Woman spits water on fellow MRT passengers: Netizens praise commuter for confronting her

A woman was seen spitting water onto other commuters and the floor of a train, in a viral video posted online on Friday (Jan 23).

The video, which was reportedly first uploaded to Xiaohongshu and then re-circulated online, stated that the train was travelling from Bukit Gombak to Choa Chu Kang on the North-South Line when the incident occurred.

The clip, posted by Instagram user Summeryeow, has since garnered over 58,000 likes.

In the video, the woman can be seen drinking water from a plastic bottle before spitting it onto the floor and at commuters, who looked exasperated at her behaviour.

She did this several times before another female commuter confronted her by attempting to snatch the bottle away from her hands.

"What's wrong with you?" the commuter asked her. "Nobody is offending you right?"

"This is not the first time you do this [sic]," she continued.

The perpetrator then stopped what she was doing as the female commuter continued berating her. 

In the second part to a clip circulated by Instagram account Sgfollowsall, the same perpetrator, wearing a different set of clothes, is seen coughing loudly on the MRT train and spitting on the ground. The incident is believed to have been captured on a different day.

Many users took to the comments section in the first video to applaud the female commuter for stepping in to confront the perpetrator.

Her actions were in contrast to other passengers in the carriage who looked on without intervening or moved away.

"Why nobody helped the lady to stop her?" wrote one commentor.

@asiaone The woman can be seen drinking water from a plastic bottle before spitting it onto the floor and at commuters, who looked exasperated at her behaviour. #sgnews #Singapore #Trains #MRT #WellBeing #MentalHealth ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

AsiaOne has contacted SMRT for more information.

Currently, commuters who display nuisance behaviour on trains — including acts stipulated on signage, such as drinking water — may face a maximum penalty of $500 for each prohibited act.

More serious offences, such as soiling any part of the premises, carry a maximum penalty of $5,000. Public transport operators may also remove commuters who cause nuisance, or activate the police in more egregious cases.

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daoen.wong@asiaone.com