PUBLISHED ONMay 06, 2024 6:35 AMByBhavya RawatA private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver has expressed concern about her fellow drivers flouting the rules when it comes to child seats after her encounter with a passenger.
In a post on Facebook group Professional PHV Drivers Singapore on Sunday (May 5), Tada driver Charlene Lin detailed her experience with a passenger who insisted that a child seat was not needed for her toddler.
Upon reaching the passenger's location at the Civil Service Club at Pasir Ris, Lin found out that the group of four she was picking up included a toddler, who she believed was less than 1.35m tall.
She then told the passenger that she could not accept the ride as she did not have a child seat.
However, the passenger insisted that Lin could still fulfil the ride, adding that other drivers had done so for an additional payment of $4.
The Tada app allows passengers with young children to opt for a vehicle which carries either a baby seat for children 1m and below, or a booster seat for children between 1m and 1.35m at an additional cost of $4 and $2 respectively.
Lin then declined a second time, explaining that it was the law to have a car seat for children under 1.35m and that she did not wish to break it even if others had done so.
According to Land Transport Authority's guidelines for PHVs, they are required to provide booster seats or child restraints for passengers below 1.35m in height regardless of age.
In response to Lin, the passenger said: "There's no such thing as child seat!" and repeated that she could pay Lin an extra $4 for the ride.
After some back and forth, the passenger eventually let up and cancelled the ride, saying that she would book the correct vehicle.
This confused Lin, who wrote: "[Does this mean] she knows [about the rule], but just wanted to try her luck and get away with the no child seat option?"
"Her child looks young, so maybe she really doesn't get it, but to have actually paid $4 without the safety? It is a risk I will not take."
Lin also questioned how common it was for PHV drivers to "break the law on this 1.35m ruling", adding it was the first time she heard about drivers just taking the extra $4 without providing a child seat.
Some netizens agreed with Lin, praising her for following the rules, while others criticised her actions and inflexibility.
"You are doing something absolutely right. Keep going," one netizen wrote.
Another netizen said: "Strangely enough, at least from personal experience, whenever I book the 'correct ride', the drivers have never ever taken out the child seat."
"That said, I do not condone nor encourage breaking the law; my kids are always in car seats when in my own car," he added.
"If it's a daily issue and it matters so much to you, why not just get a Mifold [booster seat] and solve the issue? Then you can charge the $4. What's the point of complaining here," wrote another commenter.
Lin has since reported the matter to Tada.
"This passenger had a toddler and insists that the other rides they have taken didn't need child seats and just need to pay the $4," she wrote.
"Please educate them and check on other drivers who have broken the law on this."
AsiaOne has reached out to both Lin and Tada for comment
bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com