Mr. Aziz got to work. He has thoroughly washed and vacuumed his Hyundai Ioniq hybrid cab. And then, on March 12th, the day before the wedding, he went to the Joo Chiat Complex to have the taxi decorated.
He chose white for the ribbons and flowers and kept the design simple knowing that his niece wanted it that way.
When he was about to go home, he decided to pick up passengers from the taxi rank in the Geylang Serai market. “I thought why not,” he said.
The passengers said “wow” and the decorations were “fantastic,” said Aziz. “Of course they were surprised,” he added with a laugh. “You were the first to take my decorated taxi.”
THE WEDDING DAY
On March 13th, Mr. Aziz started his day early by taking his niece from her childhood home in Jurong to the wedding venue in Bukit Timah Plaza.
The wedding guests were “quite surprised” to see the taxi, said Aziz. “They have never seen a taxi as a wedding car,” he said.
Mr. Aziz was making a few trips to and from the venue to pick up other relatives when it started raining heavily. The couple’s outdoor photo shoot therefore had to be canceled.
Ms. Syarinah and her husband ended up snapping photos around the venue, including some in a cab, though she wished she’d taken one with her uncle and his car.
“We also wanted to get a better picture of the taxi because it spent so much time on it,” she said.
“But because of the weather, and to be honest we were very, very tired after the wedding, it was very difficult to get a good picture of the car.”
Mr. Aziz waited in that taxi for about an hour so he could send the newlyweds back to their new home.
“He was just waiting patiently, he didn’t even complain about it,” said Ms. Syarinah. “I know he was just as tired because he picked me up in the morning. But he didn’t complain.”
LOVE FOR HIS NOTES
Mr. Aziz’s generosity stems from his desire to want the best for his nieces. He even offered to drive Ms. Syarinah to school every day.
“It’s part of life because I don’t have any children,” said Aziz. “I also see her as my child, why don’t I help? It’s not for me I love my niece very much. “
To help taxi drivers through these troubled times, Mr Aziz suggested that ComfortDelGro consider renting out its taxis and drivers for weddings.
“If people want to save money, why not use taxis as wedding cars,” he said.
Ms. Syarinah said it never crossed her mind that guests might find the gesture a cheap act, especially since some couples spend a lot of money to rent a luxury wedding car.
“It’s just as valuable to me because it’s still a means of transport. It still does the same thing, you know, it runs on gas, ”she mused.
In fact, Ms. Syarinah said the gesture made it more meaningful since her uncle’s thought mattered.
“Even if he did it to a normal car or something else, it will still be the same,” she added. “I’ll still feel the same way.”
“SOMETHING I WILL NOT FORGET”
This feeling is shared by Ms. Syarinah’s husband Fahrul Razi Kamsani, 29, whom she described as a “very relaxed guy” who is practical and not materialistic.
“He was grateful that my uncle offered this because it honestly reduced our logistical needs to connect with another party, rent a little money, and decorate too,” she said.
Mr. Aziz said he was “very happy” that the couple appreciated his gesture, and noted that he kept a flower from the car decoration in his living room as a keepsake.
Ms. Syarinah said the episode was something to be proud of.
“Because it just shows how much he thinks I’m his niece,” she said, adding that she “cannot reproduce” this.
“It is also a very priceless, very precious memory that I will not forget. For others it is something very small, simple. But for me it is like something that I will not forget.”
