorothy

Shoes Indoors

"Wearing shoes inside. My family was not a shoes off family and they always wore outside shoes inside."

"I remember a few friends' homes were strict shoes-off homes, but I thought that was the minority."

"I was about 27 years old before I realized it was disgusting and people were definitely judging my etiquette."

- MyDogAteYourPancakes

Double-Dipping

"Double-dipping snacks. Pretty logical but only found out recently that’s very bad etiquette."

- AggravatingDriver559

"Double-dipping is only acceptable if you’re not sharing the dip with anyone."

- froderenfelemus

Fair Lessons

"Some things I've learned:"

"Wash my bedsheets every week, including bed, pillows, and covers."

"Only use the same bath towel twice before washing it."

"Use a new toothbrush head every month."

"Always wash my hands coming back from a store or public transit."

"And NEVER EVER go into a resort pool with a swim-in bar."

- freddg_mtl

This conversation was so cringe-worthy and left us wanting a shower in the worst way.

At least for most of these Redditors, now that they knew these are gross habits, they've chosen to do something better.

gross acts

Foods That Aren't As Unhealthy As Most People Think

Bags of movie theater popcorn
Corina Rainer/Unsplash

Sources provided by health experts informed us to eat fruits and vegetables in order to nourish our bodies with energy, and to drink milk to ensure we grew up with strong bones and muscles.

However, nowadays, consumers are confused.

There seems to be conflicting information every day regarding the benefits, or harm, of eating the foods we were always told were detrimental to our health.

Curious to hear from strangers online about our misconceptions regarding the foods we eat, Redditor Meerkate asked:

"What are some foods that aren't as unhealthy as people make them out to be?"

People discuss everyone's favorite movie snack.

Pass The Popcorn

"Popcorn. For how good it tastes, it has almost nothing bad in it."

"You add the salt and butter of course, and those arent great, but you're not getting a super high amount of those."

– mithridateseupator

"Adding in decent quality butter (not margarine) and a few shakes of regular salt is not unhealthy at all. The problem is with the sh*t that movie theatres put in popcorn."

– puffy_capacitor

Careful With The Seasoning

"My body started rejecting movie theater popcorn butter when I was about 25. That stuff will make you sh*t your pants and miss the end of the movie. Just salt for me thanks. Real melted butter at home or at Alamo Drafthouse."

– jesusbatman

Healthy Suggestion

"I love popcorn."

"You probably buy the kernels too but for those who don't, it's significantly cheaper and healthier to buy just a big container of popcorn kernels."

"Pop them on the stove top with a small amount of oil and sprinkle some finely ground salt (that's what movie theaters use for that magic flavor) and you're golden."

"It's super easy. I don't even add butter."

"You can also pop kernels in the microwave in a paper bag or in a bowl without buying the pre-bagged stuff. You'll never go back to those once you've popped your own kernels."

"An air popper works too of course, though that will definitely require butter."

– VralShi

Redditors talk about the health benefits of eating certain kinds of fat.

Not So Fat

"Fat in general (not the trans ones tho)"

– LenkaSky

"The low fat craze of the late ‘90s/early ‘00s has A LOT to answer for. My mom is still ridiculous about it. Yeah, moderation is good, but you can add some butter to your food so it’s edible and still live a long life."

– burgher89

Fat Is Your Friend

"Fat is a great source of sustained energy that doesn’t boost your blood glucose like other options."

– honorificabilidude

"You really, really need fat in your diet for proper hormone regulation and other important body processes!"

– aledaml

Go easy on the carbs.

Hey Spud

"Potatoes got several countries through famine! Probably alot of people associate them with fatty fries or crisps."

– Meerkate

Get Starchy

"Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew"

– DokiDoodleLoki

"Exactly this. High satiation and low cost. You can wash out a lot of the starch if you're worried about it."

– The_Quicktrigger

Let's discuss fruity.

Nature's Candy

"I’m so tired of hearing people talk about 'all the natural sugar in fruit.'”

"I guarantee you this banana is healthier than potato chips and cookies."

– Sharyn913

"My mom has done basically ever fad diet ever, but one thing I do like about the 'new' Weight Watchers is that fruits, vegetables, and lean meats like chicken breast are zero points. I think the logic behind it is that there is no f'king way you're going to eat enough carrot sticks and apples to make yourself gain weight, so they're trying to encourage people to default to that stuff when they're hungry even if they're out of points rather than just starving until they give up and eat a bunch of unhealthy foods. Weight Watchers doesn't really work long term, but that detail is nice."

– standbyyourmantis

Saving Grace

"I think its the fiber in fruit that makes it not as bad. Also, it has nutrition to make up for it unlike the cookie that's just all refined flour and sugar."

– Tangerine_memez

Calorie Count

"There are scientific studies suggesting that not all the calories in nuts are bioavailable, so you might only get 75% of the calories! There are also studies showing they contribute to weight loss even despite being high in calories."

– kazzah31

When I was told butter is actually a better alternative to margarine–which is known to contain trans fat–I started cooking more with butter.

I believe we can eat anything in moderation, so as much as I love smearing pads of butter on my English muffin, I take it easy.

When it comes to baking with it and putting it on toast, nothing beats the flavor of my favorite dairy fat.

health

Hospital Employees Share The Workplace Secrets No One Should Know

Orderly walking an incubator down a hospital corridor.
Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash

It goes without saying, that when we pay a visit to a hospital, either as a guest or as a patient, we only see a very small portion of all the working parts of a hospital.

While countless doctors, nurses and orderlies will be seen roaming the halls, their hands more than full, there are also lab technicians and administrators who are every bit as busy, just not as visible.

Knowing this does rather make one wonder what goes on in a hospital that we don't see, or don't realize.

Or, for that matter, what we patients are actually entitled to, that they may not realize.

