If one isn’t careful, they may accidentally leave their belongings behind while taking public transport, such as buses and taxis.
As such, we should always check that we have all our items before exiting a vehicle.
Unfortunately, this was not the case for one man who left his wallet in a taxi. He then apparently filed a complaint with the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
LTA later sent the cab driver a written warning for failing to check his vehicle.
In a post on the Facebook group Beh Chia Lor – Singapore Road, the cabbie shared a photo of a letter he received from LTA responding to his appeal against their written warning, which was issued to him on 28 Sep.
The letter states that he made the appeal on 11 Oct through Tin Pei Ling, the MP for Macpherson SMC.LTA noted that the cabbie allegedly failed to search his taxi for any property left behind by the passenger at the end of the trip.
After their investigations, they found the driver liable for the offence of “Failing to search vehicle for any property accidentally left behind by the hirer”.
According to the warning, the offence falls under rule 39(1) of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Vocational Licenses and Conduct of Drivers, Conductors, Trishaw Riders and Passengers) Rules.
LTA then clarified that drivers should ensure that no property has been left inside their vehicle immediately before or at the end of a journey. Failing to do so, they emphasised, constitutes an offence under this rule.
Since they are “satisfied” with the results of their investigation, which found the cabbie liable for the offence, LTA cannot rescind the written warning.
Based on the comments, netizens are largely on the cab driver’s side.
Many were disgruntled with the warning, with some even calling it “totally ridiculous”.
Source: Facebook
Others sympathised with him, saying that it’s already difficult enough to earn a living as a cabbie.
Source: Facebook
However, there were those who agreed that cabbies should check the rear seats before their passengers alight.
Source: Facebook
There’s a reason most taxis have signs reminding passengers to ensure they have all their belongings before disembarking.
Hopefully, this incident reminds everyone to keep an eagle eye on their things when taking public transport.
After all, not only do you not want to lose something valuable, but you also wouldn’t want to potentially get your taxi driver into trouble, would you?
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Featured image adapted from Beh Chia Lor – Singapore Road on Facebook & Dollars and Sense, for illustration purposes only.
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