73-year-old retiree Tay Bok Leng was reportedly upset that an SBS Transit bus didn’t stop for him, and he then took a taxi and chased after the bus to yell vulgarities at the bus driver.
He was arrested and charged with using vulgarities at a public service worker and also for not wearing his mask properly.
He pleaded guilty to his offences and on 4 April, received a fine of $6,000 for his actions.
What happened?
On 14 January 2022 at about 10.50 pm, the 67-year-old bus driver (of bus service number 13) was plying the route along Lavender Street and didn’t stop at a bus stop because he didn’t see anyone there.
After he drove past the bus stop, he noticed Tay and his 68-year-old companion flagging his bus but he couldn’t stop his bus safely and thus continued driving on.
Upset at the bus missing him, Tay boarded a taxi with his friends and told the taxi driver to drive along the route of the bus.
The taxi then caught up to the bus along Still Road and Tay then asked the taxi driver to stop 2 bus stops ahead of the bus, so that he could confront the bus driver.
He then boarded the bus at about 11 pm and confronted the bus driver, asking him why he didn’t stop the bus for him earlier.
As the bus driver continued driving, Tay reportedly shouted “f you” several times at the bus driver, as well as calling him a name that rhymes with mustard, a “good for nothing” and “rubbish”, among a slew of insults aimed at the driver.
His mask was also not covering his nose when he was insulting the bus driver (at the time, the rules for mask-wearing in public transport were not relaxed yet).
Tay’s friend tried to convince him to let it go but Tay was unmoved.
His profanity-laden verbal onslaught alarmed several bus passengers, with at least 3 of them calling the police for help.
The bus driver then stopped his bus at a bus stop near Marine Crescent and police officers soon arrived at the scene.