A Singapore Chinese cab driver allegedly abused a 46-year-old woman and her nine-year-old daughter during their ride over misinformation about the destination and assuming that they were of Indian origin. He told the woman, who is of Eurasian origin: ‘You are Indian, you are stupid, you’re the very worst kind’.
The woman, identified as Janelle Hoeden, said the incident took place on Saturday (September 23). She told The Straits Times that she recorded the interaction, which got progressively more heated, on her mobile phone.
According to the news report, Hoeden booked the ride on a local cab aggragator app around 2 pm. She said the ride was initially uneventful and, as she was talking to her child, the driver suddenly got upset about running into a partially blocked road for the construction of an upcoming metro in Pasir Ris housing estate.
“He started shouting at me, saying that I gave him the wrong address and wrong directions,” she said. Hoeden has uploaded a video of the interaction on her Facebook page, which was later uploaded by a TikTok user and shared by alternative news site Wake Up Singapore.
In the video, the Chinese driver is seen accusing Hoeden’s daughter of being less than 1.35 metres tall while she could be heard replying that the child was 1.37 metres. He then called the girl “very illegal”. The height is for the safety of passengers requiring child seats, as per laws in Singapore.
For safety reasons, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) states on its website that all vehicles in Singapore must have booster seats or child restraints for passengers under 1.35 metres in height. “You are India(n), I’m Chinese… You are the very worst kind…” the driver is heard screaming at the woman while driving.
Hoeden corrects him saying: “I am Singapore Eurasian, not Indian.”
She said: “Whether I was tanned skin, or Indian, or otherwise, it’s unacceptable what he said – it was totally uncalled for, that he pulled out the race card.”
Her child, too, was shaken after the incident.
Tada Singapore said it was investigating the incident. “At Tada, we do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or abuse. Our team is investigating this issue. Thanks to everyone who brought this to our attention,” the comment read.
The Straits Times quoted a Tada spokeswoman as saying: “Remarks or comments that insinuate racial differences directly violate Tada community guidelines and are not representative of our company’s values. We have initiated an internal investigation to fully understand the circumstances and will take all necessary actions based on our findings.”
(With PTI inputs)