Grab passenger says sign in vehicle is discriminatory, driver suspended

While he’s now better at conversational Mandarin, he still can’t read much and was “sad” when he learnt what the sign said, she added.

Grab driver only grunted when she spoke to him

In a subsequent TikTok video, Ally said the couple had taken the Grab ride the previous Sunday afternoon from Kallang.

When she got into the vehicle, she greeted the driver and confirmed the location, but the uncle did not respond and just grunted at her, she noted.

@aliciatadah

Replying to @DineshTheBigBaby and also this is in SINGAPORE , not somewhere else 🤷🏻‍♀️ yes this is happening in the big year of 2026 #tiktoksg

♬ original sound – Ally ✨ – Ally ✨

Ironically, while she could read the sign, her name when she booked the ride was not in Chinese, as she is not fully Chinese, but her husband’s name is “the most Chinese thing you can think of”.

Thus, she questioned how her husband would have been treated if he had booked the ride and spoken to the driver in English — the only language he can speak.

‘Discriminatory signage’ unnecessary, S’pore’s lingua franca is English: OP

Ally further maintained that the “discriminatory signage” was unnecessary, especially in a place like Singapore, “where all of us have to speak English”.

She noted that the driver had an English name in his ID and his Grab licence was probably in English.

To netizens who still did not understand why the sign was offensive, she also pointed out the fact that they could understand her and communicate in Singapore daily meant that English is our “national language”.

In the comments, she said she had reported the matter to Grab.

In a third video uploaded a day later in response to further comments, Ally conceded that Singapore’s national language is Malay, but our lingua franca, i.e. “national language of communication” is English.

She concluded by saying to those who still don’t get it:

Singapore is changing in its racial harmony to a worse place than I think it has been before, and if you don’t see it, you are part of the problem.

Grab driver suspended, must remove sign

In response to queries from The Straits Times (ST), Grab said the driver involved had been suspended.

He must remove the sign and attend coaching to “ensure alignment” with Grab’s Code of Conduct before he can be considered for reinstatement.

Grab maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination of any kind, it added, noting that every journey on the platform “must be rooted in safety and mutual respect”.

MS News has reached out to Grab for more information.

Also read: S’pore manager allegedly tells staff they can’t speak Tamil at work, while other employees speak Mandarin freely

S’pore manager allegedly tells staff they can’t speak Tamil at work, while other employees speak Mandarin freely

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Featured image adapted from @aliciatadah on TikTok.