Singaporean Chinese driver's racist tirade: Tells woman 'you are very worst kind', assuming she is Indian

A Singaporean Chinese cab driver is facing an investigation from his employer for allegedly verbally abusing a woman and her daughter during a ride due to a misunderstanding regarding the destination and an assumption that the woman was of Indian origin, media reports said.Janelle Hoeden, a 46-year-old woman of Eurasian origin, recounted the incident, stating that the cab driver insulted her by saying, "You are Indian, you are stupid." As per reports, the incident unfolded on Saturday (September 23). Hoeden was accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter during the ride.

Recorded interaction

Hoeden recorded the escalating confrontation on her phone during the incident. She had booked the ride using the TADA ride-hailing platform at around 2 pm on September 23. According to reports citing The Straits Times, the ride initially proceeded without any issues. However, the situation took a turn when the driver became agitated due to road construction along the route in the Pasir Ris housing estate.

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The driver allegedly started shouting at Hoeden, accusing her of providing incorrect address details and directions."He started shouting at me, saying that I gave him the wrong address and wrong directions," she said.

The video of the incident was shared on Hoeden's Facebook page. It was later also posted by a TikTok user and an alternative news site called Wake Up Singapore.

In the contentious video, the driver, who is of Chinese descent, repeatedly asserted that Hoeden's daughter was under the height requirement of 1.35 meters.

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The driver's insistence on the child's height was related to safety regulations, as all vehicles in Singapore are required to have booster seats or child restraints for passengers under 1.35 meters in height, as per the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Racial insults

During the incident, the driver shouted racially insensitive comments at Hoeden, saying, "You are Indian, I'm Chinese... You are the very worst kind."

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Hoeden corrected the driver by identifying herself as Singaporean Eurasian, not Indian. It is to be pointed out that Eurasians may have a tan and occasionally resemble people of Indian descent.

The woman explained that she felt threatened and was concerned that the situation might escalate to physical violence, prompting her to instruct her daughter to record the encounter.

"As he was verbally abusive, I was afraid that he would start getting physical with me, so I told her to record," Hoeden reportedly said, adding, "Whether I was tanned skin, or Indian, or otherwise, it's unacceptable what he said - it was totally uncalled for, that he pulled out the race card."

The traumatic incident left both Hoeden and her child shaken.

Response from TADA

TADASingapore, the ride-hailing platform used for the trip, responded to the incident, stating that they do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or abuse.

The company initiated an internal investigation into the matter and stressed its commitment to addressing the issue promptly and fairly.A Tada spokeswoman reiterated that comments or remarks that suggest racial differences directly violate their community guidelines and do not reflect the company's values.

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