Woman, 53, allegedly locked in private hire car over fare dispute

A 53-year-old woman was allegedly locked inside a private hire vehicle over a payment dispute with the driver.

The woman, who wished to be known only as Wang, told Shin Min Daily News that the incident occurred on Saturday (March 28), when she booked a ride via the ride-hailing platform Ryde from Fajar Shopping Centre in Bukit Panjang to her workplace in Chinatown.

"The journey, which usually takes about 30 minutes, took an hour to get to my destination," she said, adding that the driver, whom she believed to be in his sixties, was also seen driving with one hand throughout the ride.

Upon arrival, Wang said the driver stopped at Amoy Street instead of her stated destination at Club Street and informed her that they had reached.

As she was in a hurry, Wang told Shin Min that she had asked the driver to let her alight and intended to pay the fare — about $24 — via PayNow.

However, the driver allegedly claimed he had forgotten the mobile number needed to receive PayNow payments and insisted on cash instead, and had even locked the vehicle's door, preventing her from leaving, reported Shin Min. 

"I told him I wasn’t refusing to pay, I just didn’t have any cash on me. He said that if i wanted to leave a record for fare evasion, he would lock me in the car," said Wang. 

The police were subsequently called in to mediate the dispute, and the driver eventually accepted the PayNow payment, with the incident lasting nearly an hour before it was resolved, according to Shin Min Daily News.

AsiaOne has reached out to Ryde for comment. 

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com