He got angry because he thought they weren't buying enough.
The driver then allegedly refused the visitor's request to retrieve his blood pressure medication from the bus after lunch, saying he “won't give anything to Chinese people who don't spend money.”
One Chinese tourist couldn't even get his vital blood pressure medication. Photo: Weibo
He also closed the bus doors before passengers were fully on board.
The group demanded an apology from the driver, but he refused and ordered them off the bus, leaving them stranded on the sidewalk along the city's busy Race Course Road.
The tourist who posted the video said he knew travel agencies might sell products but did not expect forced sales.
She said the driver became abusive and when she tried to call police, the tour guide threatened her.
The group had booked a tour to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand with a Chinese company, but when they arrived they found their booking had been handed over to a local travel agency and they were asked to share a bus with another group.
After they were left on the side of the road, a restaurant where they had just had lunch invited them inside and offered them free drinks and ice cream.
According to staff, another bus then arrived and picked them up.
The driver, who identified himself as a colleague of the man in the video, admitted to Shin Min Daily that he was selling “small and affordable” items to tourists.
He spoke on condition of anonymity and asked for understanding as drivers often have to carry heavy loads and rarely receive tips.
“Bus drivers can sell products to tourists but they can't force them to buy,” one Singapore online observer said on Facebook.
“In a country where tourism is a vital industry, drivers should not be allowed to behave like this,” another said.
The Singapore travel agency declined to comment on the incident or say whether the bus driver would face disciplinary action.
Online observers of the Singapore incident slammed the driver's actions. Photo: Shutterstock
The group of tourists reportedly filed a complaint with the Chinese Embassy in Singapore.
In China, there are frequent reports of inappropriate and abusive behaviour by tour guides and bus drivers who try to coerce tourists into shopping.
Last month, a tour guide in northern China was fined 30,000 yuan (US$4,200) for yelling at group members, “If you spend money, you're God; if you don't, you're trash.”
And in July, a tour guide in southwest China asked passengers to get off the bus if they weren't planning on spending money. The guide was later disqualified and lost his license.
