Gojek driver talks distressed passengers out of suicide

Private-hire driver Khairiah Hanim Mazlan has made it her personal mission to take passengers to a safe place, not just physically but mentally as well. - ST FILE

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Struck by the loss of a close friend to suicide about 12 years ago, private-hire driver Khairiah Hanim Mazlan, 44, has made it her personal mission to take passengers to a safe place, not just physically but mentally as well.

“You don’t know whether someone is leaving for a holiday or rushing home for a funeral, so for me, I will always check if my passengers are okay and pray for them, hoping that they are well,” said the former paramedic, who started driving for Gojek in 2018 to free up time to care for her elderly parents, who both have cancer.