Two "strange" men spotted opening taxi doors for money
Two men have been spotted opening taxi doors for passengers at Bedok Central for a small fee. They would even assist shoppers with their bags but their quirky behaviour has caused some passengers to feel uncomfortable and their actions have affected certain taxi drivers as well.
Lianhe Wanbao received a tip-off from a taxi driver, Mr Wang, 45, in which he reported that for the past two months, these two men, one Indian and the other Chinese, who looked to be in their 40s, would loiter around the taxi stand at Bedok Central as "doormen" for taxi passengers.
Mr Wang revealed that the Indian man would usually be there in the mornings and the Chinese man would take over in the evenings. It also seemed like this arrangement was a mutual agreement between the two men, so that one would not snatch the other's so-called "business".
He also told the Chinese evening daily that they will assist passengers, especially those carrying supermarket bags or pushing trolleys, by opening taxi doors and even helping them load their shopping into the car. They would usually ask for a small tip afterwards. Although some passengers were willing to pay, others were simply too shocked and refused to get into the taxi, thus causing a significant amount of frustration to the drivers.
"After loading the bags, they will then insist on pushing the trolley back to the supermarket, where they will pocket the $1 refund fee", said Mr Wang.
On one occasion, a passenger followed one of the men and demanded him to hand over the money. The man had no choice but to return the coin to the passenger.
Yesterday afternoon, a reporter from Lianhe Wanbao went to the location at Bedok Central and saw the Chinese man whom Mr Wang had described.
He was wearing a sweat-soaked t-shirt with shorts. There were bandages all over his wrists and upper thighs, and a whistle was dangling from his neck, which he will use to hail taxis and usher passengers.
When the reporter approached him, he smiled and did not utter a single word. He then picked up a plastic bag containing white gloves.
A number of taxi drivers and store-owners near the vicinity have expressed concern for these two men and hoped that some assistance can be provided to them.
