Man kicks up a fuss about private-hire driver using 'F-word' on him, but gets roasted online instead

Is forgiveness a virtue? If it is, then this man did not seem to get the memo.

A Facebook video shared on Tuesday (Aug 30) showed a private-hire driver apologising to his angry passenger, while explaining that it was never his intention to drop the F-bomb on him. 

But the man filming the 17-second clip remained unmoved by the driver's gesture.

"You apologise now because you thought I'm going to report you," the passenger shouted at the driver, while accusing the latter of being afraid to lose his license.

In the accompanying caption, the passenger described his unpleasant experience with the driver and also claimed that he made an LTA report regarding this incident. 

"He scolded me with the F-word just because I asked him why he didn't follow my preferred route and took the long route instead," the man explained, while claiming that the driver did not wear a mask during the trip.

In the comments, several netizens chided the passenger for being a "petty bully" with a sense of entitlement and for shouting at the driver. 

"Get your own car if you want to take your own preferred route," a netizen said, while another pointed out that the wearing of masks on private-hire vehicles is optional from Monday (Aug 29).

It is unclear when this incident took place.

One netizen pointed out that perhaps the driver was "demanding" hence the passenger reacted this way while another suggested that there was no point in shouting at the driver as this will make the "ride unsafe by stressing [the] driver" out. 

When it comes to the policy of suggesting a preferred route, private-hire operators such as Grab and Ryde recommend passengers reach a mutual agreement with the driver before moving off.

In past incidents of passengers complaining about private-hire drivers, an injured man accused a Grab driver of being a germaphobe for refusing to take him to hospital.

Taking to Instagram in August, Enzo Sean claimed that the "heartless" driver told him that he was not allowed to pick up injured passengers and told him to call an ambulance instead.

And in July, a woman described her harrowing experience on board a private-hire vehicle after the driver was caught dozing off while on the road.

With the five-second video of the incident garnering over 300,000 views, several netizens expressed their sympathy towards the driver for his long hours behind the wheel.

chingshijie@asiaone.com