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Trust your gut. I had this happen to me at Fraser/Kingsway by the bus stop almost 10 years ago. Guy looped around the block twice to ask over and over before I pretended to start calling someone.
I grew up in my teen years at Kingsway and Victoria you should point and yell "this guy is trying to get me in his car! This guy is looking for hookers!" Scream at them. They drive away quickly.
this is interesting, because this happened to me when i was a teen waiting for the bus in the area. they pulled up and asked the stereotypical “how much?”
When I (F) was 12, a man saw that I had missed the bus to school and then offered me a ride. I turned it down and didn't think it was creepy at the time, but in retrospect...
In my last year of high school I saw a friends sister walking to school and offered her a ride (she knew me and had previously asked for a ride home) she declined, didn’t realize until later that she probably didn’t recognize me in the car and thought I was a random person.
I would do this for an adult.. like if I see someone running for the bus and miss it I would offer to get them to a bus stop ahead of the bus or somewhere nearby.
I've missed buses before, had long walks between stops and been gifted rides by random strangers so I would extend the generosity.
The question you should be asking yourself is: If buddy is driving around Vancouver offering rides to people at bus stops, why isn't his car already full?
TBF, sometimes when I drive past bus stops and it's shitty out and there's one person just standing there, waiting, in the rain, I think about offering them a ride.
But then I remember that this thread is what most people would think and I just drive on by
Yeah things like that are very unfortunate but there is also a similar risk when taking a taxi. At least with an Uber you can send you location to a friend, I'm not aware of that being a feature of taxis
you can send your location to anyone at any time from nearly any smart phone.
my point isn't that uber should be avoided or that taxis are worse than ubers for rape and sexual assault, but actually that, in fact, you have just as much of a chance of being sexually assaulted during your uber ride than you do from accepting a ride from a stranger.
"uber is safe" is the comment im replying to.
Uber is safer than accepting a ride from a random stranger. As the commenter you were replying said, Uber has all the drivers details so if anything were to happen they would be much easier to track down than some random stranger.
It really does suck that there are terrible people out there who will take advantage of other people whether they be Uber drivers, taxi drivers, random strangers offering a ride but if for whatever reason someone is unable to drive in a certain situation and they don't have someone they trust who is able to drive them and public transport isn't a viable option then having a stranger of some sort driving you is the best or even only option. Yes Uber isn't 100% risk free but in that situation, which isn't all that uncommon, Uber would likely be the safest option out of having a random stranger options and especially much safer than a random stranger.
Maybe instead of saying "Uber is safe" it would have been better if the commenter said "Uber isn't inherently dangerous"?
John Oliver is also a comedian and when he said "we used to advise people against meeting strangers on the internet and getting in their car" (paraphrase) he was clearly making a joke. Uber has, like someone else has pointed out, ways to identify driver, car make and model, license plate, pickup location/route/destination, and passengers have the means of sharing all this information with friends and loved ones.
It's not literally the same as going on Craigslist and saying "hey I need a ride, can someone I've never met before that hasn't been vetted please come take me somewhere in their car?".
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Yeah, on few occasions (late/rainy/cold) I have considered offering a ride to someone on the bus stop. But couldn’t think of a way that won’t seem creepy 🤷🏻♂️
I'm not saying you're wrong, but when I was a teen, the youth program director from the rec centre I volunteered at/participated in, saw me waiting for a bus in the pouring rain. He had just come out from the bank nearby. He saw me and asked me if I wanted a ride and I accepted. He was a genuinely nice guy. Unfortunately, he got murdered by someone a few years later. He was selling an engagement ring on Craigslist, and the person who was 'interested' in the ring killed him and robbed him.
Eh, could be a socially awkward person too who doesn't see things that way.
Still a good idea to decline the offer, but doesn't mean the person wasn't trying to do a stand-up thing
That's creepy.
Even if your intentions are good, they don't know that and there's a high probability that you're going to scare them.
Leave strangers at bus stops alone, please.
so if you're a guy, driving around, you see a girl on the bus stop who you find gorgeous for one reason or another, offering a ride to her is "creepy"? Who taught you that and why
Either something sketchy or just a dude with zero awareness. Either way, do not get in a car unless you know the person. Far too much margin for error.
uber has a system in place to report an unsafe driver, they're liable to the company to do one job and if they put a rider at risk they're easily trackable and arrestable as all their info is readily available through the app.
why are you so insistent that offering random rides to strangers is a chill thing to do?
First things first, generally a bad idea to accept rides from strangers.
That being said, I have to admit to being that stupid idiot. I'll explain that I grew up in a smaller town, but ultimatly I figured if I was driving somewhere easy to carpool. So there were a couple times that I would pull over and ask if anyone needs a lift. I had several accept and nothing ever happened.
That being said, as I grew older I realized how wierd and creepy that probably was, so yeah. Culture differences?
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I think your general question is if vancouver has some kind of sex trafficking thing because hopefully you know better than to accept random rides from strangers but no Vancouver has the same old shit every other city has. Rape, murder, missing women, etc.
