Unpleasant incidents sometimes occur when riding in a cab or a private-hire car.
Unfortunately, one woman who was travelling with her child alleged that she was racially abused by a TADA driver.
In a video she posted, the driver can be heard making derogatory remarks about Indians.
Source: Jan Hoeden on Facebook
TADA said they’re investigating the incident.
In a Facebook post on Saturday (23 Sep), Ms Jan Hoeden said she booked a ride on TADA that afternoon.
She was headed to Pasir Ris Street 12 with her nine-year-old daughter.
During the journey, the driver became agitated due to road blockages from the ongoing MRT construction, she added, and started accusing her of giving him the wrong route.
Ms Hoeden’s Facebook post, which has since been taken down, also included a 2.5-minute-long video of her interaction with the driver.
A user who identified herself as her niece also posted part of it on TikTok.
In the video, the driver is seen telling Ms Hoeden that her “baby” is less than 1.35m tall and he’d already given her a “chance”.
Source: @rhiley36746 on TikTok
According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), all vehicles in Singapore must have booster seats or child restraints for passengers under 1.35m in height. While taxis are exempted from this ruling, private-hire cars are not.
However, Ms Hoeden told the driver that her daughter is nine years old and 1.37m tall.
Unconvinced, the driver said that they were “very illegal”.
The TADA driver then went back to the topic of the supposedly incorrect route, with the conversation getting more heated.
At one point, the driver tells Ms Hoeden not to be “hao lian” (boastful), and she replies in Mandarin: “Wo bu shi hao lian” (I’m not being boastful).
Source: @rhiley36746 on TikTok
The driver then yells at the top of his voice, seemingly saying,
You are India, I’m Chinese… You are the very worst…
Ms Hoeden calmly corrected him, replying that she’s a Singaporean Eurasian, not Indian.
She also told him she’d put him on Facebook for being racist.
However, the driver insisted,
I know you’re India, I’m CHINESE. Don’t try to be funny with me!
As Ms Hoeden again accused him of being racist, the man continued ranting loudly.
TADA has responded to the incident by saying they “do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or abuse of any kind”.
In a comment on an Instagram post by Wake Up Singapore, the ride-hailing company said they were investigating the incident, and thanked netizens who brought it to their attention.
Source: @wakeupsingapore on Instagram
The company also told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that they had initiated an internal investigation to fully understand the circumstances.
Based on its findings, they’ll take “all necessary actions”, they added, noting,
Remarks or comments that insinuate racial differences are in direct violation of TADA’s community guidelines and are not representative of our company’s values.
MS News has reached out to Ms Hoeden and TADA and will update the article when they respond.
Also read: TADA Driver Demands More Payment From Passenger Travelling To 2 Locations, Cancels Trip Halfway
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Featured image adapted from @rhiley36746 on TikTok.
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