A mum has said she's "fed up" with being asked to drop what she's doing and give her friends and family a lift in her car, as she says that "all eligible adults" should learn to drive for themselves.
Posting on Mumsnet, the woman explained she often gets asked for rides by her non-driving friends and members of her family who travel to visit her but has said the requests have started to wear thin because her loved ones always seem to take advantage of her kindness.
And to make matters worse, the woman has now started receiving requests for rides from her neighbours - who also don't drive but refuse to take the bus or make use of a taxi to get them to where they need to be.
In her post, the mum listed three recent interactions she'd had starting with her neighbour, as she said: "Earlier this week I had a knock at the door and it was a couple asking if I could lend them some gardening equipment, as they're in the process of buying a property a few doors along from me.
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"They wanted a rake and a spade and loppers 'because it's difficult to carry a rake on the train'. I invited them in and made them tea while I went to unlock the shed and find the tools.
"Turns out neither of them drive. He has a licence but found driving stressful and she prefers to be driven. Our houses are a half-mile walk to a bus stop which isn't much fun when it's pouring rain. 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?"
The mum then shared the interaction she'd had with her friend, who she was supposed to be going to a festival with, and who she was supposed to pick up from the train station at a certain time.
But when the friend said she would be getting on a later train, she still expected to be picked up - two hours after she said she would have initially arrived.
The mum added: "A friend who doesn't drive is coming by train and will be travelling with a tent and camping gear. We arranged that I would be at Hereford station to pick her and her gear up at a certain time.
"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. 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."
And finally, the mum is also expecting a visit from her nephew and his girlfriend in August, who also don't drive because they both live in London and don't need a car.
In order to visit all the countryside places they want to go to, the couple will need lifts from the woman all week - which has left her completely fed up with driving everyone around.
She explained: "In August my nephew and his girlfriend are coming to stay. They hope to go walking in the area and visit several out-of-the-way places. 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."
Commenters on the Mumsnet post largely disagreed that everyone should learn to drive, but did back the mum's claims that if people don't drive, they shouldn't be cheeky with asking others to give them lifts.
One person said: "I would not go as far as to say all eligible adults should learn to drive, but I would say that, if they choose not to, then they absolutely should not rely on others to give them lifts."
As another added: "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."
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