Videos of a driver of a Mercedes-Benz who got angry after being honked at by an SBS Transit bus driver to the point of throwing the bus driver’s mobile phone into the road went viral online over the weekend. The incident happened at Flora Drive.
The Mercedes-Benz driver, Teo Kian Chin, 42, has since been charged in court with committing a public nuisance.
The incident took place on Oct 31 at around midnight at a bus stop in Flora Drive, after the bus driver honked the horn when the bus was prevented from leaving because the Mercedes-Benz was blocking it.
The videos clearly show Teo stopping his vehicle, alighting from it, and then walking to the bus, where he insists on being allowed to enter.
The driver lets Teo in while he’s on the phone. Teo then forcefully grabs the phone from the driver and continues to berate him.
At one point, a young woman can be seen entering the bus and appears to try to calm Teo down. But Teo continues to argue with the driver.
Finally, he leaves the bus. And as he walks away, he can be seen throwing the phone onto the middle of the road before walking back to his car.
Later in the video he appears to return to the bus, but the woman walks him back to the car, holding on to him by the shoulder and arm. Teo can be heard speaking loudly in Mandarin as he walks away.
Ms Grace Wu, SBS Transit’s vice-president for customer experience and communications, told The Straits Times that the woman returned the phone to the bus driver.
She added that SBS will “not tolerate any abuse against our staff and will fully back any staff member who wishes to defend his rights beyond the criminal justice system and file for civil action.”
Netizens were quick to condemn Teo’s actions.
/TISG