A man who tried to board a taxi without cash was turned away by every driver in a taxi queue, with one also declining the trip after hearing his destination.<\/p>\n
The incident, captured in a point-of-view (POV) video shared by TikToker @shayshow1 on July 1, has sparked debate online over whether it\u2019s legal for taxi drivers to reject passengers based on their payment method or destination.<\/p>\n
In the clip, titled \u201cRejection therapy\u201d, shayshow1 approaches five taxis at a taxi stand<\/a> at an undisclosed location.<\/p>\n The first driver tells him it\u2019s cash only, which the man says he does not have. The second rejects him when he states his destination as \u201cLittle India\u201d. The remaining three drivers also turn him down after learning that he intends to pay by card.<\/p>\n Laughing, the TikToker remarked: \u201cThis can\u2019t be real,\u201d before ending the video with: \u201cYou should always carry cash.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the post did not disclose the location, Stomp confirmed that the video was recorded at a taxi stand in Bedok<\/a>. The exact time of the incident is unknown.<\/p>\n The video has so far garnered more than 86,100 views and 3,270 reactions.<\/p>\n The video was also shared on Facebook page Singapore Incidents<\/a> where it has received more than 34,000 views, 220 reactions and 110 comments, and on Reddit<\/a>, where it sparked further discussion.<\/p>\n Many netizens questioned whether cab drivers were allowed to reject passengers for requiring cashless payment.<\/p>\n \u201cWow, this is actually ridiculous\u2026 dinosaurs driving cars,\u201d said a TikTok user.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we practise going cashless? Now revert to cash only? GG,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n One TikToker suggested reporting the drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can report each of them, you know, right? No excuses for the payment method as now PayNow (can be used) and all cards are accepted,\u201d the user said.<\/p>\n Others offered possible explanations, pointing out that some drivers prefer cash because payment is immediate, whereas cashless transactions may take longer to be credited into their account.<\/p>\n A few also speculated that payment terminals could have been temporarily unavailable, although others felt it was unlikely that multiple taxis would experience the same issue at the same time.<\/p>\n Some netizens criticised the drivers\u2019 behaviour.<\/p>\n \u201cYet they complain that PHV is taking away their rice bowl. Look at their attitude in the first place. Little India, don\u2019t want to go, and only cash,\u201d said a TikTok user.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle India cannot go, card cannot, what is this man? Might as well don\u2019t work better,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n There were also others who were puzzled as to why the original poster did not simply book a private-hire vehicle instead.<\/p>\n \u201cHow come never use Grab or Tada or Gojek? Seriously, I dunno what to say cos you\u2019re now in Singapore leh,\u201d commented a TikTok user.<\/p>\n Another agreed: \u201cCould have saved the trouble entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n An online check found that paragraph 25 of the Singapore Statutes Online<\/a> states that taxi drivers are not allowed to refuse a fare without reasonable excuse.<\/p>\n According to Trans-Cab\u2019s website, taxi drivers who do so may face a $300 fine and receive six demerit points<\/a> under the Land Transport Authority\u2019s (LTA) regulations.<\/p>\n Examples of fare refusal include rejecting passengers<\/a> based on their destination, accepting only cash and refusing other payment modes, failing to stop when signalled by passengers while the taxi is available for hire, displaying an \u201cavailable\u201d rooftop sign while changing shifts, and rejecting fares because of personal booking jobs.<\/p>\n Passengers can offer feedback via LTA\u2019s portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stomp has reached out to the original poster for more information.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Scroll to continue reading<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u2018Dinosaurs driving cars\u2019: Netizen<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Stomp](\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/assets\/stomp-comment-COLiWNMD.png\")
<\/p>\n