Mum fed up with 'cheeky' friends who keep asking her for lifts
31 May 2022, 12:42 | Updated: 31 May 2022, 12:44
One woman has asked for advice after repeatedly being asked by her friends to give them a lift in her car.
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A mum has said she's tired of constantly being asked to give her friends lifts because they can’t drive.
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Sharing her complaint on Mumsnet, the woman explained she often gets called upon to ferry people around, but thinks she’s being taken advantage of.
What’s more, her new neighbours have even started asking for lifts because they refuse to take public transport.
While the man revealed he has a licence but finds driving stressful, his wife said she prefers to be driven.
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“Our houses are a half-mile walk to a bus stop which isn't much fun when it's pouring rain,” she wrote.
“I raised an eyebrow and asked if they cycle, [and they said] no, they don't cycle.
"She said that they have very nice neighbours where they currently live and they help out with lifts.
“Apparently, the nice neighbours had run these two to the station that morning and would pick them up on their return. And then she asked 'I don't suppose you'd be going into town around 4 pm, would you?'
"My partner and I try to be good neighbours but surely this was a very large red flag?"
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The mum then shared another situation she’d had with her friend, who she was supposed to pick up from the train station to travel to a festival together.
While they had arranged to meet at a certain time, the friend changed her arrival time last minute.
"Today she's contacted me to say that she can't get anyone to give her a lift to the station at her end in order to catch the train required,” she wrote.
“Someone can give her a lift later to the station later in the morning, so she'll be arriving in Hereford two hours later than planned.
"She still expects me to pick her up from Hereford. I've told her she'll have to catch the bus from Hereford and she's responded that she has far too much gear to get on a bus."
Lastly, the woman explained that her nephew and his girlfriend are coming to visit her later this year and don’t drive either.
In order to explore the area, the couple will need lifts everywhere, as she explained: "They live in London and don't drive. It's become clear while we've been making arrangements that if they're to do half of what they've planned, I'll need to ferry them around almost every day.
"They're my relatives, they're here for a week and I'll do it without grumbling. But they'd have far more freedom and independence if they learned to drive and could hire a car for a week.
"It strikes me that driving is one of those life skills that all eligible adults should be capable of, even if they choose not to own a car."
Other users were quick to reply, as one wrote: “I would not go as far as to say all eligible adults SHOULD learn to drive, but I would say that, if the choose not to, then they absolutely should not rely on others to give them lifts. They should plan to cycle, walk, whatever , and arrange their lives and activities around their transportation needs.”
Someone else wrote: "If people don’t drive that’s fine but it’s exceptionally cheeky to expect a new neighbour you have never met to play taxi, or to expect a friend to change her holiday plans around it. I will always offer a lift if I can but I wouldn’t give one to people who expect it."
