Passengers in taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV) should be respectful and treat their drivers kindly, said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Yeo Wan Ling in a reminder for the current festive season.
Yeo, who also serves as advisor to the National Taxi Association (NTA) and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), uploaded a Facebook post on Wednesday (Dec 24), where she emphasised the importance of taking responsibility and compensating drivers fairly.
In particular, she spoke about passengers who vomited in taxis and PHVs and subsequently refused to pay for cleaning, with some even reacting rudely or abusively to drivers.
“This causes real hardship. When a vehicle is soiled, drivers may have to pay out of pocket for cleaning and lose precious hours of income,” she explained, adding that NTA and NPHVA have been negotiating with taxi and platform companies to charge passengers directly for cleaning fees and reimburse drivers.
Yeo also warned passengers against evading fares, saying that convicted first-time offenders will face fines of up to $1,000.
