Chinese cab driver calls Singapore woman rider 'stupid Indian'

Singapore, Sep 25

A Chinese cab driver in Singapore racially abused a woman rider of Eurasian descent and called her a "stupid Indian" after claiming that she gave him the wrong address and directions on her destination.

Janelle Hoeden, 46, was travelling in a TADA cab with her nine-year-old daughter to Pasir Ris Street when the driver got upset that part of a road was blocked due to construction of a transit line, The Straits Times reported.

Hoeden, who shared a video of the incident on her facebook page, claimed that the driver shouted at her, saying that she had given him the wrong address and directions, and said: "You are Indian, you are stupid."

Further, there is an altercation between them regarding the nine-year-old child's height, with the driver telling her that she has "illegally" taken the ride as her daughter was less than 1.35m tall.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) states on its website that for safety reasons, all vehicles in Singapore must have booster seats or child restraints for passengers under 1.35m in height.

In Singapore, private-hire cars, which are pre-booked, ask passengers to indicate if they require booster seats or child restraints at the point of booking.

Hoeden can be heard in the video replying that the child is 1.37m, adding that she is fully aware of the height restrictions for passengers in private-hire vehicles.

The driver then starts shouting at Hoeden while driving: “You are India(n), I’m a Chinese... You are the very worst kind...”

A shouting match then ensues and Hoeden corrects him, saying: “I am Singapore Eurasian, not Indian.”

"As he was verbally abusive, I was afraid that he would start getting physical with me, so I told her to record," The Times quoted Hoeden as saying.

"Whether I was tanned skin, or Indian, or otherwise, it's unacceptable what he said - it was totally uncalled for, that he pulled out the race card," she said, adding that the entire incident has left her child shaken.

In comments on 'Wake Up Singapore's Instagram' post that highlighted the incident, Tada Singapore said it was investigating the incident.

"At Tada, we do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or abuse. Our team is investigating this issue. Thanks to everyone who brought this to our attention," the comment said.