‘I love Cantonese girls’: Grab driver’s remarks leave TikToker feeling uneasy
A Grab driver is reportedly under investigation after a passenger shared a video showing him making repeated remarks about her appearance, ethnicity and age during a ride that left her feeling uncomfortable.
Content creator Sarah Lim uploaded the one-minute clip to her TikTok account, @sarxh.lim, on July 11, where it has since garnered more than 222,100 views, 14,000 likes, 279 comments, 1,157 saves and over 6,600 shares.
“When I first got into the cab, I felt the convo started getting weirder and weirder so I immediately started recording in case he said anything out of line,” Lim wrote in the caption.
“He was asking me quite a bit of personal questions... and I just overall felt uneasy.
“I wasn’t too sure if what he said counted as out of line or not, so I told my friends and parents about it and they agreed that something was a bit off.
“Maybe he was trying to be nice but it just came out wrong?? But yeah, just a reminder to be safe and (wary).”
Text overlaid on the video added that she “didn’t know how to react” and felt “a bit uncomfortable and disturbed”.
‘I love Cantonese girls’
In the video, the driver can be heard commenting on Lim’s appearance, telling her: “For a Chinese, you got really nice tan skin.”
“You’re charming,” he adds.
He also remarks that there is a “demand” for women like her.
The conversation then turns to Lim’s background, with the driver asking what dialect group she belongs to. When Sarah replies that she is “a bit of Canto”, the driver responds: “Oh my God, I love Cantonese girls. They’re so good looking, man.”
He later adds: “Canto is really a sexy language to learn.”
The driver also asks Lim how old she is. She replies that she is 20 years old and still a student.
Throughout the clip, Lim can be heard laughing nervously and frequently looking away.
Grab says it is investigating
While the content creator did not reveal the ride hailing platform the driver was from, Grab Singapore responded publicly in the comments section of her TikTok video.
“Hi Sarah, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Feeling unsafe or uncomfortable is never okay,” a spokesperson from the company wrote.
“Please know that our driver team is already looking into this and taking action as we speak.
“Rest assured, someone from our safety team will still call you this evening to get the details from you and assist you further.”
Stomp has reached out to Grab Singapore and Sarah Lim for additional comment.
Responses range: ‘Incredibly uncomfortable to watch’ to ‘some girls are too nice’
Many viewers said they found the driver’s remarks inappropriate and sympathised with Lim.
One commenter wrote: “What is up with all these horny old men PHV drivers who are being weird... Please tell me you reported this. Incredibly uncomfortable to watch as a viewer.”
Another said: “Wow that is so uncomfortable. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Others encouraged Lim and other women to be more direct in such situations.
“You’re too nice haha, next time bring headphones and don’t talk to anybody beyond saying hello uncle,” one user commented.
Another wrote: “Some girls are too nice... don’t be afraid to be rude when protecting yourself.”
Some commenters, however, questioned why passengers continued engaging in conversations they found uncomfortable.
“I don’t understand why passengers engage in such conversations with the drivers. They already know it’s out of line, just zone out, look at the phone, whatever!” one person wrote.
The incident comes shortly after another alleged case involving a private-hire driver, in which a Gojek driver was accused of proposing a “threesome” to a female passenger and her partner.
Following that case, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) reminded vocational licence holders that it is an offence to verbally insult, intimidate or harass passengers, including through sexual harassment.
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