Woman drinks and spits water on MRT, female commuter gets praise for stepping in
A video showing a woman spitting water on the floor and towards other commuters on an MRT train has gone viral. Although a female commuter attempted to stop her, many netizens wondered why she was the only one who stepped in.
The video, recorded when the train was travelling from Bukit Gombak to Choa Chu Kang station, was shared by @diusingapore on Jan 23 with the caption, "Aunty, don't anyhow spit water at people leh. It's disruptive, unhygienic, and scary for commuters. But once the shock fades, we need to ask: Is this just 'bad behaviour,' or is it a cry for help?"
It has so far garnered over 345,000 views and 500 comments.
Woman drinks from bottle and spits
In the video, a middle-aged woman is seen drinking from a plastic bottle before spitting around her.
Observing her behaviour, commuters kept their distance, leaving a ring of wet floor around her. In total, the woman took at least seven gulps from the bottle, spitting out the contents each time.
The female commuter intervenes after the 7th gulp, and after a brief scuffle, said: "What's wrong with you? Nobody is offending you, right? This is not the first time you do this [sic]."
Netizens praise woman for stepping in
Netizens praised the commuter for her intervention, which appeared to bring the spitting incident to an end.
"Respect the woman who stepped up and stopped the spitting," said an Instagram user. "We need more people in Singapore like the lady who spoke up," another said.
One netizen pointed out the lack of action from male commuters in the cabin: "Respect to the lady for stopping her. Why no one else help her?? We need more people like this lady. The men, just stand and watch. At least come to her assist [sic] when she tried to stop that woman."
"Omg the men just doing nothing," said another.
Some netizens offered an explanation for the men's inaction.
"If any of the guy would have touched her I'm afraid she would make a report and say it's outrage [sic] modesty. Lucky there's a woman who can handle this well," said one.
Several netizens confirmed that this was not the first time the woman has been seen behaving this way.
"Please do something about this, not the first time she's doing this and since 2025 already spotted such activities," said one netizen. "Last time saw this aunty at CCK MRT, also do the same thing," said another.
Some saw the funny side of the episode, calling the woman a Merlion. But there were also a number who called for more understanding.
"I think something is mentally wrong with her. Need medical help. Easy on her," said one. "Behind the spitting there must be a sad story…" another said.
Stomp has reached out to SMRT for comment.
