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ComfortDelGro cabby's service terminated after filming, shaming drunk passenger

A two-and-a-half minute clip of the incident was uploaded on various Facebook pages on 13 July, 2019. (SCREENCAPS: 新加坡华人华语网 ,Sg Chinese Community/Facebook)
A two-and-a-half minute clip of the incident was uploaded on various Facebook pages on 13 July, 2019. (SCREENCAPS: 新加坡华人华语网 ,Sg Chinese Community/Facebook)

SINGAPORE — A ComfortDelGro taxi driver had his service terminated, after he filmed an inebriated female passenger in an attempt to shame her for not paying her cab fare.

The transport operator found that the way the driver had handled the incident was unacceptable and it has terminated his hiring contract, said its group chief corporate communications officer Tammy Tan in a statement on Monday (15 July).

“We are in contact with the passenger and have conveyed the outcome of our investigations to her,” she added.

In a two-and-a-half-minute video posted on various Facebook pages on Sunday, the taxi driver could be heard repeatedly asking the passenger, both of whom were standing outside the vehicle, to pay the fare.

“I will make you very famous,” said the driver, who added that he picked her up from One Raffles Place.

The passenger, who at times appeared unstable on her feet and occasionally stumbled over her words, repeatedly said that she wanted to pay the fare.

At one point in the video, she could be seen trying to find her bag in the back seat and the boot of the taxi, but appeared to be unable to locate it.

“You're wasting my time. You're wasting everybody's time,” said the driver. “We have the police coming.”

A copy of the video, posted on Facebook page 新加坡华人华语网, had been shared almost 1,300 times as of Monday evening.

Several netizens voiced disapproval of the driver’s actions.

Facebook user Poh Poh wrote, “I hope this lady learnt her lesson. I pity her for having met this unhelpful taxi uncle.”

Another who went by Naranzaya SquareI wrote, “Don’t record her face instead of helping. The driver can make contact with her loved ones.”

Tan reminded the operator’s drivers who encounter drunk passengers and fare evaders not to “take matters into their own hands”.

They should report them to the police and ComfortDelGro, and the latter “will assist them the best (they) can”, she added.

Come across such encounters or have other tip-offs to share with us? Email us at sgnews.tips@verizonmedia.com.

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Related story:

Audio recordings allowed in inward-facing video cameras in cabs, private hire cars from 15 July