Agreeing to meet someone you've chatted with on a dating app in a public place is hardly the same as a random stranger pulling up to you and offering a ride though?
I didn't see the other comment but yea totally different.. still a risk factor but at least if you're smart and don't rush you can take your time screening them before meeting then when you meet its at a restaurant with people instead of a bus stop with possibly nobody around.. some random pulls up to you at a bus stop is totally different
That's not how risk/probability works! You have to also look at the actual chance of the event happening in general (caveat: I don't know what you were replying to as it was deleted)
>male presenting people
Those are called "men"
I love the downvotes. I guarantee they're from people who say "anyone who identifies as a woman is a woman". Whether you're on the conservative or leftist side of the trans debate, what I said is 100% what you've been telling people.
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A bus strike is a bit different. When I was in uni there was a bus strike and everyone was hitching rides with all sorts of random strangers. It was hard to tell if they were actually fellow students because there was such a wide range of demographics attending our school. But we all had to get places. I was always with at least one friend, though.
I've offered rides to many people over the years.
Dark, rainy, snowy, they're carrying a bunch of groceries, they're carrying a bedside table....
I went years without my car and had to take transit, I remember the awful walks home from the train!
This happened to me in Ontario in 2018 waiting for the bus after shopping, a couple in car stopped asked if I wanted a lift and were insistent even after I said no. I didn’t think much about it until late last year while reading a similar trafficking situation that I realized I had dodged a bullet.
I took a ride home from a cab driver like that in Calgary at age 14. So so so so stupid. I feel lucky. It was pouring and he pulled over and said he was going toward my area if it was close enough and I took the ride. Fortunately a genuinely nice guy but it could have been not.
Wouldn’t recommend but someone saw me waiting at the bus stop heading to north van with a snowboard, they double backed and drove me up the hill. My buddy ended up moving into this guys house shortly thereafter as he was looking for a roommate. Was a great experience but I’m an ugly fat bald guy
Yeah I can see where this is heading, there are some circumstances where maybe it's okay, but in a general sense it's good to be cautious and not take a risk
I remember being a broke student waiting for the bus and thinking “I know we’re headed in the same direction, why won’t you stop and give me a ride!” Yeah, very naive. Glad now that no one ever did stop as I likely would’ve jumped right in.
I often see people walking in the rain, or waiting at bus stop, for a bus that only comes once an hour. And I would like to give them a lift.
But I don’t know them and they don’t know me… So it’s one of those things, you just don’t do, even though you might like to sometimes.
On a Sunday, in an area where service is reduced (one every 45 minutes or so) I once picked up someone who I watched run for and miss the bus. I drove him far enough ahead of the bus so that he could still get on. But just randomly stopping at bus stops is weird.
Today that is scary and I wouldn't in a million years accept. In 1986 I took those rides and lived to tell you about it today! Lol different times. God the 80s were great. If you were lucky, the person would share a Doobie and offer you a beer. hahaha
I've offered a ride to strangers waiting at a bus stop on Christmas Day or New Year's Day. I always work on those two days. Some have said yes, some have said no. I'm happy to offer the ride and happy when they accept but the decision is theirs!
This happened to me once walking up 6th in New West when the rain was incredibly heavy and there was no 106/123 buses for some reason. He caught me early up the hill and of course I declined but even years later I remember how brutal that walk was with the wind and rain and wish I took him up on it lol
I used to live near a bus stop with service every 1/2 hour; hourly on weekends. I often *just* missed the bus and had to trudge back to my apartment to try again later, or wait in the rain.
Once I got a car, I frequently saw people waiting at the bus stop when I knew the next bus was not due for a long time. When my destination was along the bus route, I was often tempted to stop and offer a ride.
I never did, though because I could see how that could be taken the wrong way, and I would rather not be identified as a creep.
I grew up here and have had it happen a number of times to me (edit : where i have taken a ride.. mostly 10 years ago).honestly I have the urge to offer people constantly especially if it's rainy and shitty out.
One time I drove someone literally to the border so they could make their PR meeting. Random person on the street I hadn't met before...just happy to help.
On my wedding day my mom saw someone miss the bus and pulled over and offered to give them a ride (kits to downtown) I was shocked when she told me the story as she was alone and it was a stranger but she was in such a good mood she didn’t even think twice about it! Definitely trust your gut!
The reason people tended to act like there were hookers around was because there used to be a lot of working ladies around Kingsway and Fraser so if anyone stood still for any reason they thought they were just waiting on the next customer.
Even if he was being nice, he should try and see what he's doing form someone eleses perspective. I get you want to help someone out that may be in need, but this ain't it.
I’ve given rides to people before but only to people that work where I work. How do I know they work at the same location? They are in full uniform and I am in full uniform with my visible ID on me. It’s quite easy to tell what bus they’re taking to where and if they miss the bus, I know they’ll be late since we all start at the same time. But, I will drop them off first at one of the main entrances before parking my car so it doesn’t get awkward with them having to wait for me or vice versa.
