A group of women passengers were left horrified when they boarded a private-hire vehicle in Johor Bahru, only to find the driver wearing just his underwear. The incident, shared on Instagram page @sgfollowsall on Jan. 29, reportedly occurred on Jan. 28 around 11:47 PM during a ride booked via Taxi Maxim.
“When the car arrived and I got in, we realized the male driver was not properly dressed — he was only wearing underwear,” said one passenger. She added that the women felt extremely uncomfortable and scared.
The passenger said her mother asked the driver to put on a shirt, which he did, but he was still not wearing any pants. A photo shared by the passenger showed the driver in a light purple T-shirt with bare legs.
“This incident made us feel unsafe, and we want to warn other women, especially those traveling alone or heading to JB, to be extra careful when using ride-hailing services,” she said. This was her first time using Taxi Maxim.
Taxi Maxim, a Russian ride-hailing company operating in over 20 countries including Malaysia, had its operations briefly suspended in July 2025 after the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) found it operating without the required e-Hailing Vehicle Permit (EVP). The company resumed operations nationwide in December 2025 after meeting all regulatory requirements.
