In a diverse and harmonious Singapore, an incident involving a Grab driver making racist remarks to an Indian passenger has stirred up public concern and led to Grab taking decisive action against discrimination.
The Shocking Incident
A TikTok video showing a private hire vehicle (PHV) driver going on a racist tirade on his Indian passenger for being late recently caught much attention online.
The footage captured the Grab driver calling the passenger a “rubbish Indian” among other comments. He then repeatedly demanded that the passenger leave his vehicle.
In the video, the PHV driver could be heard calling the passenger “such a rubbish Indian” because he had to “wait so long” for him, before adding that the passenger told him what route to take, which irked him.
Denial
The passenger told the driver that the app would make him pay extra for being late so the driver would be adequately compensated for waiting, but the driver was still not happy.
He then questioned the driver why was he being “racial”, to which the driver then argued that he was “not being racial, this is a fact”.
The passenger then asked the driver if he was trying to say that Indians are always late, to which the driver hits back and says “from what I know, it is,” before telling the passenger to get out of his car.
Threats and Ultimatums
The driver also challenged the passenger to complain about him to Grab, saying that it woulnd’t affect him as he only worked as a PHV driver one day a week, and adding that there are many other PHV apps that he can use to continue driving.
The passenger then asked the man to behave himself, to which the driver then replied that he would only behave himself to those who are “good” to him, before saying that he finds it disappointing to have the passenger inside his car.
He then stopped his car and again demanded that the passenger leave his car or he would drive to the police station, giving him three seconds to get out.
Driver suspended
A spokesperson for Grab said that the man has since been suspended.
They said that Grab dooes not tolerate and takes a “strong stance against discriminatory behaviours and language,” and that they expect their drivers to treat passengers fairly and not discriminate against them in any way.
@bonlama Grab driver now yaya. @grabcarofficial ♬ original sound – Bonlama