Your S’pore Story: ‘People always complain about private hire drivers and I wanted to share our side of the story’

As a private hire driver, Ms Carmen Ortega, 38, has spent more than a decade navigating not just the roads, but also people’s perceptions.

In 2023, she started the Instagram page

@confessionsofagrabdriver

simply because she needed a platform to rant. But what began as a digital diary gained traction for its raw honesty, humour and unfiltered stories from behind the wheel.

Watch her video here.

Today, Ms Ortega, a Singaporean whose father is of Filipino descent, continues to post with the same candour, mixing amusing passenger stories with relatable musings about everyday life. She also shares tips for fellow private hire drivers navigating the ride-hailing industry. 

Her hope for the page is a simple one: to show the public that private hire drivers are people too, each with their own dreams and challenges.  

Ms Ortega shares what she has learnt from life on the road, and how she balances multiple side hustles with caregiving duties at home.

“When I was running various businesses and working part-time as a private hire driver, I used to ‘disappear’ for weeks on end. I was constantly hustling. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, I was forced to take a break and that was when I realised how much my parents had aged.

I am an only child, so focusing on private hire driving made sense. It gave me the flexibility to spend more time with them – whether it’s ferrying them to medical appointments, work or just bringing them to their favourite restaurants. 

These days, I am still a private hire driver but I also take on ad-hoc social media and design projects. I am also part of a team running a children’s cooking school.

But my parents remain my priority – businesses can wait, but my time with them cannot. 

I started my Instagram page because I had a lot of things to say. People always had things to say about private hire drivers – usually complaints – and I wanted to share our side of the story.

But as I recount these experiences, I started reflecting and I’ve learnt to see things from the passengers’ perspectives too. I hope my stories can encourage people to be more open-minded, and listen and learn from one another.

I’ve had my fair share of memorable incidents on the road. Some were scary – arguments that escalated into fights, drunk riders trying to climb into the front seat. But there were great moments too, like when a follower of my page sponsored food for a stray cat I often encountered and posted about.

My one piece of advice to new drivers: If you are looking for a quick and easy way to earn money, this is not the job for you. Neither is it if you are not disciplined. 

Flexibility doesn’t mean you don’t need to work. It just means you have the freedom to choose how much you want to work. 

If you are willing to clock long hours, for example, at least 100 hours a week, you probably can earn quite a bit. But that is not sustainable at all. I usually drive about eight to nine hours a day. 

You need to know what your goals are, what your boundaries are – and stick to them.”

For generations, The Straits Times has told The Singapore Story. To celebrate our 180th anniversary, we’re putting the spotlight on our communities – for you to tell us yours, from all around Singapore. Discover the stories from your neighbourhood as the series continues at

Your Singapore Story

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