A Japanese woman recently claimed she was mistreated by a taxi driver while in Singapore.
In her encounter with the allegedly rude taxi driver, she alleged he changed his attitude when he found out about her nationality.
“If he knows I’m from Japan, he (would) treat me like a queen.
“One of the most stupid people in this world (are) those who generalise. Do you think all Japanese people are polite like this?
“All of my friends from China, all of my students from China – they are even (more) polite than the Japanese,” she said @crazyjapanese in a TikTok video.
Dragging her luggage with her, she was looking for a taxi to take her to the airport but when she asked if she could get into his cab, he allegedly told her to put the luggage into his car by herself.
She then asked the older man if he accepted a credit card for payment and once again the taxi driver brushed her off and loudly asked her to get into the car.
She even attempted to speak to communicate with the driver in Mandarin but ended in confusion.
After getting into the car, the taxi driver asked her if she was from China, which peeved her off, saying it was a racist question.
She answered his question, saying she is Japanese and to her annoyance, she noticed a “180-degree” shift in his tone when interacting with her.
Her video resonated with many who have claimed to have gone through similar experiences as her.
“Yea, the reality of the taxi industry in Singapore. Hailing a taxi these days should only be a last resort because the service quality you get is just so low,” a user said.
“As a Singaporean, we are already disappointed in our taxi (drivers). We (opt for) (e-hailing rides) all the way,” another user said.
Many others came to the the taxi driver’s defense noting that he could have had bad experiences with tourists from China hence his change in tone upon finding out the woman’s Japanese nationality.
“I think you might need to understand that some Singaporeans (me myself included) had experience the most entitled and wild behaviour coming from Chinese tourists,” a netizen said.