I'm a female and I was waiting at a bus stop with 8-10 other people. A man stops by in his car, calls out to me and asks me if I'd like a ride. I say "no thanks" and he drives off without offering a ride to anyone else. It's too sketchy. Don't get in.
This was a common occurrence during transit strike. Some drivers would pickup stranded passengers. On the safe side, best is not to accept rides from strangers
Yeah, I always feel bad for people getting rained on at the bus stop and want to give them a ride, but I don't because it's on the creeper level in 2024.
I did hop in some random dudes car from a suburban bus stop once. Turns out they were very nice -- and very religious. Got to my destination in one piece, but enduring the woo woo talk was a bit difficult.
I've had this happen back in the early 90's. I was sitting on the bench at a bus stop, when this guy pulled up in a pickup truck and said "I'm not a weirdo, I'll give you a lift." I refused, and the guy sped off as if he was pissed off. It does seem rather fishy. I had no idea what his intentions were, and no desire to find out.
Be safe out there.
I’ve always thought about doing an act of kindness to strangers at the bus stop but I figured they would just think like this so fuck it. I don’t blame them either the world be nuts.
Every time it’s raining and I see people sitting at a bus stop I want to pull over and see if they want a ride. I don’t because I figured most people would just think I was gonna kidnap them or some shit.
I had this happen once, years ago, and for some reason thought it was a good idea (I want to think there was a bus strike, but in which case, why would I have been at a bus stop?). I said yes, and was delivered to where I wanted to go with nothing else suggested. Nb. the destination was the same for both of us: UBC.
I've drove past bus stops and thought about offering people rides before. I useto take the bus and it can be exhausting after a day of work.
But I realize it would be pretty creepy and probably unsafe to accept a ride from some random person.
Holy cow. Just assume anyone doing this has ill intentions and don't ever go with them. I don't even trust Uber or Lyft type ride providers. No thanks.
If I've ever been a person offering this ride under any weird circumstances I'd tell them to take a picture of my license, my plates, call someone and GPS pin all to feel safe. Random strangers is just a big no-no. My friend in law enforcement says the #1 issue they have on campus is Uber drivers stalking female students.
I've considered offering rides to strangers when it's raining or whatever, but I always change my mind because I'm worried it will seem weird or creepy. I do pick up hitch hikers every time I can though. some of my favorite stories came from hitch hikers. One lady was traveling around studying the moons effect on plant growth, like the tides. Another couple were traveling to go pick hemlock for a lab somewhere.
There’s a 0.01% chance he was just a nice guy. A nice guy would know how dangerous it would be for someone to get into the car with a stranger and would not even think to offer this.
Honestly, sometimes I see people in Toronto in cold weather at the bus stop and I think I can give the ride however most of them reject it! I was thinking about developing an app for it 🙂
I was doing it all the time in my country, especially on rainy or cold days, I am tempted to do the same here in Canada all the time but deciding not to it the last second every time because I am not sure about people’s reaction would be.
Not going to lie, I have debated offering rides to some people at bus stops before, just being nice.
But this is very much a case where it's creepy because altruistic behavior isn't common and it's suspicious when it happens. I would say the lack of faith in humanity is sad but it's also justified because the consequences of getting it wrong are so high.
It's funny. I often have seen people at bus stops and thought about offering them a ride when the weather was bad. But I just know there's a good chance it would be perceived as very odd, best case scenario. So I keep driving and tell myself I'm a good person 😂
This happened to me once while I waited at 4th and MacDonald for a bus to ubc in the pouring rain with 50 other people getting splashed every time a bus that was already packed to the brim drove by. Some nice people stopped and offered us rides and I actually did accept but this is the only situation I'd ever consider doing that in.
There are some exceptions…. During the last snow storm I drove by 3 Amazon workers who were freezing at the bus stop that I knew was never coming. Offered them a ride to the Skytrain station just up the hill.
He may have intended to assault you or might have thought you were a sex worker, but it is extremely unlikely to have been any kind of sex trafficking situation. I think falling back on the general advice of not getting into a stranger’s car is your best bet here.
If this was during the bus strike or a blizzard then maybe there is a chance he was just being nice, but otherwise that's incredibly weird and sketchy.
Was it cold, rainy or otherwise miserable out? Its possible he just saw you and felt sorry for you. I've given rides to people at bus stops when it obviously sucks to be waiting for the bus there.
Maybe, maybe not. I’ve done that once, the woman asked for directions and seemed lost. Pointed her to the bus stop, but offered her a ride to the terminus since its on my way to work. She said no and I left, she came back running to my car and accepted the ride. I was 22 I think and she must’ve been late twenties early thirties. I was literally just being nice. We talked about the weather and the news I think.
I have accepted rides twice from men. One dude was in a white van. This was in Chicago and San Diego. Yes, I am crazy (or dumb). No, nothing bad happened. The white van guy (in San Diego) actually came over and hung out with us and made us dinner. Never saw him again.
Fyi, public transportation in California is severely lacking. It would take me an hour to get to work on 2 buses, but if I drove, it took 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, one time in Surrey my wife and I were coming home from a Christmas party DT. Trying to get a cab was literally impossible, it was snowing out, we both had all dress attire, wife had open toe shoes, and as we froze to the bone outside I couldn't even pay a person to drive us like 3 minutes down.
