If you’ve lived in Singapore your entire life, you can easily name a few items people aren’t allowed to bring on the bus or the MRT trains.
Otherwise, you risk paying a huge fine.
Some more obvious things you’re not allowed to bring on public transportation in Singapore are animals or pets (even hamsters), the infamous chewing gum, which is illegal anyway, and flammable goods.
But what about durians?
Durians are a hit or a miss; you either love or hate them.
In fact, the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation imposed a ban on durians in MRT trains in 1988 due to its lingering odour, which was made worse in the air-conditioned trains.
As stated on SBS Transit’s website, durians are not allowed on buses to ensure the comfort of all passengers.
However, it seems that not all Singaporeans are aware of these regulations, or they might be simply indifferent, as a man and a woman recently attempted to board a bus while carrying a durian with them.
Man and Woman Seen With a Bag of Durians on the Bus
On 15 December 2023, a 38-second video surfaced on the Instagram account @SgfollowsAll, capturing a rather unusual incident.
In the video, the bus driver is seen leaving his seat to approach a middle-aged man and a woman seated near the bus doors.
The driver, having noticed the durians in their possession, informed the passengers that carrying a durian on the bus was not allowed, as Shin Min Daily News reported.
It remains a mystery how the bus captain detected the presence of durians, but the distinct aroma of the fruit likely gave it away.
Following the bus captain’s instruction, both passengers got up from their seats and made their way toward the bus’s exit.
While the man appeared prepared to exit as per the bus captain’s request, the woman seemed to be contemplating a solution, possibly intending to remain on board.
Contrary to expectations, where one might anticipate both passengers to comply with the bus captain’s request or engage in a confrontation, the woman’s actions took an unexpected turn.
As the man approached the door, the woman stopped the man and said, “Don’t get off, don’t get off.”
Unexpectedly, the woman responded by casually discarding the durian, which was in a plastic bag, out of the bus and onto the street.
The man and woman calmly returned to their seats inside the bus as though the incident had never occurred.
A fellow passenger captured this incident on camera and shared it on social media.
Netizens React to Incident
The short video clip quickly went viral on various social media platforms, garnering a range of responses from netizens.
While some were eager to praise the woman for adhering to the rules and heeding the bus driver’s instructions, others speculated that her actions may have been an act of retaliation and to express her dissatisfaction with the bus driver.
In addition, several users pointed out that she could potentially face fines from the National Environment Agency (NEA) for littering.
One user pointed out that if someone not noticed the durian on the floor, there could have been a risk of someone slipping and falling.
While no fine is indicated on SBS Transit’s website or the “no durians” sign, it doesn’t mean people who choose to rebel would not be penalised.
According to the Rapid Transit Systems Regulations, anyone caught bringing prohibited items on board an MRT train or not complying with signage can be fined up to S$500.
It is unclear if the same regulations apply to public buses, but SBS Transit stated on its website: “For the comfort of others, do not bring items on board the buses that may offend others, e.g., durians, pets”.
What’s known in Singapore is that it’s illegal to litter.
According to the Environmental Public Health Act, littering carries a fine of up to S$2,000 upon first conviction in court.
The same act states that any person who “dumps or disposes” of “any refuse, waste, or any other article from a vehicle in a public place” upon first conviction may be fined up to S$50,000 or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.