Driver and 'agitated' passenger in heated argument at Woodlands Interchange as woman refuses to move to back of bus
A heated argument between a bus driver and a passenger at Woodlands Interchange arose after the latter was asked if she wanted to board the bus.
Sylvia William, a 36-year-old banker, posted a video of the incident, garnering over 583,500 views and 8,000 likes. Ms William said the altercation took place at 9.44pm on Dec 28.
The 20-second clip, captioned "Incident at Woodlands Interchange today", shows a driver of bus service 911, operated by SMRT, standing at his seat in the bus. He engages in a heated exchange with a woman dressed in red, as other passengers crowd around them.
"Bring it out," the driver says twice, pointing towards the exit. The woman jabs a finger in his face, and a scream is heard from one of the passengers.
The driver then sits back down as other passengers attempt to coax the woman off the bus.
Ms William told Stomp that she was not aware of what triggered the argument. "A few people tried to calm (the woman) down. But it did not work," she said. "Everyone went there to find out what's going on."
She added that the bus driver resumed his duties and did not engage with the woman.
The incident was reposted on @fyisingapore_, with a caption suggesting that the dispute started "after a passenger attempted to bring a durian onto the bus". However, based on the TikTok clip, it is unclear if the woman was indeed carrying durians.
Stomp has reached out to fyisingapore_ for comment.
Woman upset after being asked to board
In response to Stomp's queries, SMRT Buses deputy managing director Vincent Gay said that the bus was travelling towards Woodlands Interchange at around 9.30pm and had arrived at a bus stop where the woman and her companions were waiting. The bus driver asked if the group wanted to board, which the woman took issue with.
"After boarding, she remained at the front of the bus, recording the bus captain and blocking other passengers," Mr Gay said. "When asked to move further in, she continued to verbally confront him throughout the journey."
Mr Gay added that the passenger became more agitated when the bus arrived at Woodlands Interchange, and the driver sought assistance from her companions to escort her off the bus.
Netizens urge compassion, support driver
In the comments, many netizens expressed outrage at the incident, calling the woman's behaviour "selfish" and "embarrassing".
Several urged the woman to be considerate to passengers and the bus driver, while others commended the driver for standing his ground.
"We need more of these captains. Nowadays there are [sic] no respect for rules," one netizen said.
"Good job captain... don't worry, you did the right thing abiding to [sic] law," another added.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from SMRT.
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