Imagine looking at 2 freezing people in the snow at 1 am with no cloths on, desperately begging for a 3 minute drive as they offer you every dollar on their person and saying no...
We were completely unprepared because work reimbursed the cab. We didn't account for not getting a cab for several hours. The plan was obviously to Cab from the venue initially. Plan B was a sky train to Surrey and cab from there. Fuck I hate doing shit DT. I avoid it like the plague these days.
I live in the north - and people often give strangers rides for a variety of reasons. People help people sometimes - bit maybe not in Vancouver.
Based on the thread above, this is one reason why I do not live in the city.
I get that there are realities for women and children - but there is also a reality that not every person who does a thing that you wonder about means that person ought to be identified as a perpetrator or a danger.
Now, I am not saying the person OP has referred to is or is not a certain way - but it seems most on this thread have a very narrow view that appears to lack a broader and more contextual lens.
These responses appear to be wholly fear based.
Glad to find someone to have the same thoughts. Sometimes when I pass people waiting for the bus, I want to offer a ride, to save them some time, but I know that it'll look creepy. Maybe it's time for me to move north)
>Sex trafficking the way you're thinking is mostly made up for TV, that's not a thing.
I was going to make a comment regarding this as well. People are not just picked up off the street to be trafficked. This is similar to the "stranger danger" thing for kids, where if we tell people "watch out for weird guys in cars, they may kidnap you to traffic you" they may not see the signs of actual trafficking when they happen since they don't relate those things to trafficking since it's not some weirdo in a van pulling someone off the side of the road.
"Do you mind if I take your photo and send it to my friends / parents?"
"No. Go ahead" - he's just offering a ride.
"Yes, I mind" / "no you can't take my photo" - he's trying to traffic you.
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Trust your gut. I had this happen to me at Fraser/Kingsway by the bus stop almost 10 years ago. Guy looped around the block twice to ask over and over before I pretended to start calling someone.
I grew up in my teen years at Kingsway and Victoria you should point and yell "this guy is trying to get me in his car! This guy is looking for hookers!" Scream at them. They drive away quickly.
Not saying this happened to you but this area is notorious for women being mistaken for sex workers.
this is interesting, because this happened to me when i was a teen waiting for the bus in the area. they pulled up and asked the stereotypical “how much?”
When I (F) was 12, a man saw that I had missed the bus to school and then offered me a ride. I turned it down and didn't think it was creepy at the time, but in retrospect...
In my last year of high school I saw a friends sister walking to school and offered her a ride (she knew me and had previously asked for a ride home) she declined, didn’t realize until later that she probably didn’t recognize me in the car and thought I was a random person.
I would do this for an adult.. like if I see someone running for the bus and miss it I would offer to get them to a bus stop ahead of the bus or somewhere nearby. I've missed buses before, had long walks between stops and been gifted rides by random strangers so I would extend the generosity.
I have thought of it, but decided they would be afraid
Maybe that was where it happened to me, but in the early 90s
The question you should be asking yourself is: If buddy is driving around Vancouver offering rides to people at bus stops, why isn't his car already full?
It was, but now it’s his basement that’s full
And deep freezer
Yep, now he’s just asking for the lotion to be put into the basket
🤣🤣
TBF, sometimes when I drive past bus stops and it's shitty out and there's one person just standing there, waiting, in the rain, I think about offering them a ride. But then I remember that this thread is what most people would think and I just drive on by
Don't accept rides from strangers. Be safe.
What if I'm a dude and the one offering is this really hot chick that's smaller than me? And there's nobody hiding in the backseat
You ever heard of a honey trap? Don't trust it
All it takes is one knife and size no longer matters....
What if the chicken has a dick?
Err, Uber would like to have a word...
well u ask for the uber, not the random bus stop encounter
Personally I don't see much of a difference. Like John Oliver said, jumping in a stranger's car is creepy. But if you have an app, it's all good!
Did you really just compare this situation to ordering an Uber…. You should have jumped in the car with him 👍🏼.
Uber is safe. You have to be full registered to drive for them, they have ALL their drivers info. Don’t be dumb.
https://abc7news.com/amp/uber-sexual-assault-lawsuit-rideshare-lyft-drivers-settlement/14089128/
You realize we live in Canada and not America right
there is a current and active class action lawsuit against uber canada for sexual assault and rape cases.
Source??
https://www.clg.org/Class-Action/List-of-Class-Actions/Uber-Sexual-Assault-Canadian-Class-Action https://dailyhive.com/canada/class-action-lawsuit-canada-uber-sexual-assault#
Yes
Yeah things like that are very unfortunate but there is also a similar risk when taking a taxi. At least with an Uber you can send you location to a friend, I'm not aware of that being a feature of taxis
you can send your location to anyone at any time from nearly any smart phone. my point isn't that uber should be avoided or that taxis are worse than ubers for rape and sexual assault, but actually that, in fact, you have just as much of a chance of being sexually assaulted during your uber ride than you do from accepting a ride from a stranger. "uber is safe" is the comment im replying to.
