SINGAPORE: A senior commuter who’s in her late 60s took to social media on Thursday (Oct 9) to complain about a bus driver who deliberately refused to let her alight at her intended stop.
Sharing her experience on the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook group, the commuter, Facebook user Cherry Chacko, said the incident took place early in the morning while she was taking bus service 23.
She recounted in her post that she had “signalled well in advance and even rang the bell again” while the bus was stopped in front of Hoa Nam Building.
However, the bus driver allegedly only looked at her from the front, smiled, and drove off without opening the doors.
Passengers nearby reportedly tried to get the driver’s attention by pressing the bell as well, but he still did not respond.
Feeling frustrated, the commuter said she eventually walked to the front of the bus to ask why he refused to stop. But instead of addressing her question, the driver allegedly “feigned being unable to speak English” when he saw that she was a “senior and a non-Chinese.”
“He spoke loudly in Chinese and smiled at me as if daring me to say something,” she recalled. “You can see this very clearly, I am sure, on the bus CCTV camera, I rang the bell pointedly and got off at the next stop to his sneers and comments and was forced to walk an extra kilometre to get to my workplace from the bus stop he dropped me at.”
Angered by this “nasty experience,” she asked, “How is SBS going to compensate for having to walk 1 kilometre in the rain because your bus captain wanted to prove some obscure point by inconveniencing me?”
“It’s shocking if bus drivers cannot speak some English.”
In the comments section, many netizens urged the senior commuter to file a formal complaint with the bus company so that the incident could be properly investigated and addressed.
One commenter wrote, “You can make a complaint on their website or call their customer service officer with the bus number and the location of alighting and boarding. I hope that helps.”
Another said, “Complaint! Call customer service!”
A third added, “Make a complaint to the bus company with the bus plate number and time of travel. He could be a driver from China who can’t speak English.”
Beyond offering guidance, several others also questioned why SBS Transit continues to hire drivers who are unable to communicate in English, noting that language barriers could create difficulties for passengers of different backgrounds who may need assistance or directions.
“It’s shocking if bus drivers cannot speak some English,” one user remarked. “How are Malay, Indian, or Eurasian passengers supposed to communicate with him? Oh, SBS will say, ‘He only drives, not speaks at all.’ SBS, you are indeed service-oriented!”
Another commented, “Well done, SBS, for employing non-English-speaking foreigners when there are many locals who even attend your interviews.”
However, a third user claimed that all the drivers do “know some English,” whether spoken or written, but simply act as if they don’t to avoid interacting with passengers.
“They just pretend not to know, so they don’t have to do any extra tasks. It’s typical behaviour,” they wrote. “SBS is not strict with them because suspending these drivers would cause a shortage, and they know it.”
Submitting feedback or complaints to SBS Transit
According to SBSTransit’s website, passengers may give their feedback or suggestions through their website by filling out a form or contacting the SBS Transit Customer Care Hotline at 1800-287-2727 from Mondays to Sundays, including public holidays, from 7.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
They may also send an email to [email protected] or mail a letter to SBS Transit Ltd, 205 Braddell Road, Singapore 579701, Attention: Customer Care.
