Taxi driver refuses passenger’s request to turn up air conditioning, slammed by netizens

A ride-hailing taxi driver drew widespread criticism after refusing to turn up his vehicle’s air conditioning upon a passenger’s request last Thursday (2 Oct).

The passenger, surnamed Chen, reportedly said he had asked to turn the temperature down about six or seven minutes into the ride, but the driver, surnamed Wu, said it wasn’t working.

As his back was covered in sweat, Mr Chen tried to open the windows five minutes later, but found that it was locked shut.

Mr Wu later turned down the temperature to 27°C or 28°C, but when Mr Chen said he still felt stuffy and couldn’t breathe from the heat, he was met with a tongue-lashing from the driver.

Driver allegedly threatens passenger

Based on a video Mr Chen took of the incident, the driver told him things such as “I have the final say on my car” and “You’re asking for so much for a flat price”.