From $4 to $48: Man ends up chartering boat back from Pulau Ubin after refusing to pay boatman $1 extra

It began as a refusal to pay $1 extra to travel back from Pulau Ubin to mainland Singapore, but ended with one man having to pay 12 times the initial cost instead.

In a Straits Times Forum letter published on Sept 1, Simon Seah Sing Hon shared that it may not be worth going to the island "if issues with transportation to and from the place discourage visitors".

He had visited Ubin on Aug 22 (along with his wife, he later told Shin Min Daily News) but when he wanted to return at 6pm, was told by the ferry operator that he and the other passengers would have to pay $5 instead of the usual $4 to take the boat.

This was because only 10 passengers were gathered at the jetty, and the boatman said he usually needed 12.

Seah added that he also upped the price to $6 before departing.

"The National Parks Board's website states that bumboats set off only when there are nine to 12 passengers," Seah added. "The operator was obviously relying on passengers' urgency to return home to insist on his full load.

"We did not agree, and he left with just the eight passengers who agreed to pay $6."

AsiaOne could not confirm what NParks' website said when Seah made his trip, but as of press time it read that the boats are "privately managed transport services" which "usually operate on demand from 6am to 7pm daily, departing when there are 12 passengers on board".

It states that the journey "typically" costs $4 per person, though operators may depart with fewer passengers "at a higher fare per passenger" based on arrangements between the boatmen and passengers.

With nobody else departing the island, Seah was left stranded there with his wife for an hour.

He continued in his Forum letter: "A resident said the island's security guard would end his shift at 7pm, and we could perhaps hitch a ride on the boat back to the mainland. The security guard agreed to ask the boat operator to take us.

"The boat arrived with the same boat operator, who recognised us and refused to let us board, saying the boat was only for the one security guard."

Eventually, he called NParks for assistance, who directed him to charter a boat. It ended up costing him and his wife $48.

"Nowhere in Singapore does this kind of transport service exist where the operator insists on a full load or asks the passengers to pay for the shortfall," Seah added.

Boatman 'always negotiates with passengers', denies price-gouging

Speaking to Shin Min in an article published on Sept 4, the boatman Jie Guoyuan (transliteration) denied the claims of price-gouging Seah and his wife.

"We charge $48 per trip; it's standard practice," he told the Chinese daily. "The couple refused to pay the extra $1 and chose to wait for the next boat.

"I explained to them that it was late and there likely wouldn't be other people to make up 12 passengers, but they wouldn't listen."

Jie added that, after Seah and his wife refused to go, he had charged each passenger $6 as there were only eight of them left.

He also said that the refusal to take the couple when he returned to pick up the security guard was because the latter had chartered the trip, and presumably not due to hostilities.

"Actually, I usually negotiate the price before the boat departs and don't rip passengers off," he said.

However, Seah told Shin Min that he believes the ferries should have a fixed schedule and not be dependent on the number of passengers available to take them, and that the prices should be transparently listed.

He also bemoaned that the payment could only be made in cash and "not even PayNow".

"I don't want to go to Pulau Ubin again. I feel this will leave a bad impression on foreign tourists," he added, sharing that the incident had made him feel like a "hostage".

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drimac@asiaone.com