SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman shared a TikTok video recalling her disturbing experience with a Grab driver when she travelled alone to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. “I went on a five-day solo trip to Johor Bahru a couple of months back… Something happened, and I think I’m ready to talk about it,” she said.
She said she felt uneasy when the driver checked her out “from head to toe. It wasn’t just a simple check-out; it was in a creepy manner,” she added. However, the woman decided to shrug it off and thought that the driver just wanted to know more about who he was driving with. The Grab driver eventually asked inappropriate questions that made the situation worse.
@peltings I dont think I’ve ever felt so scared in my entire life 🫠 #malaysiatiktok #johorbahru #sgtravel
Her story started with her wanting to visit Johor Bahru because it’s a ‘quick, affordable getaway’ from Singapore, and she wished to go to a firefly park. “It’s inconvenient to get there without a private driver. I thought to myself, hey, you know if there’s a Grab driver who has private hire service, I don’t mind just paying him a bit more to get to my destination,” she admitted.
She eventually hired a Grab driver as her personal driver, and she made a deal with him. “I think the weird part came when he suddenly popped this question like, ‘Why did you come to Malaysia by yourself? Don’t you know this is a dangerous place, and you’re with a guy alone in the car? Aren’t you scared that I will kidnap you? ’” the woman recalled.
The driver also talked about his past relationships and made racist remarks throughout the conversation. He also asked about her past relationships. “I did not want to engage with him anymore; I was giving him one-word answers,” she said.
“I was freaking out in his car; I was coming out with various solutions in my head, like, you know, should I just jump out of his car or should I call the police or should I call my mom?” she added.
She then concluded her video by advising everyone to choose their private drivers wisely and trust their gut feelings. “I think when it comes to looking for a private driver, you know, just be careful of who you choose. Get recommendations from your friends, look them up online, go for those highly rated ones, and I guess another takeaway is that always trust your gut feelings,” she declared.
Grab Delivery Partner Guidelines
According to Grab’s website, “the following behaviours are prohibited on our platform: attempted or actual physical assault, verbal or physical s*xual harassment, rape, murder, kidnapping, threats and intimidation, and s*xual advancement between drivers and users, whether consensual or otherwise. Do not ask overly personal questions or comment on anyone’s appearance. You are strictly prohibited from contacting your passenger after the trip for personal reasons. In a dispute, do not take matters into your own hands.”
Grab further assures its customers that such behaviour will not be tolerated. “Grab will take action against users who do not abide by these rules, including suspension from our App. In addition, Grab will work with the authorities to investigate and seek support for the victims,” Grab says as part of its Anti-Harassment Policy.
It is better to call the authorities and report to Grab itself so action can be taken if you are caught in a similar situation.
Grab AudioProtect
Grab also launched a safety feature called ‘AudioProtect’, which allows passengers and drivers to record audio on their devices via the Grab app while on a Grab ride, with both parties giving consent.
“AudioProtect was designed to provide users with greater peace of mind when they travel on Grab rides by proactively deterring in-person safety incidents from happening while en route,” Grab says.
This will also allow Grab to quickly resolve safety incidents by having recordings to understand the full picture of complaints, especially regarding accidents, s*xual harassment, and/or abuse.
This AudioProtect feature is trial-approved by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) starting March 21.