A trip back to Singapore from Johor Bahru turned into a nightmare for a mother and daughter after a bus driver’s actions left the mum injured and both shaken up.
Candy Tan, 43, shared her ordeal in a Facebook post to Complaint Singapore, detailing a series of unsettling encounters with the driver on Tuesday (Dec. 12).
The trouble started right at JB Sentral. According to Tan, the driver refused to let her store her luggage in the bus compartment, even after showing him their e-tickets. He reportedly also yelled at Tan and her 10-year-old daughter.
Forced to carry her bags on board, Tan struggled to reach her seat at the back. Things took a turn for the worse at Woodlands Checkpoint during customs clearance. As Tan and her daughter were disembarking, the driver abruptly closed the doors, trapping Tan’s arm and causing her to drop her luggage outside. Shockingly, he then drove off, causing Tan to fall and roll on the tarmac.
Tan’s terrified daughter, left on the bus, witnessed the entire incident and pleaded with the driver to help. Tan recalls feeling helpless and fearing for her daughter’s safety. The driver, instead of offering assistance, reportedly shouted at them to get off the bus and claimed it wasn’t his problem.
“You all get out already – Why I cannot move! Not my problem!” the bus driver allegedly shouted.
It was only after passers-by and security personnel intervened that Tan received any help. Despite attempting to contact Transtar, the bus company, she received no response and ultimately had to call the police.
Tan’s injuries, a result of the fall, include shoulder, neck, shin, and spine pain. Despite medical clearance from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, the pain is worsened, prompting Tan to seek a second opinion.
Both mother and daughter are understandably traumatized by the incident. Tan describes reliving the scene in her sleep, the helplessness, her daughter’s pleas, and the driver’s callous disregard.
“I haven’t slept much because the whole scene kept replaying,” Tan told AsiaOne.
“Me, helpless on the cold floor, looking at my girl wailing at the driver and asking him to come down and help, and him, getting down to shout at us – he challenged us while I was in pain.”
Following Tan’s Facebook post, Transtar has contacted her and informed her that footage from the bus’s security cameras has been submitted to the police for investigation. Tan, however, believes the cameras should also be checked to confirm their presence on the bus, as she feels the driver may claim not to have seen them.
As of Friday, the police confirmed receiving a report of the incident and arresting a 44-year-old man for negligent act causing hurt. Investigations are ongoing.
