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With five years experience as a private-hire driver, Ms Herni Hutabarat Karel Julianus was sure she had seen it all, until a male passenger asked her if he could look at her feet because he had a “fetish”.��

When the 38-year-old driver on platforms such as Grab and TADA told him that she was very uncomfortable with his request, he persisted, saying: “It’s okay, if I touch your feet, I will pay you.”

During this troubling 15-minute ride at 2am in September this year, the passenger – who appeared sober – continued his inappropriate advances, including asking about massage parlours offering “happy endings”.

For female private-hire drivers such as Ms Herni, these sorts of unsettling encounters are an unfortunate reality of the job.

While intoxicated passengers vomiting in vehicles or struggling to get home is all too common for drivers working the night shift, female drivers told �鶹��ý TODAY about unique challenges they encounter: Harassment, lewd remarks and feeling unsafe, particularly at night.

These experiences, when shared with peers, have even sparked the formation of informal support networks where female private-hire drivers share tips and stay on six-hour long calls to keep each other company through a shift.��

Exact figures are not available on the number of female private-hire drivers working in Singapore, but drivers and ride-hailing platforms say the number has been increasing, and on some platforms, women account for an estimated 20 per cent of drivers.��

One bright spot for Ms Herni this year is being connected to one such community of female drivers initiated by fellow driver Nur Ain Sofiah Shaharuddin, 34.

In September, Ms Sofiah posted a video on social media platform TikTok to gauge interest in creating a chat group exclusively for female private-hire drivers, which attracted more than 30,000 views.��

About 40 female drivers have since joined a WhatsApp group, with smaller offshoot groups of drivers working the same shifts.

On how joining the group has made a difference to her nights on the road, Ms Herni said: “The past five years, I’ve been driving alone. With the group, you can share tips, vent about your day, because you will see the same things, and won’t feel so alone in this job.”

“NEVER KNOW” WHAT CAN HAPPEN AT NIGHT��

In �鶹��ý TODAY’s conversations with eight female drivers, many said that they prefer the calmer condition of late-night roads or opt for late shifts to balance day-time family responsibilities.

However, they said that this comes with added risks, including a higher likelihood of encountering drunk passengers and unpredictable situations compared to the type of passengers likely to hail a ride in the morning or afternoon.

For Ms Carmen Ortega, 38, who has driven on platforms Grab, Gojek, TADA and Ryde for nearly a decade, incidents where she felt unsafe may be rare but remain vivid.

She recalled a “traumatising” incident when an intoxicated male passenger relentlessly tried to climb to the front from the backseat and placed his hand near her waist.��

When she dropped him off, he refused to pay for his ride in the usual way and wanted her to take the money from his pocket.

“In Singapore, I would still say it’s generally safe. But of course, you will never be prepared enough. There will be some male passengers, as long as they see you’re a (female driver), they want to try their luck,” Ms Ortega said.

In such situations, she said that she focuses on driving safely and getting the ride done. Driving directly to a police station may antagonise the passenger and potentially risk wasting time and income.

She has adopted certain strategies such as avoiding “drinking areas” around nightclubs late at night, though such methods are not foolproof.

Other drivers agreed that such strategies for avoiding trouble only go so far, as they recounted picking up intoxicated or hostile passengers from housing estates, industrial estates and even hospitals.

For Ms Sofiah, who founded the female drivers’ support group, connecting with other female drivers who can serve as witnesses through phone calls with other group members in murky situations has been a game changer.

She recalled picking up a rowdy group of foreigners who had used someone else’s Grab account to book a ride and they kept asking her to find them "entertainment".

It dawned on her during the ride that since the booking had not been made using any of the passengers' accounts, she would have no way to identify them. When she tried to share her live location with a friend for safety, she hesitated because the passengers were watching her closely.

“I was a bit shaken. It was very strange – they kept saying they wanted entertainment, like they were asking me to entertain them. I had to compose myself after that. I felt really sad because I didn’t have many female friends in this industry,” Ms Sofiah said.

