This hawker couple was apparently told by a foreign bus driver to get off the bus because they were 'too smelly', according to an article in the New Paper. STOMPer KC says this is the first time he's heard of such an incident happening.

In the article published yesterday, 49-year-old Lin Geng Chuan said he and his wife had spent the whole day hard at work at their stall and it was unavoidable if they smelled of oil, cooking fumes and perspiration.

Mr Lin added that he and his wife had been taking the same bus service for the past eight years and this unpleasant encounter was their first. They had boarded buses driven by the same driver before, but it was the first time they had sat in the seat right behind him.

An SMRT spokesperson said bus drivers can ask passengers to alight if there is an emergency situation, or if a passenger was carrying durians.

STOMPer KC wrote:

"The incident happened at 5.30pm on Sunday afternoon (Feb 5). According to Bukit Batok fishball noodle seller, Mr Lin Geng Chuan, after they closed their noodle stall, he and his wife took bus number 852 from the Bukit Batok interchange to their Ang Mo Kio home.

"When the bus was about two stops away from his stop at Ang Mo Kio, the PRC bus driver suddenly turned around and complained about the couple’s smell.

"Mr Lim said, “At the time, we were sitting just behind the bus driver. Half an hour into the journey, the driver suddenly stopped the bus. He turned around and asked us loudly, ‘Are you at your stop yet?’

"Before Mr Lim could reply, the driver, who spoke with a heavy PRC accent added, 'I can’t take it anymore, you two are too smelly. I have a sensitive nose, can you two go to the back? Otherwise, get off the bus.'

"Mr Lim and his wife were outraged at the PRC driver’s words. They refused to alight from the bus and wanted to call the Police. In the meantime, the PRC driver refused to continue to drive, causing the other passengers to get stuck in the same bus as well.

"After the incident, Mr Lim angrily called to inform the media about it. Singaporean hawkers have been commuting daily on buses since the independence of Singapore for 40 over years.

"This is probably the first time that our hawkers were chased off the bus by a bus driver for being 'too smelly'.