Tada apologizes for drivers' misogynistic group chat comments

Ride-hailing service provider Tada has apologized after drivers' inappropriate comments about female passengers caused a stir. / Korea Times file photo

By Kim Jae-heun

Ride-hailing service provider Tada has apologized after drivers' inappropriate comments about female passengers caused a stir.

According to a local media report, a Tada driver took a photograph of a drunk female customer who had passed out in the vehicle and shared it in a chatroom he had invited his colleagues to join at 1 a.m. on Saturday.

There, the drivers made sexual comments about the customer such as, “She has a beautiful silhouette,” and “Ask her to go to a motel.”

They also talked about another female customer wearing thick makeup, saying, “She looks like a prostitute,” and expressed hatred of female workers at adult entertainment establishments, describing them as “plastic surgery monsters.”

The chatroom conversation was especially controversial because Tada has promoted itself as a premium service with respectful drivers.

Following the controversy, the service provider VCNC, a subsidiary of ride-sharing application SoCar, released an apology Tuesday.

“A Tada driver affronted a particular customer in a chatroom. We dismissed the driver in accordance with our rules, and we will consider taking legal action against him,” the company said.

The ride-hailing service firm also promised to strengthen education for drivers and to ensure such an incident will not happen again.

“We will use this case as a model to create a culture without prejudice and sexual harassment. We will take all measures to prioritize customers' safety and protection,” it said.