#SHARING IN PUBLIC

This anecdote was originally posted on my personal blog on May 24, 2013. The potential of "shared transport" as a disruptive concept is still relevant to my thinking today.

A taxi driver gets a call from his son, who urges him to stop by the side of the road, because he needs to see him. The driver apologizes, hoping he's not inconveniencing me. I say "no, I'm not in a hurry."

"Absar shu baddo..." [I wonder what he wants]

The son pulls up behind us, and I can see a man in shirt and tie in the corner of my side view mirror, saying: "if you want anything, let me know." The driver comes back inside the taxi and asks me: "did you know what he wanted?"

I say: "no, what?"

"He wanted me to enjoy myself this weekend and gave me this," he replies, pulling out a crisp $100. The taxi driver then proceeded to cry.

And that is how I learned the ontological difference between "public" and "shared" today.