Experiences like these inspired her to start a support group for women in the male-dominated private-hire industry.��

One practical tip she has learnt from fellow group member Roswaty Ahmad Zawawi, 51, is to lock the door and roll down the window, to check if passengers are sober enough to enter the car and take care of themselves during the ride. If the passenger is not in a fit condition, she would ask the passenger to cancel the ride, or cancel the ride herself and drive away, for her own safety.

Before joining the support group, Ms Nadhirah Imran, 31, said that she did not know other female drivers. Now, having someone to talk to and occasionally taking breaks together helps her feel more energised as compared to having a meal alone.

Beyond providing social support, the group provides a crucial safety net with members who can give real-time guidance during late-night shifts when family or friends may be asleep.��

The female drivers said that another recurring issue is intoxicated passengers who cause trouble or refuse to pay, which can be particularly challenging because they often cannot physically assist people who are too drunk to move, despite some passengers expecting such assistance.

Men are almost invariably the culprits but female passengers can also cause trouble.

Ms Rosinah Salim, 51, recalled an encounter with an intoxicated female��passenger who became aggressive and used vulgarities. She was even scolded by the woman’s husband over the phone.��

The passenger, who claimed that she would pay a cleaning fee after vomiting, was so drunk that she mistakenly opened the e-marketplace Carousell mobile application instead of a relevant payment platform.

When Ms Rosinah pointed out the error, the passenger became aggressive and accused her of being rude. Fortunately, she was on a call with fellow drivers at the time, who overheard the incident and advised her to leave the situation for her safety.

“Ever since I’ve gotten to know this group, driving at night is much safer. Otherwise, I’m all alone. When I take a rest (in the past), I always had the thought of, ‘What if people come and disturb me?’ But with this group, I know they are around,” Ms Rosinah said.

WHAT PLATFORMS ARE DOING��

While these informal support groups offer much-needed support for female drivers on the road, ride-hailing platforms have also started to implement measures to make the occupation safer and more appealing to women.

In response to �鶹��ý TODAY’s queries, ride-hailing platforms Grab, Gojek, TADA and Ryde highlighted various features and protocols in place to safeguard the well-being of their drivers.��

Grab said that more than 99.99 per cent of all its rides continue to occur without any safety incidents, though it is constantly evaluating how it can ensure the safety of its driver-partners, especially women.

Launched in March this year, Grab’s women passengers preferred feature allows female drivers to indicate in the driver app that they prefer to be paired with nearby female passengers.

To date, around half of Grab’s women driver-partners have used this feature, and drivers who used this feature have a 40 per cent lower risk of “passenger-induced incidents”, Grab added.��

The company has also launched free mentorship programmes by selected��female Grab drivers and created dedicated support programmes such as the Grab women partners Telegram channel and women driver community events.��

In collaboration with the Land Transport Authority, Grab is also trialling an AudioProtect feature, which allows for audio recordings during rides, serving as a deterrent to potential incidents and helping to resolve disputes fairly.

Gojek said that it provides a 24/7 customer service facility available to all driver-partners to report any issues they encounter and it “proactively monitors” all rides to identify potential issues, especially those on longer trips.

“Although our rides are generally incident-free, we take every precaution to ensure driver and passenger safety. This includes conducting thorough investigations of any harassment complaints and taking action to suspend driver-partners or passengers who are found to be serious offenders,” Gojek added.��

At TADA, the company said that it offers all drivers access to in-app support and channels for reporting any incidents and that the platform has not received any harassment or assault reports involving female drivers to date.��

It has also implemented a helpline feature available for drivers, which allows them to contact the authorities directly should they feel unsafe or need urgent assistance.��

“While we do not have any gender-specific initiatives currently, we continue to explore new ways to support all drivers and their livelihoods, ensure their safety and success. Our goal is to create an inclusive, equitable environment where both male and female drivers can thrive equally,” TADA said.

Ryde said that it had made “significant strides” in making a fairer and safer platform, such as including call-masking to protect driver privacy, live trip tracking for enhanced security and emergency support to guide drivers in critical situations.��

It added that drivers on the platform are supported by “robust incident reporting protocols” and emergency guidance, and are protected under the Protection from Harassment Act.��

“While we take pride in these efforts, we remain focused on further advancing our safety initiatives to ensure our platform evolves with the needs of our driver-partners.”

