Ryde suspends driver who allegedly told passenger 'praying inside people's car is wrong'

Ride-hailing company Ryde has temporarily suspended a driver for allegedly telling a Muslim woman not to listen to prayers in his car. 

On Friday (Dec 3), Instagram page Wake Up, Singapore shared the passenger's written account of what had happened the day before, including two video recordings of her conversation with the driver. 

According to the woman, she put on her earbuds the moment she stepped into the Ryde car, and the driver started gesticulating at her, telling her that she "cannot listen to prayers".

In one of the clips, he could be heard telling her that by listening to prayers, "the energy all change [sic]". 

When the passenger replied that she could be listening to music instead, he insisted that he could feel the change in "energy", and added: "praying inside people's car is wrong".

Feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable, the woman asked to alight but the driver allegedly paused and accelerated the car. 

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After the incident, she submitted a report to Ryde and received a response asking her to wait for two days. 

On Friday, Ryde said that they "would like to apologise to the rider and all who were hurt by this incident". 

"Ryde is a company that champions diversity, inclusivity and the importance of creating a safe and healthy community."

The company also addressed the delay in its response and said that the Ryde team is "working hard to respond to queries within two days". 

In July, a Vietnamese woman was harassed by a Grab driver as a Covid-19 cluster linked to KTVs emerged. He asked whether she was working in a KTV while ferrying her to the Vietnam embassy in Singapore. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com