A female passenger who booked a cab home using the Tada app became the victim of intrusive questions from the driver, who asked her if she could pull down her mask, so he could see her better, among other requests.
Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Estella Ong shared details of her taxi ride home in a post on Monday (Apr 25). The driver allegedly began asking Ms Ong personal questions such as her age or if the house she stayed in was a rental or owned.
“So I told him that it was a rental and I stay with my kids,” said Ms Ong before a follow-up question by the driver asking her to remove her mask.
“I told him that I don’t want to remove my mask, and there’s no reason for me to remove it,” she said.
“He said that he just wants to see my face without my mask on; he wants to know how exactly how I look like,” she added.
After refusing, the driver carried on by saying that Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, and he wasn’t infected with the virus.
“He add on, saying now outdoor you sure never wear mask de mah. I say, no la. I still got wear.”
The driver eventually started another conversation focusing on the design of Ms Ong’s residence.
He asked about the soundproof quality, the design of her room, whether it was near the main door and if her neighbour’s unit was near hers.
“I just told him that my neighbour unit is extremely near to me, and I have a strong relationship with my neighbour.”
Then the driver asked Ms Ong if he could go up to her house.
“I straight-up tell (him), NO. Are you crazy?” she said, to which the driver asked why not.
At this moment, Ms Ong messaged her cousin, informing her of the current situation. Her cousin confirmed she would meet Ms Ong at the roundabout.
After they exited Balestier Road, the driver asked if Ms Ong had a driver’s license.
“I told him no again, and he say oh now a lot of females driving PHV (private-hire vehicles),” said Ms Ong.
Upon reaching their destination, Ms Ong’s cousin and aunt confronted the driver, asking him why he requested such things.
“His explanation was that he didn’t see before HDB (Housing and Development Board) rental house, so he just wants to have a look and regarding about the mask, he just wants to have a look at me full face,” said Ms Ong.
The concerned individual asked the community what she should do next as she tried calling Tada’s hotline to no avail.
“Lastly, I would like to create awareness to all female passengers about this incident that happened to me,” she added.
Netizens advised Ms Ong to file a police report immediately.
Ms Ong attached a photo of the driver’s details.
Facebook user Ashwini Sivaraja also commented that she experienced the same thing with the same driver, sparking concern that there could be other victims.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Tada for a statement.
UPDATE: April 26, 2022
TADA Statement
TADA has responded and clarified the incident yesterday with the below statement:
TADA does not condone any form of harassment and has zero-tolerance for any interaction that compromises the security and well-being of our riders and drivers.
We are currently in contact with the rider in question to provide support and have initiated a thorough investigation of the matter. We are also reviewing past trips of the driver in question and have reached out to other riders that may have been affected by similar behaviour.
We are committed to seeing this matter through in a fair manner and will continue to keep the impacted parties fully updated on the results of our investigation, as well as any resulting actions we will be taking. Additionally, the TADA team will fully cooperate with any external investigations initiated.
TADA is committed to ensuring the safety of all our riders and drivers in the TADA family and will not hesitate to take strong action against anyone found to be in violation of our safety and anti-harassment policies. /TISG
Auntie taxi driver breaks down after allegedly provoked by passenger