SINGAPORE: A Go-Ahead Singapore bus captain was allegedly assaulted by a passenger after the commuter became upset over missing his bus stop while travelling on Bus Service 2 on May 23.

In a Facebook post, the transport operator said the incident happened at around 3:10 p.m.

“At about 3:10 p.m., the commuter grew angry after his bus stop was missed and proceeded to verbally abuse and physically assault our bus captain while he was driving,” Go-Ahead Singapore stated.

The company added that the trip was disrupted following the incident and that the bus captain later sought medical attention at Changi General Hospital.

Go-Ahead Singapore stressed that it does not tolerate any form of abuse or violence against public transport workers, warning that such behaviour puts staff, commuters, and other road users at risk.

“Our bus captains carry out their duties every day with professionalism and care to ensure commuters reach their destinations safely. They deserve respect and should not have to endure abuse in the course of their work,” the company added.

Many netizens also shared their thoughts on the incident online.

Some commenters speculated that there may have been more to the confrontation.

“There is a great chance that the driver say something rude and make the passenger angry. I had many exp with rude bus drivers. Yes, the passenger should not hit the driver but the driver is responsible for calming the situation,” one commenter wrote.

“Not condoning violence but it takes 2 hands to clap,” another said.

Others disagreed, saying there was no excuse for physically assaulting a public transport worker regardless of the circumstances.

One netizen wrote that disagreements should instead be resolved calmly or reported through the proper feedback channels.

Another commenter also praised Go-Ahead Singapore for publicly standing up for its employee.

“It makes them feel supported and not alone, giving them greater confidence to carry out their duties safely and confidently,” the commenter said.

This article (‘They deserve respect’: Go-Ahead Singapore speaks out after bus captain allegedly assaulted) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A Ghanaian man sat down with a Singaporean woman to talk about why Singaporeans complain so much, when so many things in the city-state actually work.

Not that for Kojo Enoch, the content creator behind the YouTube channel Explore with Kojo, complaining in Singapore is necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, he wondered if one of the secrets behind Singapore’s efficiency is its citizens’ refusal to take things lying down.

Kojo has been to Singapore many times and said that from what he’s seen, “Everything looks like it works perfectly here.”

Sabrina, the Singaporean woman he interviewed, acknowledged that things are really good for Singaporeans, with its high level of security and cleanliness, plus one of the most efficient public transport systems in the world. She acknowledged, however, that like all places, the city-state has its advantages and disadvantages, though as a whole, Singaporeans have a lot to be thankful for.

When Kojo asked Sabrina why Singaporeans complain a lot, she said that it has become part of the culture, admitting that even she begins to complain when the train is one minute late, “like it’s the end of the world.”

Kojo, who was struck by this, said, “When you say Singaporeans complain over the littlest thing, I want to believe that this might be a good thing in the sense that it keeps the authorities on their toes. 

But if the authorities or the leaders know that people are not going to complain, then they are going to relax and not do what they are supposed to do to lift up the nation.”

He added that in his home country, people do not hold leaders accountable, “so we take whatever they give us.”

“It basically means you guys will not tolerate anything other than the best,” he added, while Sabrina nodded.

As far as he has observed, most people in developing parts of the world don’t complain, and he added that he wished the people in Ghana would “complain over everything,” not out of ingratitude, but to bring about better standards of efficiency.

Sabrina added that the Singaporean government endeavours through surveys to get feedback from people regarding policies and projects, and Singaporeans are encouraged to give their honest opinions.

“We started from almost nothing. So for us to be able to achieve so much in the last 65 years, it’s an incredible feat,” she added. /TISG

Read also: Help, the taxi uncle peeed during our ride. He’s old, should I launch a complaint or just let it pass?

This article (‘If everything works, why does it still feel like it’s not enough?’ Foreigner puzzled by Singaporeans’ complaint culture) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.