Grab driver suspended over sign requiring Chinese passengers to ‘speak Mandarin’
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Grab has suspended a driver for a sign that says he refuses to speak English to Chinese people.
PHOTOS: ALICIATADAH/TIKTOK
Ann Neo
SINGAPORE - Ride-hailing operator Grab has suspended a driver after he displayed a sign in his vehicle stating that Chinese passengers must speak Mandarin.
The sign made the rounds on social media after a video was posted by TikTok content creator @aliciatadah on April 7.
The video shows the interior of the driver’s car and a sign in Chinese that reads: “Chinese people, please speak Mandarin. I will not speak English to Chinese people. Apologies.”
In response to The Straits Times’ queries on April 10, Grab said that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination of any kind, and that “every journey on our platform must be rooted in safety and mutual respect”.
Besides being suspended, the driver is required to remove the sign and undergo a mandatory coaching session to “ensure alignment with Grab’s code of conduct” before he can be considered for reinstatement, added Grab.
In a subsequent video posted on April 8, the TikTok user calls the sign “discriminatory” and “offensive”, particularly towards Chinese Singaporeans and mixed Chinese individuals who may not be fluent in Mandarin.
One of them, she says, is her husband, who took Chinese Level (B) – a simplified mother tongue syllabus which focuses on basic oracy – and studied overseas without further developing his Chinese language skills.
The content creator also expresses worry over the treatment her husband might have received had he been the one who booked the Grab ride, noting that his account uses a Chinese username.
Her two videos have generated more than 5,900 likes and 1,800 shares as at April 10.
