cab Cab drivers leave sick girl in a lurch

ELECTRIC NEWS

December 11, 2008

THE 13-year-old girl needed treatment for food poisoning. The doctor at the neighbourhood clinic advised her parents to take her to Changi General Hospital's (CGH) Accident & Emergency department.

As she was too weak to walk, the girl's father carried her and tried to hail a taxi to the hospital.

But his experience with two cabbies left Mr Lim Kok Kwee fuming. He claimed that one cabby just drove past him without stopping, while another stopped but drove off when he saw him and his daughter.

His daughter, Shi Li, had fallen ill at their home at Block 102, Tampines Street 11, at about 9pm last Tuesday night

Mr Lim, 52, a technician, told The New Paper: 'She was too weak to walk. So I carried her downstairs.'

After about 10 minutes, a Comfort cab stopped.

Mr Lim said: 'The driver looked at us, and then drove off without a word.'

Five minutes later, another Comfort cab drove past them.

Mr Lim said: 'I was furious. We needed a taxi urgently.'

A kind passer-by later helped them hail a cab, about 20 minutes after they had left home.

Shi Li was administered drips and discharged after midnight.

But Mr Lim is still angry with the two cabbies. His elder daughter, Ms Shimin Lim, a 20-year-old student, who e-mailed The New Paper, said: 'What if my sister had been in an even more critical condition?'

Mr Lim had taken down the licence plate numbers, and Shimin e-mailed ComfortDelgro to complain.

ComfortDelgro confirmed this. Mr Lim said he also gave feedback to the Land Transport Authority.

Matter being investigated

ComfortDelgro spokesman Tammy Tan told The New Paper they are investigating the matter.
'We are dismayed to learn that two of our drivers chose to ignore the Lim family when they tried to hail our taxis. This is unbecoming behaviour and we have conducted an investigation into the matter.'

She said the first driver claimed he was going to pick up another group of passengers who happened to flag his cab earlier.

His claim cannot be verified, Ms Tan said, but he has been given a warning and is having his performance monitored.

As for the second driver, a tracking system showed that he was about to take a break and did not pick up passengers until much later that night, Ms Tan said.

But, she added, he should have shown that he was busy by using the proper indicator signs installed in the taxi. She said the company called Ms Lim and apologised for the incident.

The New Paper spoke to a few cabbies for their views on the incident.

Mr Low Hock Meng, 52, said he would 'definitely stop' if he had seen the Lims.

But, he added: 'Cases like this are tough to call. You have to see it from both sides - the passengers and the taxi drivers.'

Navin Vijay Wadhwani, newsroom intern