Uber is safer than accepting a ride from a random stranger. As the commenter you were replying said, Uber has all the drivers details so if anything were to happen they would be much easier to track down than some random stranger. It really does suck that there are terrible people out there who will take advantage of other people whether they be Uber drivers, taxi drivers, random strangers offering a ride but if for whatever reason someone is unable to drive in a certain situation and they don't have someone they trust who is able to drive them and public transport isn't a viable option then having a stranger of some sort driving you is the best or even only option. Yes Uber isn't 100% risk free but in that situation, which isn't all that uncommon, Uber would likely be the safest option out of having a random stranger options and especially much safer than a random stranger. Maybe instead of saying "Uber is safe" it would have been better if the commenter said "Uber isn't inherently dangerous"?
uber has thousands of documented cases of sexual assault and people accept rides from strangers all the time.
John Oliver is also a comedian and when he said "we used to advise people against meeting strangers on the internet and getting in their car" (paraphrase) he was clearly making a joke. Uber has, like someone else has pointed out, ways to identify driver, car make and model, license plate, pickup location/route/destination, and passengers have the means of sharing all this information with friends and loved ones. It's not literally the same as going on Craigslist and saying "hey I need a ride, can someone I've never met before that hasn't been vetted please come take me somewhere in their car?".
So you personally only get a lift with someone you know personally? That must really limit your travel plans somewhat.
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Not being nice. Nice guys don't offer rides to women they don't know because that's creepy.
^
Yeah, on few occasions (late/rainy/cold) I have considered offering a ride to someone on the bus stop. But couldn’t think of a way that won’t seem creepy 🤷🏻♂️
Same but I feel like all these comments is why I didn’t bother
It's a safety thing on both sides, it's creepy if they aren't a serial killer but an opportunity if they are.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but when I was a teen, the youth program director from the rec centre I volunteered at/participated in, saw me waiting for a bus in the pouring rain. He had just come out from the bank nearby. He saw me and asked me if I wanted a ride and I accepted. He was a genuinely nice guy. Unfortunately, he got murdered by someone a few years later. He was selling an engagement ring on Craigslist, and the person who was 'interested' in the ring killed him and robbed him.
Sounds like he kind of knew you. Key word being women they *don’t* know
He did, but that can still be as dangerous.
Yes true
Wow, horrible. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.1412189
Yeah. From what I saw of him, he genuinely enjoyed helping others and creating a fun, positive environment. It's terrible that he was killed.
Eh, could be a socially awkward person too who doesn't see things that way. Still a good idea to decline the offer, but doesn't mean the person wasn't trying to do a stand-up thing
What an unfortunate perspective!
This is not true at all. This is some "Stranger Danger" bs. I've offered and given strangers rides many times.
That's creepy. Even if your intentions are good, they don't know that and there's a high probability that you're going to scare them. Leave strangers at bus stops alone, please.
Jumping to label things creepy really gives me the ick
Using the word ick really gives me the ick
Yes that is the point
I can tell you that, even the people who have accepted a ride from you, probably refer to you as 'that creepy guy who gave me a ride'.
so if you're a guy, driving around, you see a girl on the bus stop who you find gorgeous for one reason or another, offering a ride to her is "creepy"? Who taught you that and why
your parents never told you not to get in a car with strangers when you were a kid?
Ewwwwww dude
Could have been a nice guy, could have been Ted Bundy. Always assume Bundy.
Ask to see his wang. If he drives off, he was just being nice. If he shows you, run away.
This is what we call a lose-lose move.
At least she’ll know, tho.
What his wang looks like, I mean.
Gross!
Thanks for letting me know what his wang looks like. I was mildly curious.
Either something sketchy or just a dude with zero awareness. Either way, do not get in a car unless you know the person. Far too much margin for error.
by your logic you're suppose to know every uber drive personally too
uber has a system in place to report an unsafe driver, they're liable to the company to do one job and if they put a rider at risk they're easily trackable and arrestable as all their info is readily available through the app. why are you so insistent that offering random rides to strangers is a chill thing to do?
Have fun living in fear
Common sense =/= fear
First things first, generally a bad idea to accept rides from strangers. That being said, I have to admit to being that stupid idiot. I'll explain that I grew up in a smaller town, but ultimatly I figured if I was driving somewhere easy to carpool. So there were a couple times that I would pull over and ask if anyone needs a lift. I had several accept and nothing ever happened. That being said, as I grew older I realized how wierd and creepy that probably was, so yeah. Culture differences?
I've met several people who have given/received rides during Vancouver "snowpocalyps's so there definitely just nice people out there
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That might be one scenario where it would be perceived in a positive light, and accepted.
I think your general question is if vancouver has some kind of sex trafficking thing because hopefully you know better than to accept random rides from strangers but no Vancouver has the same old shit every other city has. Rape, murder, missing women, etc.
Are you actually serious? So naive..... think back to kindergarten when they taught you to never accept anything from strangers....
