NEA Said Image of Cabbie Begging on His Knees Was Due to Him Smoking in the Taxi

Have you seen an image of a male taxi driver on his knees, begging two enforcement officers who were wearing Certis caps?

This image has been widely circulated, and netizens have been trying to speculate the actual reason why he was kneeling.

Initial Speculations 

While this image was circulated on chat apps and social media, the message accompanying it said that the cabby was “begging for leniency” after NEA officers “caught him with his engines idling whilst he rest within the vehicle”.

Another speculation claimed that the man got fined for illegal parking.

Netizens also brought in attendant issues, on how taxi driver vocation is only opened to Singaporeans, while officers who issue fines can be foreigners.

This got me curious as well. What could actually drive a grown man to get on his knees to plead for leniency in public?

The Real Deal

So here is what actually happened. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the incident happened along Mount Elizabeth Road on Thursday, 3 October at 12:30pm.

The ComfortDelGro taxi driver was caught smoking with his windows wound down. The fine was then issued to him directly on the spot by NEA officers after notifying him of the offence he had just made.

What offence, you ask? Well, under the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act, anyone caught smoking in a prohibited place or a public service vehicle may face a composition fine of $200, or up to the maximum court fine of $1000.

Hence, he was issued a ticket of $200 for smoking in a public service vehicle.

The Plead

Like any other person, he must have panicked and tried to reason with the officers, which resulted in his attempt to plead with them.

The man alighted and knelt on the road to further ask for leniency to avoid being summoned.

A Certis spokesman told The Straits Times that the officers were quick to discourage his actions and coaxed him to return to his vehicle.

Given that $200 is almost equivalent to two days of earning for a cabby, I guess he was really desperate in trying to not lose his hard-earned money.

It reminds me of my younger days where I would desperately plead my parents not to take away my gaming consoles because of my bad results.

Dear taxi driver, I sympathise with you. Perhaps you’ll learn your lesson not to smoke in your taxi again, just like how I learned to play only at appropriate times.