Passenger wanted to hit me with branch, says Gojek driver who left passengers at cemetery

The Gojek driver who booted his passengers out of his car at a Lim Chu Kang cemetery is refuting accusations that he was being unreasonable. 

Explaining on behalf of this driver was his son-in-law Nur Muhammad Khan who reached out to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Nov 22). 

Khan explained that his father-in-law only told the passengers to alight from the car as they were "verbally abusing him".  

Furthermore, when they alighted from the car, a male passenger — whom Khan described as a 'matrep' (Malay gangster) — allegedly picked up a tree branch from the ground and wanted to attack his father-in-law. 

"He was stopped by his sister, who told my father-in-law to drive off, which he did, and he then reported the incident to Gojek," said Khan. 

Unfortunately, the Gojek driver was unable to provide any evidence of the attack, as his car's dashcam footage was overwritten. 

Khan, 31, said that incident took place on Nov 13 at 10am, and not in the afternoon. And that there were five passengers in the car instead of two, which the complainant Rionna had claimed. 

'He's not the type to get angry'

Khan added that his father-in-law was not informed that the passengers wanted him to wait for them at the cemetery, before sending them to their second destination — Jurong Point. 

"If they wanted the driver to wait, they should indicate upon booking or message [the driver] before [he] arrives," Khan said. 

His father-in-law also ended up waiting at the cemetery for 10 minutes, instead of five — which was what he was initially told. 

"[It's] common sense, no prayers are done within five minutes," remarked Khan. 

It was also raining that morning, which meant that his father-in-law had to deal with the passengers' muddy shoes after they were done at the cemetery, which further annoyed him. 

The complainant had earlier claimed that the driver slammed the brakes and that she and her mother hit their foreheads on the seats in front as they weren't wearing their safety belts then."

Khan maintained that his father-in-law did not slam the brakes while the passengers were still in the car, but merely stopped the vehicle and "asked them to get down". 

"I know my father-in-law, he's not the type to get angry. He just felt that they should have indicated on the app if they wanted him to wait." 

Although Gojek initially suspended his father-in-law's account, Khan said that the account has since been reinstated, and his father-in-law is now back on the road. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com

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