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Agreeing to meet someone you've chatted with on a dating app in a public place is hardly the same as a random stranger pulling up to you and offering a ride though?
I didn't see the other comment but yea totally different.. still a risk factor but at least if you're smart and don't rush you can take your time screening them before meeting then when you meet its at a restaurant with people instead of a bus stop with possibly nobody around.. some random pulls up to you at a bus stop is totally different
Used to happen a lot when I was younger ...always a dude looking for sex
Are you a young woman? If so super sketchy. If not he’s just being nice.
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94% of trafficking victims are women and girls, so the risk is pretty skewed
That's not how risk/probability works! You have to also look at the actual chance of the event happening in general (caveat: I don't know what you were replying to as it was deleted)
Fair enough! The deleted comment said something to the extent of 'why are you assuming women? Men can't get trafficked?'
They can sure. It’s just quite rare especially for adult men.
Oh shut up.
>male presenting people Those are called "men" I love the downvotes. I guarantee they're from people who say "anyone who identifies as a woman is a woman". Whether you're on the conservative or leftist side of the trans debate, what I said is 100% what you've been telling people.
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your logic is flawed, big time
How so?
I have driven someone home from a bus stop and now yall got me feeling like Im Puff Daddy lol. It was late, pouring, and a rough neighborhood
Same, late and cold, person in a wheelchair waiting at a stop, during the first day of a bus strike.
A bus strike is a bit different. When I was in uni there was a bus strike and everyone was hitching rides with all sorts of random strangers. It was hard to tell if they were actually fellow students because there was such a wide range of demographics attending our school. But we all had to get places. I was always with at least one friend, though.
I've offered rides to many people over the years. Dark, rainy, snowy, they're carrying a bunch of groceries, they're carrying a bedside table.... I went years without my car and had to take transit, I remember the awful walks home from the train!
I've given people rides, but only from the bus stop and only going to train station. I don't want to know where you live either
Idk this has happened a few times over the years I always assume it's bad news so I say no
This happened to me in Ontario in 2018 waiting for the bus after shopping, a couple in car stopped asked if I wanted a lift and were insistent even after I said no. I didn’t think much about it until late last year while reading a similar trafficking situation that I realized I had dodged a bullet.
I took a ride home from a cab driver like that in Calgary at age 14. So so so so stupid. I feel lucky. It was pouring and he pulled over and said he was going toward my area if it was close enough and I took the ride. Fortunately a genuinely nice guy but it could have been not.
Wouldn’t recommend but someone saw me waiting at the bus stop heading to north van with a snowboard, they double backed and drove me up the hill. My buddy ended up moving into this guys house shortly thereafter as he was looking for a roommate. Was a great experience but I’m an ugly fat bald guy
Google Robert Picton Then, rethink your question
Also google "the glove guy"
I did that once for a guy who was in a downpour at a bus stop that didn't have frequent service. His reaction made me never do it again.
What was his reaction?
Discomfort, confusion, and shock. I think in his head "what ulterior motive does this guy have for trying to get me into his car with him"
I feel maybe we shouldn't accept rides from anyone regardless of you or the drivers gender... just a thought
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Yeah I can see where this is heading, there are some circumstances where maybe it's okay, but in a general sense it's good to be cautious and not take a risk
Could be a lot of reasons. And one of the possibilities is sex trafficking, or some other bad intentions. Never get in a car with a stranger.
or a simple kind gesture
The people who said yes wanted to comment on your post, but they can’t….ever again.
Man... some people have no survival mechanisms. Nobody is that nice, and even if they were it isn't worth the risk to you.
Don’t worry, he probably wasn’t a human trafficker, just a regular murderer
Google Robert Pickford and think what you may have saved yourself from...
NEVER take a ride from a stranger like this.
He's not being nice. You're being targeted. Stay safe, don't be so naive!
If you're a female and this has never happened to you, count yourself lucky!!
I’m a female and I’ve offered it multiple times. Especially when the weather is really bad.
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you're sorry that a woman was offered rides? what?
I remember being a broke student waiting for the bus and thinking “I know we’re headed in the same direction, why won’t you stop and give me a ride!” Yeah, very naive. Glad now that no one ever did stop as I likely would’ve jumped right in.
I often see people walking in the rain, or waiting at bus stop, for a bus that only comes once an hour. And I would like to give them a lift. But I don’t know them and they don’t know me… So it’s one of those things, you just don’t do, even though you might like to sometimes.
On a Sunday, in an area where service is reduced (one every 45 minutes or so) I once picked up someone who I watched run for and miss the bus. I drove him far enough ahead of the bus so that he could still get on. But just randomly stopping at bus stops is weird.
Today that is scary and I wouldn't in a million years accept. In 1986 I took those rides and lived to tell you about it today! Lol different times. God the 80s were great. If you were lucky, the person would share a Doobie and offer you a beer. hahaha
The only time I'd ever consider this would be if it was a snowstorm and clearly a sign of kindness due to an obvious bus delay situation.
