SINGAPORE: A Tada passenger was shocked to receive a profanity-laden xenophobic rant just for asking her driver how she could pay for the ride she took last Friday (May 26).
The passenger, TikTok user @bekindtoday88, claims that the driver launched into his insulting spiel after he asked her whether she would use cash to pay for her ride.
When the passenger asked if she could pay via PayNow and whether there was an ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) fee, he allegedly became unhappy.
The passenger told Stomp this week: “He answered me with ‘I don’t know’. He also said, ‘Passengers don’t know their mode of payment.’ I answered him, ‘You don’t generalise.’ He asked, ‘Come again?’ After which, he was nonstop throwing racism about me and called me ‘bitch’ before I decided to take the video of him as evidence.”
The passenger posted a 43-second video of the exchange on TikTok. In the video, which is taken from the back seat of the vehicle, the driver can be heard saying:
“You are sensitive because you are the one. If not, why are you so sensitive? If not, you just keep quiet lah.
“Come to my country, you still want to act ah. Act what? Act like professional. You’re so useful, go back to your country lah, why come to Singapore.
“Because you are nothing, that’s why you come to Singapore. Come to Singapore you still want to act what?
“Not happy with Singaporean, right? Go back lah. Nobody asked you to come what.”
The passenger has since taken down the TikTok video, which went viral in hours.
Tada has since said that it is conducting an internal probe and will not hesitate to act decisively if it turns out that the driver violated its rules. A spokesperson said:
“We are aware of the event, as the rider involved informed us last Friday, May 26. At Tada, we prioritise the conduct of our driver partners and riders, and we firmly denounce any form of discrimination or prejudice. The incident alleged, indeed, contradicts the community guidelines we uphold, which all our driver partners are obliged to respect.
“We have initiated an investigation on the matter. This includes an exhaustive assessment of the incident as reported, the circulating TikTok video, as well as dialogues with both the driver-partner and the rider. Should our investigation reveal a violation of our community guidelines by the driver partner, be assured that the necessary action will be undertaken.
“We share your concern and deeply regret any distress caused to the rider due to this occurrence. Maintaining an environment of respect and inclusivity for all users of TADA is our utmost priority, and any breach of this principle is handled with grave seriousness.”