Woman berates 'rude' ComfortDelGro taxi driver who didn't allow toddler to eat biscuit onboard, draws backlash

Her complaint backfired.

Ashley Tan | February 05, 2024, 03:32 PM

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One woman's attempt to shame a taxi driver on Facebook backfired after commenters online labelled her "entitled".

The female taxi passenger shared with Facebook page SG Road Vigilante about her encounter with the driver which arose after she tried to feed her daughter a biscuit while travelling in the taxi.

"Usually I don't do this but never in my life ever since I had a kid met such a rude taxi driver," she said.

The woman had boarded the taxi with her two-year-old daughter.

According to her, her ride had a rocky start.

As she was waiting for the lift to head down to the pickup point, she received a message from the driver asking her where she was.

She took this to mean that the driver was being "impatient", and said she did not bother replying.

Once in the cab, she claimed that the driver was speeding and changing lanes "recklessly", "like he's rushing somewhere", despite having a child onboard.

"...It's a child, can you relax?"

The crux of her post was the driver's reaction to her feeding her child a snack.

Her daughter had asked for a biscuit. The woman said that she gave her daughter a "small piece" to appease the kid, and ensure that she wouldn't act up during the ride.

However, the taxi driver saw the act from the rearview mirror, and proceeded to tell the woman that passengers are not allowed to eat in the car.

The woman then filmed their subsequent conversation in Mandarin.

Here's what transpired from the footage.

The woman said that she had never experienced such treatment from a taxi driver.

She added that she would help to clean up if she made a mess, and that thus far, she hadn't dropped any crumbs.

The taxi driver replied that crumbs are hard to detect.

"...It's a child, can you relax?" the woman asked the driver.

The taxi driver added that he did not allow his own children to eat inside cars as well.

The woman acknowledged during the conversation that there was a sign inside the cab advising passengers against eating and drinking onboard.

"But your attitude as a taxi driver need to Improve also [sic]," the woman concluded in her post.

Throughout the exchange, the driver repeated that he was not trying to start an argument with the woman, but was merely trying to explain to her the situation.

Reactions

The Feb. 4 post has since garnered over 900 shares and 2,500 comments, with most commenters taking the side of the driver.

Many users described the passenger as an "entitled parent".

A number of parents chimed in to share that they do not allow their children to eat in cars to avoid dropping crumbs or food scraps that might attract insects like cockroaches, and subsequently lead to infestations.

Other Facebook users noted that the woman should have asked for the driver's permission before she gave her daughter food.

Some also highlighted that the driver did not sound rude. They opined that he seemed quite polite, contrary to what the woman described in her post.

 

While there are no penalties against those who eat and drink in taxis, customers are advised against doing so according to ComfortDelGro's website.

Bus passengers are also advised against eating, drinking and smoking onboard, while those who eat or drink on trains or at MRT stations can be fined S$500.

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Top photo from SG Road Vigilante / FB