RECENTLY a 17-year-old girl jumped from a moving Grab vehicle in Tampoi, Johor, after mistakenly believing that her driver was attempting to abduct her.
The young passenger was anxious about the unfamiliar route taken by the driver, who was merely taking a detour due to roadworks on the original route.
Despite the police concluding that the incident was a misunderstanding and clearing the driver of any wrongdoing, the situation escalated when the teenager shared her story online.
Her social media post, which included the driver’s car number plate, led to widespread public backlash.
According to Oriental Daily, the driver has since been the target of cyberbullying and received threatening calls.
Since the incident occurred on Aug 11, the driver has been unable to work and was temporarily barred from e-hailing platforms between Aug 15 and 18.
Huang, 54, who had been a taxi driver before becoming a full-time ride-hailing driver, said this was the first time he encountered such a situation in his 30-year career.
During a press conference by the Malaysian Chinese Association’s Public Services and Complaints Bureau, the driver appealed for netizens to stop circulating the posts. Also present was MCA Iskandar Puteri division chairman, Ni Shunhai.
“Shortly after the incident, it started going viral on social media. My car plate number and my photos are still being circulated online as a warning to the public,” he was quoted as saying.
He said after the incident, when he drove on the road, his photo was taken by netizens and uploaded to social media, which left him feeling helpless.
“Actually, I haven’t driven since the day of the incident. On the advice of the police, I also turned off my phone for a while to avoid harassment.”
He said after the post spread on social media, he received multiple threatening calls from strangers.
“I hope this press conference can clear things up for me and that netizens will stop sharing my car plate number and the posts.”
He also said the incident had severely impacted his income. On average, he earned RM200 to RM300 daily from driving, but now he has temporarily stopped working.
He has been paying RM50 daily for car rental out of pocket, but with the support and trust from his family and neighbours, he found some comfort.
He plans to change his car and continue working as an e-hailing driver.
Reflecting on the day of the incident, he recalled changing the route due to roadworks but didn’t have time to explain to the passenger before she jumped out of the car.
Ni Shunhai suggested that e-hailing drivers should inform passengers before changing routes to avoid misunderstandings.
He also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to address online bullying by drafting laws or mechanisms to improve the situation and protect everyone, preventing such tragedies from occurring.
