29-year-old man assisting with police investigations over Uber incident

SINGAPORE - A 29-year-old man is assisting with police investigations after reports were lodged about a bogus Uber driver who overcharged passengers.

A police spokesman told AsiaOne that they received a call for assistance at 11 Unity Street on Feb 18 at about 3.08pm.

Upon arrival, a case of criminal breach of trust was reported. AsiaOne understands that the vehicle involved in the Feb 18 report is the same car from the Uber incident that happened on March 1.

According to a Today report, LTA has impounded the car.

The taxi-booking service operator said in a Facebook post on Monday evening that the driver who claimed to be an Uber driver and allegedly overcharged his passengers is not registered on the Uber platform.

Uber issued an alert against the Honda with license plate SJT 1444Y, after Facebook user Amo Jov said the driver charged him $97 for a trip from Beach Road to Yio Chu Kang.

In his post, the passenger described how the driver of a private car approached him while he was waiting for a taxi at Beach Road. Amo Jov, who was with his wife, and their 3-year-old daughter and newborn son, said he was looking for a taxi to ferry them to Woodlands.

Claiming to be an Uber-registered driver, the man told Amo Jov that he would be charged $3.90 upon boarding and $0.70 per km after that. He then started the fare metre, which was an app installed on his phone.

During the ride, Amo Jov noticed that the fare had shot to $50 less than 30 minutes into the journey. Shocked, he then asked to alight at Yio Chu Kang and was told to pay $97.

The driver claimed that he had informed the couple that their journey would cost $8 per km. Although he did not agree, the passenger decided to pay up to avoid putting his children in danger.

Amo Jov's Facebook post has been shared more than 10,500 times and received around 2,000 likes and over a hundred comments as of Tuesday morning.

Uber added that it has filed a police report and informed the Land Transport Authority of the incident. It also urged anyone who has come across the taxi to inform Uber's support staff and also lodge a police report.

minlee@sph.com.sg
grongloh@sph.com.sg