A routine ride back home on a Grab car turned into a nightmare for a Primary 5 student recently.
The girl who was coming back home after tuition, was shocked to hear the driver shout expletives at her.
Grab driver screams at girl
The incident apparently happened on the evening of April 17. The 10-year-old girl had got into a Grab car that her mother, Ms Natasha Paes, had booked for her.
Ms Paes tells The New Paper, “My daughter has always taken a Grab or Uber by herself when getting home from tuition.”
“This is the first time that such a thing has happened.”
The problem started when the driver tried to drop the girl off at Block 60 of a Marine Parade Road condominium, instead of Block 66.
The girl corrected him, and he then drove to the basement car park of Block 66.
The girl got confused and called her mother, who heard the driver hurling abuses at the child in the background.
The worried mum rushed to the car park, but there was no car there. Panicking, she searched around the entire estate for about 10 minutes, until her daughter spotted her.
The driver stopped the car and the girl got out, but she was traumatised by the whole incident.
Ms. Paes said, “She was so shaken by it, and it took a long time for my husband and I to console her.”
Lodged a police report
The distressed parents called the police hotline and lodged a police report. Police are now investigating the matter.
The parents have also complained to Grab about it. Apparently, the company offered them a $20 goodwill voucher three days after the incident, but they rejected it.
A Grab spokesman informed The New Paper that the driver has been temporarily suspended.
“This is an isolated incident and is no way a reflection of the wider Grab driver community, most of whom work hard to serve our passengers every day.”
“Grab takes the safety of both our passengers and drivers seriously, and have temporarily suspended the driver in question.
“We also stand ready to support the police with investigations.”
Also READ: Uber, Grab drivers turning down families with young kids
(Source: The New Paper)