A female driver for the TADA ride-hailing platform, Sarah Lim, has lodged a police report following an aggressive confrontation with two male passengers. Ms. Lim documented the alleged incident, which she reported occurred on November 30 at approximately 2:58 AM, specifically at the Studio M Hotel. She shared a video clip of the exchange in Facebook.
The almost three-and-a-half-minute video recording captures the height of the confrontation. In the footage, a male passenger can be heard repeatedly questioning Ms. Lim about whether the TADA platform mandates regulations concerning passengers occupying the front seat. Throughout the exchange, the passenger directly accuses Ms. Lim of having a "problem" and repeatedly labels her as "racist."
In her accompanying caption to the video, Ms. Lim explained the origin of the dispute. She stated that she had a personal preference for passengers to sit in the back when there were available seats and had asked one of the male passengers who wished to sit in the front seat to use the back seat instead. When the passenger challenged her, asking if the platform explicitly prohibited front-seat use, Ms. Lim clarified that it was merely her own preference given the availability of back seats.
According to Ms. Lim’s account, the passenger then became increasingly aggressive and proceeded to accuse her of being racist, an accusation which she strongly refuted. The situation escalated dramatically from a verbal disagreement. Ms. Lim stated that the passengers opened her car door and refused to close it, which prevented her from parking her vehicle properly.
Ms. Lim described feeling deeply intimidated by the confrontation, particularly when being faced by what she referred to as "6-foot-tall male adults." Given the circumstances, she felt compelled to park the vehicle with her car door remaining open. After she had parked, the passengers allegedly opened her door again. Ms. Lim then exited the vehicle and informed the two men that she was recording the encounter for her own safety. However, the men allegedly reacted aggressively to this, advancing toward her, attempting to snatch her mobile phone, and ultimately slapping the phone onto the ground.
The video clip concludes with the image of a bespectacled man, sporting a beard and long hair tied back in a bun, who appears to strike the camera lens, which is the action that caused the recording device to fall. Ms. Lim further claimed that the men directed vulgarities and abusive names toward her, which she stated was also recorded in the video evidence. She additionally noted that the main entrance cameras of the Studio M Hotel would likely have captured the entire incident as it unfolded.
During the height of the conflict, Ms. Lim reportedly offered to cancel the trip herself to resolve the situation, but the passengers refused her offer.
Following the event, Ms. Lim detailed the subsequent actions she has taken. In a comment posted on November 30, she stated that she had communicated the incident via email to relevant authorities, including the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and TADA. Furthermore, she planned to file a Magistrate's Complaint on the following day, which is a formal application to a magistrate to initiate an inquiry into an alleged offense and request directions for further legal action.
Ms. Lim also confirmed that she had successfully made a police report concerning the confrontation and shared the report details with the TADA ride-hailing platform. She also added that TADA would reimburse her for the $10.50 parking fee she incurred at the Studio M Hotel during the time of the dispute.
In response to media inquiries, a spokesperson for TADA confirmed the company is aware of the distressing incident involving their driver. The spokesperson stated that TADA has been in direct contact with Ms. Lim to provide support. Furthermore, TADA has reached out to the passenger involved to request a clarification of the events and is currently awaiting his response as part of their internal review process.
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