>She only wanted to go to Woodlands Regional Centre but an SBS Transit ticket inspector almost forced her off the bus. Another guy was not so fortunate - he was forced to alight along an expressway for underpaying his fare.
The incident happened on Oct 9 at around 11am, according to STOMP, a citizen-journalism website. The unnamed female passenger boarded bus Number 168 at Tampines Avenue 1 in the direction of Woodlands Regional Centre.
The unnamed female passenger told STOMP, "I paid the usual amount of $1.80 cash as I did not bring my EZ-Link card that day.
A few stops later, an SBS ticket inspector boarded the bus and inspected the passengers' tickets. "He checked my ticket and there wasn't anything wrong," the woman noted.
However, the inspector later asked the woman and a male passenger in his 20s to alight the bus for under-payment of fares. That was when she realised the amount on the issued ticket she was holding was only $1.70 and she apologised to the inspector for not checking the ticket beforehand since she had paid the correct amount.
"But the ticket officer was not satisfied and made a din incessantly".
To soothe matters, she told STOMP she tried to clarify the matter with the bus captain. But the bus captain refused to listen to her and "took sides with the ticket officer". However, she said the bus captain was careless in his duties too.
"When I put in the cash into the box earlier on, I needed to tap him on his shoulders to remind him about the ticket."
The female passenger claimed that if he was not focused on his duties, how could he be sure that she underpaid?
At this point, she claimed that the ticket inspector and the male passenger also came down from the double-decker bus - they were still arguing about the underpayment.
"At that time, we were on the expressway. The ticket officer told the man in his twenties that he had to pay up the fine of $20 for underpayment. The man in his twenties said that he would pay up and alight as well when the bus reaches the first stop at Woodlands Avenue 2."
However, the ticket officer was adamant on the male passenger alighting immediately and instructed the bus captain to drop the passenger immediately - in the middle of an expressway.
The female passenger warned the ticket inspector that doing so would be dangerous but the he refused to listen.
She added, "When the bus terminated, I noted down the bus plate number and asked for the bus captain's name. He was reluctant to give it to me despite repeated requests."
"The entire incident made me doubt the aims and values of our local company, SBS Transit, to deliver a safe and friendly journey for all commuters. The reckless decision of that bus captain and ticket officer could have made the young man lost his life," the woman concluded.
The incident happened on Oct 9 at around 11am, according to STOMP, a citizen-journalism website. The unnamed female passenger boarded bus Number 168 at Tampines Avenue 1 in the direction of Woodlands Regional Centre.
The unnamed female passenger told STOMP, "I paid the usual amount of $1.80 cash as I did not bring my EZ-Link card that day.
A few stops later, an SBS ticket inspector boarded the bus and inspected the passengers' tickets. "He checked my ticket and there wasn't anything wrong," the woman noted.
However, the inspector later asked the woman and a male passenger in his 20s to alight the bus for under-payment of fares. That was when she realised the amount on the issued ticket she was holding was only $1.70 and she apologised to the inspector for not checking the ticket beforehand since she had paid the correct amount.
"But the ticket officer was not satisfied and made a din incessantly".
To soothe matters, she told STOMP she tried to clarify the matter with the bus captain. But the bus captain refused to listen to her and "took sides with the ticket officer". However, she said the bus captain was careless in his duties too.
"When I put in the cash into the box earlier on, I needed to tap him on his shoulders to remind him about the ticket."
The female passenger claimed that if he was not focused on his duties, how could he be sure that she underpaid?
At this point, she claimed that the ticket inspector and the male passenger also came down from the double-decker bus - they were still arguing about the underpayment.
"At that time, we were on the expressway. The ticket officer told the man in his twenties that he had to pay up the fine of $20 for underpayment. The man in his twenties said that he would pay up and alight as well when the bus reaches the first stop at Woodlands Avenue 2."
However, the ticket officer was adamant on the male passenger alighting immediately and instructed the bus captain to drop the passenger immediately - in the middle of an expressway.
The female passenger warned the ticket inspector that doing so would be dangerous but the he refused to listen.
She added, "When the bus terminated, I noted down the bus plate number and asked for the bus captain's name. He was reluctant to give it to me despite repeated requests."
"The entire incident made me doubt the aims and values of our local company, SBS Transit, to deliver a safe and friendly journey for all commuters. The reckless decision of that bus captain and ticket officer could have made the young man lost his life," the woman concluded.
