Emotions ran high and fingers were pointed after a commuter and a bus driver got into an argument as the passenger refused to make way for others to board the vehicle. 

A TikTok user, who wanted to be known as Fuse, told AsiaOne that she witnessed the spat at Woodlands Bus Interchange at about 9.45pm on Sunday (Dec 28). 

The video which she uploaded online shows a SMRT bus captain of service 911 in a stand-off with a woman in a red top. 

“Bring it out!” says the driver repeatedly as the woman shouts unintelligibly, pointing a finger at the former, while other commuters are seen trying to pacify her. 

A shriek is heard at one point, after which the bus captain sits down and appears to disengage from the situation. 

Fuse told AsiaOne that she was not aware of what sparked the dispute, which had attracted the attention of other passers-by. 

“A few people tried to calm (the woman) down. But it did not work,” she said. 

Responding to AsiaOne’s queries, deputy managing director of SMRT Buses Vincent Gay said the commuter had “unexpectedly expressed dissatisfaction” towards the bus captain after being asked if she and her companions intended to board Service 911 travelling towards Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub. 

This had occurred at about 9.30pm on Saturday. 

“After boarding, she remained at the front of the bus, recording the bus captain and blocking other passengers. When asked to move further in, she continued to verbally confront him throughout the journey,” Gay said. 

When the bus reached the interchange, the passenger became more agitated and argued with others. 

The bus captain then asked the woman’s companions for assistance to escort her off the bus. 

“We remind our bus captains to engage passengers respectfully and professionally, and we strongly encourage mutual respect between bus captains and passengers,” Gay said.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com