Cabby to be charged for rash act after pushing Grab driver into drain over dispute on PIE

Update on January 24:

Cabby who pushed Grab driver into drain in PIE dispute charged with performing rash act

Original article:

A 53-year-old taxi driver will be charged in court on Jan 23 for his suspected involvement in a case of rash act causing hurt, the police said in a statement.

The police said they were alerted to the case involving the man and a 59-year-old car driver along Lane 1 of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Changi Airport on Sept 25, 2023 at 5.14am.

Investigations revealed that the cabby was involved in an accident with a sedan car, in which the car driver had rear-ended his taxi near the Stevens Road exit.

The two men then had a verbal dispute during which, the cabby allegedly pushed the car driver, causing him to fall into a drain.

The car driver sustained multiple abrasions on his body and was conscious when taken to hospital.

Stomp earlier reported on the incident after the Grab driver named Allan shared a video of the CityCab taxi attempting to drive off with his door open.

The cabby then exits his taxi and pushes him over the railings before driving off.

Allan told Stomp that the cabby had allegedly jammed on his brakes causing him to hit the cab's rear.

He added that he 'tried to settle the issue' but the taxi driver refused to cooperate.

He said he had fallen into a two-metre-deep drain and suffered bruises all over his body.

In response to a Stomp query, ComfortDelGro spokesperson Mrs Grace Wu told Stomp that the cabby was on his way to the airport with a passenger on board when the accident happened.

The cabby had wanted to continue with his journey after exchanging particulars but 'was repeatedly stopped from being able to do so by the other driver'.

"Regrettably, the video footage shows only our cabby's response when he was trying to get the other driver out of his way," said Mrs Wu.

However, she said the cabby should have called the police instead of taking matters into his own hands.

Disciplinary action was taken against him.

The offence of rash act causing hurt carries a jail term of up to one year, a fine, or both.

"The police have zero tolerance towards such acts of violence and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law," the police said.