Syaf later highlighted in that TikTok video that this isn't the first time she has been "scolded or schooled" by drivers over her asking for help as she's on crutches.
"Some people have said to me 'Oh, if I knew you were on crutches, I wouldn't have accepted your booking'," she recounted.
"Many have scolded me for troubling them and asking them to come up to the third floor."
Syaf also clarified that she is not insinuating that all private hire drivers are like that and that she has met multiple drivers who've been helpful to her while she's been on crutches.
However, it is the driver's job to "provide a good service to [their] customer", she added.
"Don't make your passenger feel like shit for the disability that they cannot control. Do better, please. Not just for me, but for everybody else out there," she said.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Syaf said that she "was very disappointed at the driver's rude response".
"He could have just said he didn't want to come up and be on his way, yet he demanded compensation and was rude when I questioned him about it," she said.
Driver suspended
Syaf said she then reported the incident to Grab and they said that they've "resolved the issue", including placing the driver on a temporary 72-hour suspension.Additionally, she said that Grab told her that drivers "are not supposed to demand compensation as the pickup location was within the same building".
She also told AsiaOne that a netizen posted her TikTok video on Facebook group PHV Community and another netizen claiming to be the driver responded to her allegations.
The driver explained that while he could empathise with Syaf's situation, the fare didn't justify him driving over to Syaf's destination as he was far away, let alone pick her up from the third level.
Also, since Grab did not offer him a "pick-up bonus" for her trip, he asked her to pay him an additional fee instead.
"At [a] usual time, [for] people with disabilities [and] wheelchairs, I will definitely help," he explained, adding that he does not want to stay in the industry anymore.
The driver also shared that he was glad to see many people in the comments section of the Facebook post supporting his decision.
"At least I [don't feel] guilty for cancelling such [a] job," he said.
Apart from that, the driver also brought up Syaf's religion and nose piercing, which did not sit well with her.
"Honestly, I feel bad [for getting the driver suspended] and I still do, but I am quite disappointed he degraded my religion and appearance," she told AsiaOne.
AsiaOne has reached out to Grab and the driver for more details.
https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/d...s-grab-driver-help-out-he-says-it-costs-extra