A 45-year-old taxi driver, Huang Yaohua, was attacked by a drunk female passengers in the early hours of 10 February, and offered $50 to “forget it”, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Huang told SMDN that he had picked up two women in their 20s at Cuppage Plaza along Orchard Road at about 4.55am and heading towards Toa Payoh.
One of the women had quarrelled with her friend before boarding the taxi and reeked of alcohol, and Huang asked them if they would vomit in the taxi.
The women promised that they wouldn’t and Huang then started his taxi and drove.
10-metres into the journey, the drunk woman then started shouting at her friend, before suddenly grabbing Huang by his head from the backseat.
Huang felt a piercing pain and stopped his taxi immediately, and both women then alighted from the vehicle – but the drunk woman continued to be agitated and aggressive and wanted to continue attacking him.
Huang received three bloody scratches on the scalp of his head, and he then called the police for help.
The drunk woman was seen lying down on the side of the road after the arrival of the police, and her friend was seen squatting down, and their handbags and belongings were scattered all over the ground.
The friend later offered Huang money and handed him a $50 note to “settle” the issue and pleaded with the taxi driver to forget about the incident, which Huang rejected.
Huang told SMDN that “we are just doing our job and not a tool for people to vent their frustrations on.”
He said that he usually avoids places where there may be drunk people, but on that night, he had just dropped off some customers in the vicinity and was about to take a booking at Bishan – he saw that the two women were heading to Toa Payoh, which was nearby and decided to pick them up.
After the incident, Huang said that he is contemplating not doing the night shift anymore, and he is also intending to seek compensation from eh woman who attacked him.