Singapore taxi app company probes driver's racist remark: 'Go Back India'

A ride-hailing company in Singapore investigated an incident in which a driver made racist remarks against a passenger, asking the person to 'Go back India'. The unnamed passenger shared an account of the incident and screenshots of the conversation with the driver belonging to Grab, a ride-hailing company, on the Instagram account 'sgfollowsall' on Thursday, The Straits Times reported on Friday.

Passenger Deals with Racist Remark in Singapore

The exchange was initiated with the driver, who claimed he couldn't reach the pickup point due to nearby road works and instructed the passenger not to wait. The passenger then requested the driver to cancel the trip if the latter was not coming. In response, the driver asked if the passenger was Indian.

Subsequently, the driver told the passenger, "Go back India." Having lived and worked in Singapore for 10 years, the passenger characterized the incident as "blatant racism" that was "totally uncalled for." "But then again, one bad apple doesn't change my experience of Singapore - I love it and have had so many people reach out to apologize for what I experienced," the Singapore newspaper quoted the passenger as saying.

Grab, one of the ride-hailing operators in Singapore, stated that it was investigating the incident. The company took a strong stance against discriminatory behaviour and language on its platform, the daily had the spokesman saying. Under Grab's code of conduct, driver-partners were expected to be fair and not discriminate against passengers in any way, said the spokesperson.