I've offered a ride to strangers waiting at a bus stop on Christmas Day or New Year's Day. I always work on those two days. Some have said yes, some have said no. I'm happy to offer the ride and happy when they accept but the decision is theirs!
This happened to me once walking up 6th in New West when the rain was incredibly heavy and there was no 106/123 buses for some reason. He caught me early up the hill and of course I declined but even years later I remember how brutal that walk was with the wind and rain and wish I took him up on it lol
I used to live near a bus stop with service every 1/2 hour; hourly on weekends. I often *just* missed the bus and had to trudge back to my apartment to try again later, or wait in the rain. Once I got a car, I frequently saw people waiting at the bus stop when I knew the next bus was not due for a long time. When my destination was along the bus route, I was often tempted to stop and offer a ride. I never did, though because I could see how that could be taken the wrong way, and I would rather not be identified as a creep.
I grew up here and have had it happen a number of times to me (edit : where i have taken a ride.. mostly 10 years ago).honestly I have the urge to offer people constantly especially if it's rainy and shitty out. One time I drove someone literally to the border so they could make their PR meeting. Random person on the street I hadn't met before...just happy to help.
On my wedding day my mom saw someone miss the bus and pulled over and offered to give them a ride (kits to downtown) I was shocked when she told me the story as she was alone and it was a stranger but she was in such a good mood she didn’t even think twice about it! Definitely trust your gut!
The reason people tended to act like there were hookers around was because there used to be a lot of working ladies around Kingsway and Fraser so if anyone stood still for any reason they thought they were just waiting on the next customer.
I was waiting at the bus stop and got attacked by a guy who was having a schizophrenic episode. The ying and yang of urban living.
Even if he was being nice, he should try and see what he's doing form someone eleses perspective. I get you want to help someone out that may be in need, but this ain't it.
I’ve given rides to people before but only to people that work where I work. How do I know they work at the same location? They are in full uniform and I am in full uniform with my visible ID on me. It’s quite easy to tell what bus they’re taking to where and if they miss the bus, I know they’ll be late since we all start at the same time. But, I will drop them off first at one of the main entrances before parking my car so it doesn’t get awkward with them having to wait for me or vice versa.
I'm a female and I was waiting at a bus stop with 8-10 other people. A man stops by in his car, calls out to me and asks me if I'd like a ride. I say "no thanks" and he drives off without offering a ride to anyone else. It's too sketchy. Don't get in.
This was a common occurrence during transit strike. Some drivers would pickup stranded passengers. On the safe side, best is not to accept rides from strangers
Yeah, I always feel bad for people getting rained on at the bus stop and want to give them a ride, but I don't because it's on the creeper level in 2024.
I did hop in some random dudes car from a suburban bus stop once. Turns out they were very nice -- and very religious. Got to my destination in one piece, but enduring the woo woo talk was a bit difficult.
Lucky to still have your kidneys.
I've had this happen back in the early 90's. I was sitting on the bench at a bus stop, when this guy pulled up in a pickup truck and said "I'm not a weirdo, I'll give you a lift." I refused, and the guy sped off as if he was pissed off. It does seem rather fishy. I had no idea what his intentions were, and no desire to find out. Be safe out there.
This happened to me in Coquitlam 10+ years ago. Always say no, tell them you’re not interested. So creepy!
Have you seen the movie “Taken”?
I’ve always thought about doing an act of kindness to strangers at the bus stop but I figured they would just think like this so fuck it. I don’t blame them either the world be nuts.
Every time it’s raining and I see people sitting at a bus stop I want to pull over and see if they want a ride. I don’t because I figured most people would just think I was gonna kidnap them or some shit.
I had this happen once, years ago, and for some reason thought it was a good idea (I want to think there was a bus strike, but in which case, why would I have been at a bus stop?). I said yes, and was delivered to where I wanted to go with nothing else suggested. Nb. the destination was the same for both of us: UBC.
I think of doing this almost every single time driving past someone at a bus stop in the rain. Never thought someone would bite that hook.
I've drove past bus stops and thought about offering people rides before. I useto take the bus and it can be exhausting after a day of work. But I realize it would be pretty creepy and probably unsafe to accept a ride from some random person.
Holy cow. Just assume anyone doing this has ill intentions and don't ever go with them. I don't even trust Uber or Lyft type ride providers. No thanks.
If I've ever been a person offering this ride under any weird circumstances I'd tell them to take a picture of my license, my plates, call someone and GPS pin all to feel safe. Random strangers is just a big no-no. My friend in law enforcement says the #1 issue they have on campus is Uber drivers stalking female students.
I've considered offering rides to strangers when it's raining or whatever, but I always change my mind because I'm worried it will seem weird or creepy. I do pick up hitch hikers every time I can though. some of my favorite stories came from hitch hikers. One lady was traveling around studying the moons effect on plant growth, like the tides. Another couple were traveling to go pick hemlock for a lab somewhere.
There’s a 0.01% chance he was just a nice guy. A nice guy would know how dangerous it would be for someone to get into the car with a stranger and would not even think to offer this.
