ONLINE HARASSMENT A CONCERN
The National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) said it has become increasingly concerned about abuse directed at public transport workers.
“We have observed of late that there have been quite a number of abuse cases targeted at our bus captains and public transport workers,” said NTWU executive secretary and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling.
“Some of them are physical abuse, and some of them are online abuse, or online cyberbullying, or doxxing.
“This is something that cannot be tolerated, and we hope to let our commuters know that having a good public transport journey is one of mutual respect,” she added.
Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) provides protection against harassment, stalking, cyberbullying and doxxing, which is the publication of personal information intended to cause distress or facilitate harassment.
In a parliamentary reply earlier this year, the Ministry of Transport said that from 2021 to 2025, an average of about 60 cases were reported annually under POHA involving public transport workers who were harassed by commuters while performing their duties.
The ministry does not track how many of those cases specifically involve allegations of online harassment.
ABUSE CAN STEM FROM MINOR DISPUTES
Transport operators told CNA that incidents of abuse against its employees are not uncommon.
SBS Transit sees about two to three cases every week, according to its head of bus operations Bernard Goh.
“These cases range from abuse – physical and verbal – and some altercations between passengers on board and drivers on the roads,” he said.
“Such cases can arise from as minor as payment of fares, eating on board (and) passengers who missed their stops.”