A Grab passenger recently took to Facebook to share a concerning experience during a ride, where the driver was seen texting on his phone multiple times while driving.
“Irresponsible grab driver, continuously texting with both hands!” he captioned the post.
Source: Facebook
The passenger, who wanted to be known as Mr Tomas, captured a video showing the driver stealing glances at his phone and typing with one hand.
At times, the driver even removed both hands from the steering wheel to repeatedly tap on his device.
Speaking to MS News, Mr Tomas shared that the incident occurred on Thursday (21 Nov) at about 3.16pm during a GrabCar Premium ride from Tanjong Rhu to Novena.
Image courtesy of Mr Tomas
“What you saw in the video is a shorter patch,” Mr Tomas said. “Let’s say ride was 15 minutes or so. During that period, he texted over 10 times.”
He added that he only started filming after noticing the driver texting repeatedly.
“He seemed to [be using] WhatsApp or a similar app,” the 35-year-old pastry chef said. “I was not really looking as I was paying more attention to the road — considering how much of a danger I was in.”
Mr Tomas added that he did eventually make a comment to the Grab driver to urge him not to use his phone.
“His reaction was to grin and ignore,” he said.
However, he added that the driver had three other phones mounted in the car so he might have been pre-occupied and “didn’t process” the comment.
After the ride, Mr Tomas reported the issue to Grab, but he claimed the company initially provided a “generic” response and even sent him the “same” letter when he reached out to them again.
“It’s clearly a case of a copy-paste situation,” Mr Tomas said.
In response to MS News’ queries, a Grab spokesman said the driver captured on video violated its code of conduct and it has since suspended him.
“We have also reached out to the passenger to apologise for the experience and refunded the booking.”
It would also like to remind its drivers that using a mobile phone while driving, including texting or holding the device, is strictly prohibited under the Road Traffic Act in Singapore.
“Driver-partners found to have violated our code of conduct or traffic laws may be permanently banned on our platform,” added the spokesman.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Tomas on Facebook.
When confronted, the motorcyclist became irate and challenged people to report him to the police.
The 77-year-old woman relied on her grandson due to memory issues and limited English proficiency.
The doctor warned that leeches can slip into the body when one is in natural…
He said that the bird was incredibly fast and typically perched for only a few…
The man said he was resting and was using a vinyl sheet to shelter himself…
The victim’s daughter just wants the teen to apologise so her mother can rest in…