BUS DRIVER DETAINS 3 Y.O. CHILD & HELPER FOR NOT PAYING BUS FARE @ CHOA CHU KANG

An angry parent has complained about an SMRT bus driver, who stopped the bus and detained a foreign domestic worker and her ward, a young 3 year-old child, after he found out that the child did not have a bus concession pass.

According to the netizen, the maid and the child had boaded the bus 983 on 19 July, between 4.30PM to 5.15PM. The child had just been returning from school at Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4.

After the maid tapped her own flashpay card number 1111 7401 2662 ×××× on the bus fare reader, she did not tap the fare for the child as the child did not have a concession pass or a card. However, the bus driver immediately demanded that the child and the maid pay for their bus fare. As the maid did not have any money on her, she was unable to even pay cash for the child.

The bus driver then decided to detain the maid and the child for 45 minutes in the bus, which he stopped by the side of the road and refused to move.

The parent subsequently launched several complaints to SMRT over the bus driver’s behavior, which she says frightened her maid and her 3 year old child.

She wrote: “This is simply shocking to me. How can your bus driver stop the bus there and punish my 3 year old kid and my helper like this? Is this what your smrt teaches the driver to behave towards a
child? What amazes me is that no good soul in the bus came forward to help my child or my helper for a pathetic $0.45 to $1.00 child bus fare. I am totally furious and digusted over what had happen.”

“I had called your customer service hotline and spoke to your staff name Rakkiah. I believe over this matter your SMRT bus management has to answer for this disgusting act your bus driver had shown towards the public. Who in the world give your driver the permission to stop the bus there for 45mins and he did not even allow my helper and my boy to alight off the bus. Nowadays kids are growing taller and even when they are only 2 or 3 years old. Go and adjust your bus fare and the measurement height for children. I have already complain this to your hotline. And i have already gotten the child concession card.”

“I demand an answer from the smrt. Please don’t tell me any sorry and i need a compensation over this matter.”