MVR 1,000 was taken from a passenger for cleaning costs after their infant vomited in the taxi during a taxi ride from Hulhumale' to Male'.

The mother of the infant named Hawwa Mohamed took to social media and posted the story along with pictures, with Hawwa Mohamed bringing this to Mihaaru News as well. She stated the taxi ride via Nala Taxi took place yesterday at 4:40 pm when she left from Hulhumale' to go to Jetty No. 6 in Male' to travel to K. Maafushi.

The ferry to their native island of Maafushi was set to leave at 5:15 pm, with the infant vomiting just as the taxi was getting to Male' from the Sinamale' Bridge.

"We were quite close to Male' from the bridge. It was around 5:00 pm at the time. My child was sitting in my lap and watching cartoons on a phone. And then my child vomited all of a sudden," said the mother of three (one-year-old infant, six-year-old child and 13-year-old child).

According to Hawwa, when she told the taxi driver about her child vomiting, the driver told her without hesitation that she would have to pay MVR 1,500.

"He did not offer any help. He did even look and said cleaning costs would be more than MVR 1,500. I was quite shocked. He even had tissues in the car but he did not give me any, he just kept demanding the MVR 1,500," said Hawwa Mohamed.

Hawwa said that even though she was told that it would take MVR 1,500 to clean the taxi, the vomit was only on the infant and on her.

"There was no vomit even on the floor of the taxi. I had my child in my lap so the vomit was only on my child and on my jeans. There was no food in the vomit either. There was only a very small amount on the seat," said Hawwa while being dissatisfied with the way the driver acted.

"The vomit was like the milk my child drank before 4:00 pm. There was no food in it."

Hawwa continued, saying that the driver told her there were plastic bags in the taxi if anyone had to vomit. But she said that her child could not talk still due to being an infant and they would not know how to say they felt like vomiting.

"When he said that, I told him that this is a one-year-old child we are talking about. The child would not know how to say they feel like vomiting. Even so, they have never vomited, not in a car, not in a speedboat, even when we travel this much."

When Hawwa began arguing that MVR 1,500 was too much for a child puking in a taxi, the driver lowered in to MVR 1,000.

As per Hawwa, the driver was driving very slowly while demanding payment after her child puked in the taxi. She alleged that the driver kept driving very slowly even when she told him she was going to be late because she may not give him the money.

Hawwa said she called her husband and told him the situation, with the husband speaking to the driver and with the husband having to repeatedly assure the money would be sent for the taxi to be taken to the garage for cleaning.

"I told the driver that if we cannot make it to the evening ferry, we would have to wait for the 10:00 pm ferry. I also told him that traveling with children during that time of night would be quite difficult."

"I gave him my husband's number as well. We know everyone in Maafushi. I was only able to get to the ferry after telling the driver that we have always paid what we owe"

Hawwa said she shared the story on social media because of the lack of compassion from the driver when dealing with a woman who was alone with her children. She shared a picture of the taxi and the driver on social media as well.

Hawwa transferred MVR 1,000 to the taxi driver's account at night. Even though the driver took a picture of the garage he was at, he did not send a receipt but she had transferred the money when he requested it, said Hawwa.

"He was at a garage. But he did not send any sort of receipt or any indication that he was there. He said to send him MVR 1,000."

Hawwa said she called Nala Taxi Center and told them what happened but they did not contact her afterward.