2 men call S'porean Tada driver in her 50s 'racist' for restricting use of front seat at 2:58am

[Yuletide]

2 men call S'porean Tada driver in her 50s 'racist' for restricting use of front seat at 2:58am​

The driver says it's for her own safety.



Daniel Seow

December 04, 2025, 05:53 PM​

https://bit.Iy/3qgqzHg

A female Singaporean Tada driver, in her 50s, was accused of being "racist" by two male passengers at 2:58am.

This was after she told them not to occupy the front seat upon picking them up in the wee hours of the morning on Nov. 30 at a hotel in Clarke Quay.

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The ride was eventually cancelled, after an argument broke out at the pick-up bay of Studio M Hotel with vulgarities hurled and the police called.

The driver, who goes by "Sarah Lim", told Mothership that she had offered to cancel the ride multiple times when they failed to reach an agreement, but the passengers refused to get out of her car for about 15 minutes until other cars arrived to drop off passengers.

She alleged that the men repeatedly opened her doors to prevent her from driving off, and also shouted at her and knocked the phone out of her hands as she recorded the altercation.

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She has since filed a magistrate's complaint on the matter.

The video​

In a video shared by Lim on social media, she was heard arguing with a male passenger in the car.

The man asked off-camera: "Is there a rule that says a passenger cannot sit in front?"

Lim replied that the platform did not impose such a rule but added, "It's my preference. I thought I told you already, so many times".

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The man asked her if she was "an IMH patient", to which Lim replied, "You are drunk".

The man denied this and emphasised that he had never encountered such a rule when using ride-hailing services.

Another male voice could be heard telling Lim, "you come out, come out".

Lim was seen exiting the car, upon which the men accused her of being "racist".

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When Lim got back in the car, a male voice said, "police coming, don't run away".

In turn, she asked them to close the doors and stop obstructing her vehicle.

Subsequently, Lim parked her car and exchanged words with the men at the lobby.

Both parties accused each other of being racist, with one man calling Lim a "dog".

The video ended with one of the men knocking Lim's phone out of her hands as she recorded their faces.

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The original post has since been taken down as Tada's driver code of conduct prohibits the recording of passengers without consent.

Lim's account​

Lim told Mothership that the main reason why she prefers passengers not to sit in the front seat is for her own safety as a female driver who drives at night.

Additionally, if passengers want to talk to each other, they will not need to turn back or raise their voice to be heard, which could take her attention off the road.

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Lim said this is her preference when there are two or fewer passengers, and with three passengers or more, she would not insist they leave the front seat empty.

During her two-and-a-half years driving with various platforms, this is the first time a passenger has refused her request, Lim said.

On the incident, Lim said she offered to cancel the ride the moment the men accused her of being "racist", as she suspected they were drunk.

"If I was racist, I wouldn't even have stopped [to pick them up], for goodness sake," she said.

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She also called the police at that point.

'Couldn't cancel as they were still in my car': Driver​

On the men accusing her of trying to escape from the scene, Lim said she had no intention of "running away" as she was the one who called the police in the first place.

She said she did not feel comfortable cancelling the ride while the men were still in her car, and wanted to do so only after she could drive off safely.

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The two passengers were joined by two other men at the lobby, who are presumably known to them.

During the altercation outside the car, Lim said her phone was knocked out of her hand by one of the passengers, which caused her screen protector to crack.

She was otherwise unharmed.

Later, police arrived and took statements from both sides but no arrests were made.

Lim said she felt "unsafe, intimidated and ill-treated" during the whole encounter.

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She filed a magistrate's complaint the next day, seeking recourse over the altercation.

She also informed Tada of the matter and has been reimbursed S$10.50 for the parking charges at Studio M Hotel.

Mothership understands that the passengers were also advised to provide feedback to Tada.

Not the first time​

Lim said this was not her first time encountering such an incident.

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Previously, in April 2024, she said she was verbally abused and hit on the arm by a drunk passenger.

According to her account, the two male passengers were "walking wobbly" and had a strong alcohol smell when she picked them up in the Sembawang area.

After she "joked" with them they would have to "pay fees for the cleanup" if they vomited in her car, they allegedly started shouting insults and vulgarities at her.

Lim alleged that one of the men then hit her on the arm when she missed his preferred drop-off point at his block and apparently said "you're pissing me off".

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Despite Lim making a police report and magistrate's complaint, the two men denied her allegations.

Lim claimed that the case was eventually deemed void as the audio recording that she took of the incident was "not clear".

According to Lim, incidents like these are "inevitable" during night drives.

However, she has decided to "bite the bullet" and continue to drive at night, as the roads are less congested so she can earn more as a driver.

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"Hopefully there will be some rules implemented to safeguard the female drivers who work at night," she said.

Passengers' account​

The two passengers challenged Lim's account of the events posted online, Stomp reported.

One of the passengers, who wished to stay anonymous, said that the clip showed only the "culmination of a dispute".

He claimed that prior to the events in the clip, he had asked to sit in the front seat as he experiences motion sickness.

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However, Lim declined the request immediately, he said.

He also alleged that Lim expressed concerns about him being "big sized", which made things more tense between them.

Tada's response​

In response to Mothership's queries, a Tada spokesperson said the platform is aware of the incident and have been in close contact with both the driver and the rider involved.

The spokesperson said: "The driver has lodged a police report, and we have also reached out to the rider to understand his account of the situation."

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The spokesperson added that the safety and well-being of both riders and drivers remains the platform's top priority.

"Following our investigation, we have reminded both parties of the importance of creating a respectful and pleasant experience for one another," said the spokesperson.

"We take all reports of inappropriate behaviour seriously and will continue to monitor the situation closely while cooperating fully with the relevant authorities."