'People are so rude': Tourist says Grab driver forced her out of vehicle and left her in tears

First impressions matter - for tourist and TikToker Nicole, one terrible experience was all it took to ruin her impression of Singapore.

Nicole had only just arrived in Singapore and took a Grab to her hotel, but was forced to disembark and walk after the driver refused to drive her to her destination, she said in a TikTok video uploaded on Wednesday (Nov 1).

"First impressions - very, very bad," she said. "People are so rude!"

Elaborating on her statement, she shared that her Grab driver overshot her destination.

"It was like a five-minute-walk away and I have a heavy bag," she explained. "He said to me, 'You can walk it'."

Her bag was over 17kg and she was travelling with it on her back.

"It's heavy, and after travelling and being tired, you pay for a taxi instead of public transport... and this is what you get," she told AsiaOne unhappily.

Not wanting to lug her bag all the way to the hotel, she asked if the driver could make a U-turn back. However, she said that the driver insisted that she could just finish the trip herself, on foot.

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Nicole then tried to reason with the driver - it wasn't only because she was carrying something cumbersome, but also because she had paid for him to take her to the hotel.

"He said, 'I have another customer waiting, if you don't get out right now, I'm going to drive with you to the next customer'," Nicole recalled.

When she still refused to leave, the driver allegedly began driving recklessly, jamming the accelerator and brake repeatedly, scaring her.

"I just started crying and got really freaked out and was like, 'Fine, I'll walk, whatever'," Nicole said, choking back tears as she recounted the incident.

@nicolecrewe So so so so bad… I miss my beloved Malaysia so much. #singaporetiktok #singaporetrending #singaporelife #rudedriver #fyp #foryoupage #foryou ♬ original sound - Nicole

Many comments expressed sympathy for Nicole, sharing their own bad experiences in Singapore.

"I can feel you, I also had a bad experience with their (Singapore) Grab drivers. That was my first impression after I reached there for the first time," a user said.

Claimed another: "Once I got yelled by a Grab driver in Singapore."

However, many users also suggested that such occurrences are few and far between.

"I guess it's an isolated case that can happen in any country… so far 90 per cent of people I meet are kind," a user said.

Another commented: "We are sorry, but trust me, [this driver] is only one of the black sheep."

'Just a more hostile and expensive Malaysia'?

Nicole explained in a follow-up video that she didn't mean to say that Singapore as a whole is bad.

As someone who has lived in Malaysia for nine months, she felt that Singapore was just "a more hostile and more expensive Malaysia", although the difference was minimal.

Nicole also told AsiaOne that although her first experience with Singapore left her with a bad taste, she's willing to give our country another shot.

"I love Malaysia and Singapore definitely has a Malaysian vibe as it used to be a part of it. I think I will be back in the future," she said, adding that she's "met a lot of lovely people" in Singapore during her trip.

She further said: "I 100 per cent don’t think Singapore is bad, I just shared my first impression and the troubles I had that day."

It was the shock that came from the driver's ill-treatment of her that made her so upset, she said.

"I've travelled to many countries and experienced a lot of different behaviours…but honestly this was so shocking. Really arrogant and rude.

"I've experienced people being arrogant, even a shouting driver in another country... but this was definitely my worst experience and that’s why I decided to share in also on my socials."

Nicole confirmed that she has reported the incident to Grab and said the company responded that they will take action.

Grab Singapore confirmed that investigations are ongoing after "feedback" was received from a passenger, reported Today. 

"Our driver-partners are expected to drop passengers off at the drop-off point indicated in the app," said the company.

"In the event that they do miss the drop-off point, they should drive the passenger back to the agreed drop-off point."
 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com