Passenger loses wallet, cabby gets LTA warning letter for not checking taxi after trip
A passenger left behind a wallet in his taxi in July, and the cabby got a warning letter for it.
With his MP's help, he appealed to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) against the offence, but it did not work.
In a Facebook post shared by Beh Chia Lor on Tuesday (Nov 8), a man named Ong Boon tried to alert others, writing: "To all taxi drivers who don't look behind the seat after passenger alights.
"If the passenger loses an item and complains to LTA, this is what [we will get] and we might be held liable."
It is unclear if the passenger's wallet has been recovered.
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In a letter dated Oct 26, LTA told the cabby it was "unable to rescind the written warning" because its investigation found he had failed to search his vehicle for any property left by the passenger at the end of the trip.
Under the Road Traffic Rules for public service vehicles, the driver is required, shall as far as practicable, to search for any property left inside the vehicle immediately or on the termination of any journey.
Unfairly punished?
The cabby's post soon went viral on social media, with many commenting that they thought the taxi driver was being unfairly punished.
A fellow cabby surnamed He told Shin Min Daily News that he encountered several passengers who left their mobile phones behind in his taxi. He only found out about this after they called him.
The 62-year-old, who has more than 20 years of experience behind the wheel, said: "A passenger could leave an item behind, and if it was taken by the next passenger, I might not know about it."
Another driver, surnamed Liang, similarly shared that it's difficult to check his vehicle for any lost items if he picked up a passenger right after dropping one off at their destination.
The 56-year-old said that a written warning was unreasonable unless the authorities could provide clear evidence that the driver did not check his vehicle or had taken possession of the item.
Drivers who fail to deposit property left in the vehicle in the manner required can be penalised with demerit points, according to the Road Traffic Rules.
Despite receiving LTA's letter, Ong Boon is not ready to give up.
According to MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling, the cabby, who's a resident in her constituency, said he had parked the taxi at Woodlands Checkpoint to check if the passenger had left his wallet behind.
She told Shin Min: "I have sent a fresh appeal to the authorities, and I've asked how they are sure that driver did not inspect his vehicle."
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