SINGAPORE — Ride hailing platform Tada is investigating an incident where one of its private-hire drivers allegedly made racist comments towards a passenger in a heated row that was captured on video.

In response to TODAY’s queries on Sunday (Sept 24), the company said: “Remarks or comments that insinuate racial differences are in direct violation of Tada’s community guidelines and are not representative of our company’s values. 

“We have initiated an internal investigation to fully understand the circumstances and will take all necessary actions based on our findings.”

Facebook user Jan Hoeden had put up two videos on Saturday capturing an argument between her and the driver, as well as a screenshot of the Tada app that showed the driver’s face and her travel route.

She said in the post’s caption that the squabble began when the driver “accused” her of giving him the wrong direction, claiming that she “didn’t even advise or say anything to him”.

The first video of slightly over a minute in length, which was also put up on Reddit and on the Instagram account of alternative media site Wake Up, Singapore, began with the driver insisting that the woman’s daughter, who is in the car with her, is under 1.35m in height.

A child passenger under 1.35m tall is required to use a child safety seat when taking a private hire ride.

The man also says that she should not be “hao lian”, or Teochew for boastful.

When the woman retorts in Mandarin that she is not “hao lian”, the driver raises his voice, saying “You are Indian, I am Chinese”.

He repeats the racial remarks again, then calls the woman “the very worst” customer, even as the passenger tells him repeatedly that she is not an Indian but a Eurasian.

In a second video that is about two minutes in length, the driver and passenger are seen continuing their argument even after the woman and her daughter alight from the car.

The video post on Wake Up, Singapore’s Instagram account has garnered about 4,500 likes and 2,400 shares as of 8pm.

TODAY has reached out to Ms Hoeden for comment.

Tada on Sunday that it does not condone “racial comments or remarks under any circumstances”. 

“We’re committed to resolving this issue promptly and fairly to ensure that Tada remains a trusted platform for all,” the company said.