Passenger asks S'pore private-hire driver to 'focus' after he allegedly texts during ride, driver asks her to alight if she's unhappy

A private-hire driver in Singapore could be heard raising his voice at a female passenger after she apparently told to focus on driving when he was allegedly texting during the ride.

The incident was shared on the @sgfollowsall Instagram account, where the woman alleged that the driver of the ride-hailing car had his phone mounted on the dashboard stand but WhatsApp was actively open.

He was allegedly texting, with the GPS navigation window minimised to a small corner.

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Raised voice

At the time, the car had entered an underground expressway tunnel directly behind a large heavy truck and was travelling at around 60 to 70km/h, the woman said.

In addition, the car was supposedly trailing directly behind a large heavy truck entering the tunnel.

"Please focus on driving," the woman apparently told him upon seeing him actively texting behind a heavy vehicle.

Replying daughter

Since the map was minimised, the woman alleged that the route ended up being less efficient and took a longer time.

However, her primary concern was her safety.

She claimed the driver took offence once she asked him to focus on driving, raising his voice, and becoming hostile.

He argued that he was "just replying to his daughter", the woman said, claiming that the driver said she was making an issue out of nothing.

The driver could also be heard saying that he did not even dare to move or touch his phone after what the woman said.

"You were texting while driving," the woman responded.

The woman claimed that the driver also allegedly shouted insults, asking if she was "too precious to sit in his car".

He supposedly then told her to alight from the car if she was unhappy.

Another part of the video also showed the driver allegedly telling the woman to report him if she wanted to.

Possible threat, safety issue

The woman then raised three issues from the incident and wanted to know how other commuters felt.

Firstly, she asked if having a phone mounted gives a driver the right to read and type WhatsApp messages while travelling at expressway speeds.

She asked: "Even if the phone is not handheld, isn't active messaging behind a heavy vehicle considered driving without due care?"

Secondly, she questioned if threatening to drop a passenger off inside an active underground expressway tunnel with no walkways or shoulders is an actual road safety and regulatory violation.

Thirdly, she asked what would be the right response to a driver's alleged distracted driving behind a heavy truck.

She asked: "Has asking a driver to focus on the road become something commuters are expected to stay silent on just to avoid aggressive escalation?"

Netizens were split on the incident, with some agreeing that the driver was in the wrong, but others felt merely texting was acceptable.

One netizen also pointed out that the woman could report him if she wanted to, but said she should not have recorded him.