Commuter encounters woman with feet up on S'pore bus, thinks she's same person arrested previously

The commuter claimed the woman could be observed talking to herself.

Khine Zin Htet | November 03, 2023, 06:57 PM

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A commuter tipped Mothership off after bumping into a woman who had her feet up on the bus.

In a video sent to Mothership, the fellow commuter could be seen putting a sock-clad foot against the window of the bus and the other foot on the seat opposite.

Gif from Mothership reader

The woman bore an uncanny resemblance to the woman who was previously arrested for public nuisance in late October, after she refused to remove her feet from a grab pole on a public bus and could be seen arguing with the bus captain.

In both cases, the commuter was seen wearing a visor.

There were some bags placed on the seat opposite in this latest incident.

Woman was allegedly talking to herself

The reader, who provided the tip-off and wanted to remain anonymous, said she spotted the visor-wearing woman boarding bus service 190 along Teck Whye Avenue on Nov. 3 at around 7:45am.

When she alighted from the bus, she said she told the driver about the woman who had her legs up.

The reader also claimed that she observed that the woman appeared to have been talking to herself.

"Mental health is under-addressed here in Singapore," she said to Mothership, and expressed her hope that the woman will be able to get prompt treatment if she requires it.

When contacted by Mothership, Deputy Managing Director of SMRT Buses, Vincent Gay, said that their bus captains "do their best to advise commuters who behave in an inconsiderate and unruly manner, to be cooperative so that other commuters can enjoy a comfortable ride".

Bus captains can seek assistance from the police through their Bus Operations Control Centre, usually as a last resort when managing commuters who remain uncooperative.

"We seek the patience and understanding of everyone to play their part in contributing towards safe and comfortable journeys,” he added.

Woman in previous case arrested for public nuisance

The 50-year-old woman was previously arrested for public nuisance after she refused to put her feet down from the grab pole on an SBS bus.

In the incident that happened last month, the female commuter had initially rested her legs on the seats opposite her.

The bus driver went over to point out a sticker indicating that resting one's legs on bus seats is not allowed.

Instead of complying, the woman then put her feet up on the grab pole instead. The bus driver then called the police and other passengers on the bus had to alight and take another bus.

Photo via @bbshidah/ Tiktok

An SBS Transit spokesperson told Mothership that it encourages passengers to be "gracious and considerate" as this contributes towards making journeys pleasant on public transport.

"Our bus captains are trained in handling incidents on board and they are guided by standard operating procedures. Whenever they are aware of or alerted to a situation, our bus captains will advise the passenger to stop the act immediately.

If the passenger refuses to cooperate, they will contact our operations control centre to report the incident and seek guidance on the course of action to take. This can unfortunately cause delay to the journeys."

Top photos from Mothership reader