Ottawa man takes his Uber driver tobogganing for first time

When Dave Nguyen started chatting with his Uber driver days before Christmas, he discovered that he had never been tobogganing in his life, so something had to change.

It was a snowy night downtown, and Nguyen had just finished his company Christmas party at Giovanni’s Restaurant. But Nguyen felt stranded and could not find an Uber for the life of him, so he walked 20 minutes toward Wellington and Somerset.

“Then, lo and behold, an Uber accepted the ride.”

The driver was Chance Niyromugabo.

The snowy Ottawa night proved a jump-off point for the bromance, which led to the logical place of winter activities that turn snow piles into joy and adventure.

Niyromugabo had been in Canada for eight years after arriving from Rwanda. In that time, he had never tried anything wintry; not skiing, not tobogganing.

Nguyen, who was off for two weeks because the martial arts studio he works at as an instructor was closed, asked if Niyromugabo wanted to go tobogganing.

“The whole gist of the story, it’s kind of random — I was on my way home from my Christmas party, and it was in the holiday spirit to make someone’s holidays,” Nguyen said.

The pair texted logistics over Christmas and decided to hit the Charlie Rogers Place hill in Kanata on Boxing Day. Nguyen told Niyromugabo to dress warm with gloves and a tuque.

He also picked up two sleds owned by his niece and bought Niyromugabo some snow pants, a tobogganing must, before meeting up.

The two walked the long hike up for Niyromugabo’s first bomb down the hill. As they reached the top, they saw “a kid just bailing, and just rolling down the hill, and then I can see the look on (Niyromugabo’s) face.”

But Niyromugabo wasn’t too intimidated by the tobogganing crash and the rolling, snow-covered child.

“I was just first of all seeing what the other were people doing — most of them were kids — so I never get afraid,” he said.

Niyromugabo told the Ottawa Citizen that he now understands that tobogganing is “very fun”, and said Nguyen is now a friend and a “good man”.

It was a change of pace and respite for Niyromugabo, who has spent his first eight years in Canada hard at work.

During most of the year, Niyromugabo works cutting trees. In the winter off-season, he drives Uber full time.

“During summer, I was busy, I never get time to relax,” he said.

“I never get time just to have fun, just focusing, just working, money, so on that time, meeting with him, it was really fun,” Niryomugabo said, laughing.

After shredding powder on the Kanata tobogganing slopes, the pair had a fitting end to their day with Beaver Tails and coffee.

It took about 30 minutes to find parking amid the Boxing Day crowd at Tanger Outlet mall, but the new friends finally reached their reward.

Ngyugen opted for the kahlua sunrise, while Niyromugabo enjoyed a nutella and banana. They also paid it forward, buying a boy in line in front of them a hot chocolate.

“It was really nice, it was so delicious,” Niyromugabo said of his first beaver tail.

Both of the new friends are around 30 years old, and for Nguyen the day made him feel “like a teenage kid, like when you go on a vacation with your parents and you meet a kid your age, and then you vibe and just hang out.

“That’s what it felt like, I didn’t really have a worry in the world besides just hanging out with my new buddy.”

As for the next time, Nguyen said he wants to get Niyromugabo out on a ski hill.

“I might try Pakenham because it’s a little bit smaller,” Nguyen said, laughing.

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