Passenger alights from moving taxi on ECP after cabby blacks out; ComfortDelGro apologises

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SINGAPORE - Taxi operator ComfortDelGro has apologised after one of its drivers fainted while driving on the East Coast Parkway (ECP), colliding with the centre divider and causing his passenger to alight in the middle of the expressway.

Dashcam footage of the incident, taken around 1.10pm on Friday (March 8) shows a Comfort taxi swerving in and out of the rightmost lane on the Benjamin Sheares bridge.

The cab is seen colliding with the centre divider of the bridge, appearing to leave a dent in the barrier, before swerving across another two lanes.

Other road users are seen slowing down or moving out of the way to avoid the taxi.

As it slows down, its left passenger door opens and a man steps out. He closes the door and quickly moves to the side of the road.

A silver car drives into the path of the cab, seemingly in an attempt to block it, but the taxi manoeuvres around it and drives off.

The taxi's passenger is soon picked up by another car.

"I don't understand," says the passenger of the car recording the footage, before the video ends. Many netizens also expressed confusion as to what had caused the taxi driver and passenger to act the way they had.

On Sunday, ComfortDelGro's group chief corporate communications officer, Ms Tammy Tan, told The Straits Times that the cabby in the video had "blacked out momentarily".

She said that when the driver regained consciousness, he realised that his passenger had disembarked.

"He wanted to get off the expressway to seek medical help and continued driving slowly until he was out of the expressway and at the Rochor Road exit gantry," she said.

The driver then proceeded to call for assistance, she said.

He is currently warded at a hospital for observation.

Ms Tan added that Comfort is currently in touch with the passenger who was on board the taxi, and will be sending a hamper and vouchers to him as a gesture of goodwill.

On behalf of the company, she also thanked the driver of the private car who stopped to pick up the stranded passenger.

"We would like to apologise to all affected motorists for this incident," she said.

The police confirmed that a report had been lodged and are investigating the incident.

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