A question possibly best left unanswered.

Even so, Redditor SingLikeTinaTurner was eager to find out, leading them to ask:

"Hospital workers of Reddit, what happens there that's hidden but that we should know about?"

If You Know, You Know...

"Not really hidden and kinda minor but I’ll say it anyways."

"I deliver food to patients and it’s not hard to tell when someone is on their way out."

"Could be simply not being hungry, or could be the inability to eat."

"Had one patient who hadn’t eaten anything off their tray for 3 days straight."

"The last time I delivered to them, they smiled and gave me a wink."

"Next day, they were gone."

"It’s rough seeing these things happen in real-time."

"I’m a grown @ss man who doesn’t cry often, but it always leaves me feeling extra empty picking up the untouched trays and replacing them with another tray that I know will stay untouched as well."- jgss2018

Hidden In Plain Sight

"Sometimes when people die we just put an oxygen mask on them and wheel them through the corridors."

"Less distressing for other patients and visitors to think they are asleep rather than see a body with a sheet over it."- dont-believe-me-·

Know Your Rights

"You, as a patient, have every right to refuse any test or treatment or even leave."

"At any time."

"For any reason."

"Unless a harm to self or others- that's different, at least in the US."

"Added bonus you should know: leaving against medical advice DOES NOT mean insurance will not pay for the care you've received."

"Your insurance will still be billed the same as anyone else who stayed the whole time till discharge."

"But if you leave with an IV in your arm we will call the police to find you and bring you back to remove it, because of drug abuse."- Suitable_Sorbet_8718

Peeking Not Recommended

"The hospital I work at has these big square covers."

"When I first started, I would see transport staff pushing these things around the halls."

"I thought they were food trays, or large boxes of hospital equipment."

"Turns out it’s a structured bed cover, so when they are transporting a deceased patient to the morgue, it doesn’t look like a person under a sheet."- rajortoa9

The Flashing Lights Only Get You So Far

"An ambulance ride is not a one way ticket to the front of the line."

"You still get triaged and could be rolled right to the waiting room if you’re non-emergent."- dozerdude1995

emergency ambulance GIFGiphy

Whatever Gets Them In The Zone...

"Surgeon here."

"We listen to music in the OR."

"Most people seem surprised when they hear that."- johnnyscans

Hide And Seek...

"I got a fast bleep (ie. drop everything you’re doing and attend this emergency please) one night to a side room on the ward to find no patient in the bed."

"Was just about to leave the room and go back out to the nurses station, where there had been a bit of a hubbub when I’d dashed past the first time, when something caught my eye."

"Looked up to see a face with wide, slightly wild 'psych eyes' peering down at me from a gap in the ceiling tiles."

"She was a lady waiting for a bed in the psych hospital who’d clearly thought the ceiling was the best place to hide from the people trying to poison her."

"Honestly can’t think of another occasion that I’ve been quite so terrified."

"Worst thing was that I had to walk (well, dash) back out underneath her to get help from the nurses and security to get her down."- Leas-Pe·

Speaking In Code...

"If you register in the ER and tell the triage nurse that your problem is 'personal' we know you’re here because of something genital or anal related."

"A lot of we healthcare workers have seen a lot."

"If you’re not truthful at triage, your care might be less prompt when it’s a true medical emergency."

"It is possible to die of embarrassment."- DocWednesday

Hide Reaction GIF by florGiphy

Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Them

"If you come into the ER drunk there is guaranteed a pool of bets on your blood alcohol level, possibly with odds if there's a pharmacist available to do the math for us."- K-Tanz

Ensuring They're Surrounded By Love

"In the ICU you spend a lot of time keeping corpses alive until their family comes around or their body gives out."

“'Oh Jesus ain’t ready for her yet!'”

"Yes, Jesus is ready for her; we’re just actively delaying it."- gamerdudeNYC

Maybe Not Just At Hosptials... Just A Thought...

"Not hidden, per se, but for the love of all that is holy, if you insist on bringing your kid into the hospital, do NOT let them crawl or play on the floor."

"The amount of literal blood, urine, poop, and vomit that has been on it and hastily (not thoroughly) cleaned up is, well, a lot."

"The hospital, especially the floors, is NOT a clean environment."

"Added to that, think of all the rooms nurses, doctors, housekeeping staff, etc. have walked into."

"Rooms that have COVID or Norovirus or group A Strep."

"We walked into those rooms and those same shoes walked into other rooms."

"Tl;dr hospital floors are disgusting as f*ck."- duckface08

Baby Crawls Face First Across The Floor GIF by ViralHogGiphy

Not An Exact Science...

"Hospital lab worker here."

"Not particularly scandalous, but most people don't realiZe their lab tests are just very accurate guesses, and have an error range."

"When we say your 'X' is 10g/L, we might actually mean it's 10g/L ± 10-20%."

"I see too many people get extremely worked up about small fluctuations in blood test values that aren't actually in excess of the reference change value, and so technically aren't genuinely different from a previous value."- Hayred

A Decision No One Wants To Make...

"You are doing your 90 year old grandmother a great disservice by making her a full code, she will not survive CPR and her death will be significantly more traumatic because of it."- singlenutwonder

WASH YOUR FREAKIN' HANDS!!!

"I help patients to the bathroom nonstop all day."

"The amount of patients that just leave the bathroom without washing their hands is disgusting."

"If I didn’t hear the sink or soap dispenser your a** is getting led right to an alcohol hand station."- Madamiamadam

Wash Hands Water GIF by Jared D. WeissGiphy

More goes on in a hospital than we're ever likely to know.

If you check out from a hospital healthier than you were when you checked in, that's probably all you need to know.

Even if it's understandable to ask what song the doctor was listening to when you were open on the operating table.


hospital