Uber driver gains attention on Instagram for posting cool portraits and stories of his passengers

Noor Ashikin Abdul Rahman
The New Paper
March 2, 2017

It never hurts to look your best, even if you are just grabbing a taxi.

After all, you never know you who are going to meet.

It could even be your future partner, as was the case of a local uberPOOL driver who is now dating his flight attendant passenger.

Or you could find yourself in the car of Ubergrapher, as he is now popularly known among netizens.

The Ubergrapher is known to friends as Maverick. He has been an Uber driver for almost a year. Last month he gained attention for snapping photos of his diverse mix of passengers and posting them on Instagram.

The shots are accompanied by humorous captions that capture a glimpse of the passengers' lives.

To date, Ubergrapher, has accrued over 2,500 followers on Instagram since setting up the account in October last year.

The irony?

This Uber driver and avid shutterbug himself is camera shy.

Maverick, who drives a Toyota Prius, declined to show his face on camera.

When asked about his age, "above 30 years old" is all he would let on.

Maverick, who photographs his passengers with his Canon EOS-1D camera, revealed that documenting his passengers was not his original intention.

He told TNP: "Photography is my hobby and I bought a new camera a few months ago. I wanted to snap photos of buildings and places as I drive everywhere every day.

"I then discovered that most passengers are friendly and I wanted to share their stories together with their photos."

His first photo as Ubergrapher was of two full-time national servicemen with whom he had a chat.

"I told them about my hobby and showed them my photos on my iPad. At the end of the trip, I asked them if I could take their photos and they said they did not mind at all. They weren't surprised by the request," he recalled.

"When I ask for permission, 90 per cent of the time I get a 'yes'."

To date, he posts at least a photo every day.

Some passengers, he said with a laugh, are quick to reach for their mirrors and make-up pouches when they know they will be photographed.

Others, who have heard about him, often comment on his Instagram page, telling him they would love to ride in his car and appear on his Instagram page one day.

Maverick has met people from all walks of life, from the old to the young, from locals to tourists.

He said: "I like to think of them as the 'beautiful people of Singapore'."