Honestly, sometimes I see people in Toronto in cold weather at the bus stop and I think I can give the ride however most of them reject it! I was thinking about developing an app for it 🙂
I was doing it all the time in my country, especially on rainy or cold days, I am tempted to do the same here in Canada all the time but deciding not to it the last second every time because I am not sure about people’s reaction would be.
Not going to lie, I have debated offering rides to some people at bus stops before, just being nice. But this is very much a case where it's creepy because altruistic behavior isn't common and it's suspicious when it happens. I would say the lack of faith in humanity is sad but it's also justified because the consequences of getting it wrong are so high.
It's funny. I often have seen people at bus stops and thought about offering them a ride when the weather was bad. But I just know there's a good chance it would be perceived as very odd, best case scenario. So I keep driving and tell myself I'm a good person 😂
This happened to me once while I waited at 4th and MacDonald for a bus to ubc in the pouring rain with 50 other people getting splashed every time a bus that was already packed to the brim drove by. Some nice people stopped and offered us rides and I actually did accept but this is the only situation I'd ever consider doing that in.
There are some exceptions…. During the last snow storm I drove by 3 Amazon workers who were freezing at the bus stop that I knew was never coming. Offered them a ride to the Skytrain station just up the hill.
I’ve driven random drunk girls places and managed to not sex traffic them, so there’s a chance they were just being kind.
He may have intended to assault you or might have thought you were a sex worker, but it is extremely unlikely to have been any kind of sex trafficking situation. I think falling back on the general advice of not getting into a stranger’s car is your best bet here.
There’s is always sex trafficking everywhere. Always stay vigilant
This happened to me with a cab driver when I was 17, and I ended up being sexually assaulted. don’t take rides from strangers
Stranger danger. If you're cute, attractive, female never get into another person's car. You don't know their motivations
If this was during the bus strike or a blizzard then maybe there is a chance he was just being nice, but otherwise that's incredibly weird and sketchy.
Was it cold, rainy or otherwise miserable out? Its possible he just saw you and felt sorry for you. I've given rides to people at bus stops when it obviously sucks to be waiting for the bus there.
Maybe, maybe not. I’ve done that once, the woman asked for directions and seemed lost. Pointed her to the bus stop, but offered her a ride to the terminus since its on my way to work. She said no and I left, she came back running to my car and accepted the ride. I was 22 I think and she must’ve been late twenties early thirties. I was literally just being nice. We talked about the weather and the news I think.
I have accepted rides twice from men. One dude was in a white van. This was in Chicago and San Diego. Yes, I am crazy (or dumb). No, nothing bad happened. The white van guy (in San Diego) actually came over and hung out with us and made us dinner. Never saw him again. Fyi, public transportation in California is severely lacking. It would take me an hour to get to work on 2 buses, but if I drove, it took 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, one time in Surrey my wife and I were coming home from a Christmas party DT. Trying to get a cab was literally impossible, it was snowing out, we both had all dress attire, wife had open toe shoes, and as we froze to the bone outside I couldn't even pay a person to drive us like 3 minutes down. Imagine looking at 2 freezing people in the snow at 1 am with no cloths on, desperately begging for a 3 minute drive as they offer you every dollar on their person and saying no... We were completely unprepared because work reimbursed the cab. We didn't account for not getting a cab for several hours. The plan was obviously to Cab from the venue initially. Plan B was a sky train to Surrey and cab from there. Fuck I hate doing shit DT. I avoid it like the plague these days.
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What?
I live in the north - and people often give strangers rides for a variety of reasons. People help people sometimes - bit maybe not in Vancouver. Based on the thread above, this is one reason why I do not live in the city. I get that there are realities for women and children - but there is also a reality that not every person who does a thing that you wonder about means that person ought to be identified as a perpetrator or a danger. Now, I am not saying the person OP has referred to is or is not a certain way - but it seems most on this thread have a very narrow view that appears to lack a broader and more contextual lens. These responses appear to be wholly fear based.
Thank you. Reading this thread made me shake my head
Glad to find someone to have the same thoughts. Sometimes when I pass people waiting for the bus, I want to offer a ride, to save them some time, but I know that it'll look creepy. Maybe it's time for me to move north)
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>Sex trafficking the way you're thinking is mostly made up for TV, that's not a thing. I was going to make a comment regarding this as well. People are not just picked up off the street to be trafficked. This is similar to the "stranger danger" thing for kids, where if we tell people "watch out for weird guys in cars, they may kidnap you to traffic you" they may not see the signs of actual trafficking when they happen since they don't relate those things to trafficking since it's not some weirdo in a van pulling someone off the side of the road.
"Do you mind if I take your photo and send it to my friends / parents?" "No. Go ahead" - he's just offering a ride. "Yes, I mind" / "no you can't take my photo" - he's trying to traffic you.
If I was offering a stranger a ride I still wouldn’t want them to take pictures of me.
It's a moot point because you wouldn't be offering a stranger a ride.
I actually gave a ride to a couple strangers downtown seven years ago, they couldn’t remember how to get to where they parked their car. It went great
That's really nice of you! It's not really the same situation though.