Mr Joseph Goh, general secretary of the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, said in response to TODAY �鶹��ý's queries that female drivers the association engages "generally" offer feedback that they feel safe, due to several layers of deterrence and protection in place.

This includes the in-app safety features from platform operators such as passenger verification systems and route tracking. Since passenger accounts are traceable, this helps in reporting and investigating incidents.

The National Trade Unions Congress-affiliated association was registered in 2016 and represents the��interests of private-hire drivers who provide point-to-point services.

"The private-hire driver community also provides strong support to one another with active WhatsApp groups, including by interests and vehicle types, to help each other navigate issues they face while driving," Mr Goh added.

Female drivers told �鶹��ý TODAY that these measures do help in protecting them on the road and acknowledged that calling emergency services or making a report on the platform is within reach.

However, they pointed out potential loopholes in existing features, for example, when the person booking the ride is not the actual passenger and is someone who books a ride for an intoxicated friend or stranger.

Ms Ortega noted, for instance, that Grab's AudioProtect feature works only if both passenger and driver turn it on, which may limit its effectiveness in protecting drivers in a scenario where a passenger has not turned on the feature.

Instead, she suggested that platforms could introduce a rider screening survey at night that asks passengers to answer simple questions before booking a ride, which would weed out those who might be too drunk to take care of themselves during or after a ride.��

JOINING A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY��

Even as platforms are making strides in making the driver experience safer for women, there may yet be some ways to go to making the ride-hailing industry more inclusive for women.

TADA said that more than 80 per cent of drivers on the platform are male.

Grab has launched the Grab Women Drivers’ Programme this March, an initiative to make ride-hailing “more suitable” for women driver-partners.

In response to �鶹��ý TODAY’s query, Grab said that concerns about safety are one of the reasons that deter many women from joining the ride-hailing sector, based on internal surveys and discussions done with Grab’s women drivers and delivery partners.��

Other common considerations that stop women “from taking the first step” to join this line include the need to manage different types of consumers, having the right “digital know-how” to navigate the driver app and the ability to manage unforeseen situations such as vehicle breakdowns.��

Still, Grab said that there is a “significant proportion” of female driver-partners on its platform now.

More female drivers on the road is not just a win for inclusivity in this occupation, but it also appeals to passengers, particularly women.

Ms Hillary Tjoe, 30, who is self-employed, said that she would feel safer when being picked up by a female driver, because of a history of uncomfortable situations with male drivers.��

This includes unsolicited comments on her appearance, drivers who try to ask for her number or make romantic advances, and even one occasion when a driver stared at her through the rear-view mirror for the entirety of a 20-minute drive.

She said: “Ninety-five per cent of (drivers) don’t do this, but once in a while you get weird drivers. In my experience, at night, all the beasts come out, and the dark makes people more aggressive.”��

Female private-hire drivers echoed these sentiments, saying they have met passengers who explicitly stated that they felt safer with a woman driver.

A Grab driver who wanted to be known only as Madam Kho said that she once met a female passenger who had selected a "quiet ride", a service for commuters who prefer a ride with minimal conversation.��

“I just confirmed with her, 'You’re going to Pasir Ris and yours is a quiet ride', and she said, ‘Oh, with you, it’s okay.’ She requested a quiet ride because she had frequently encountered male drivers asking her all kinds of personal questions like, ‘Are you single? You got a boyfriend?’”

Ms Lalitha Dorairajoo, 46, a private-hire driver on Grab, said that many female passengers, especially those picked up late at night, have told her that they feel safer with female drivers.��

Such positive encounters keep her motivated on the road, even though she acknowledged that the private-hire sector remains male-dominated and some road users harbour stereotypes about female drivers after negative encounters.

“When I am in the airport queue, some drivers look me up and down because I’m a woman. But come on, it’s 2024 already. We are equal and coming up. The ladies are all coming up.”

She added that such attitudes only serve to motivate her further, and she encourages other women drivers to find a community to connect with and support each other.

“Night drivers, the majority may be men, but now, there are women drivers who tell me, ‘You’re not scared to drive at night? Then I should try.’ And I feel happy if I can make someone dare to drive at night, too.”