FOR deaf Grab rider Mohd Amirul Hakim Fazlan, having his wife ride along during weekend deliveries is not about convenience, but about helping him navigate a job made more challenging by a world built largely around sound.
Amirul appealed for understanding after he was reported to Grab for having his wife accompany him as a pillion passenger while making deliveries on Saturdays and Sundays.
He acknowledged that Grab’s terms and conditions did not allow riders to bring a second person, but said his wife helped him communicate with customers when problems arose with orders and assisted him in situations on the road that he could not hear or understand.
Amirul said a senior rider had reprimanded him, taken his photograph and reported the matter to Grab, adding that while he accepted that “rules are rules”, he hoped people would not be too quick to judge without first understanding another person’s circumstances.
“We’re all trying to make a living, the difference is, I’m doing so with the limitations I have,” he said in a series of posts on Threads recently.
“I’m not asking anyone to pity me, I’m only asking for a little understanding.”Amirul said being deaf also meant he could not communicate through conventional phone calls, leaving him to rely on several missed calls to alert customers when he arrived with their orders.
He urged customers to check their rider’s profile, estimated time of arrival and order status, particularly as some riders may have disabilities that affect the way they communicate.
Amirul said employment opportunities for persons with disabilities remained limited, which was among the reasons he chose to earn a living as a Grab rider.
Rather than sympathy, he said he simply hoped customers and fellow riders could show a little more consideration towards persons with disabilities who were trying, like everyone else, to make an honest living.
