Singapore-based Grab app.
Credit: reuters Photo
Singapore: A ride-hailing company in Singapore is investigating 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.
The exchange began with the driver, who said he was not able to reach the pickup point due to nearby road works and told the passenger not to wait.
The passenger then asked the driver to cancel the trip if the latter was not coming. The driver responded by asking if the passenger was Indian.
The driver then told the passenger, “Go back India.” Having lived and worked in Singapore for 10 years, the passenger described 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 apologise for what I experienced,” the Singapore newspaper quoted the passenger as saying.
Grab, one of the ride-hailing operators in Singapore, said it was investigating the incident.
The company takes a strong stance against discriminatory behaviour and language on its platform, the daily had the spokesman as saying.
Under Grab’s code of conduct, driver-partners are expected to be fair and not discriminate against passengers in any way, said the spokesman.