Singapore has seen her next Jover Chew; this time, the scumbag is roaming the streets posing as an Uber driver.
Uber is one of many mobile apps that help Singaporeans book taxis. It also connects passengers in Singapore with private vehicles driven by commercially licensed drivers.
Lately, Singaporeans have encountered a man who is passing himself off as an Uber driver, picking up passengers from the street. You can only book an Uber through the mobile app.
Muay Thai gym owner Darius Wong, 25, fell victim to the faux Uber driver on Saturday, after waiting 50 minutes for a taxi to take him from Toa Payoh to Chinatown.
A private car rolled up, and Wong entered only when the driver claimed to be an Uber driver.
Wong was “a little sceptical” and requested for the fare. “I was told S$9 and a set fee of S$6 for CBD charges. I agreed,” he said.
“The driver asked if I would have boarded if a limousine had come by. When I said no, as it would have been expensive, he replied that his is an executive car and he charges S$7 per kilometre. I was taken aback,” Wong told The New Paper.
By the time Wong sensed it was getting too sketchy, he rejected the charges and requested to be stopped at Novena Square.
“When he said I owed him S$37, I paid him S$10 and told him if he wanted the rest, he should come (out of the cab and get it from me).” The faux Uber driver probably avoided a spinning Muay Thai kick to the head from Wong and drove off.
Wong attempted to make a report to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) but failed, due to a lack of physical evidence.
When Wong came across a similar account online yesterday, he decided to follow suit, posting his story online.
Jover Lee shared his encounter with the uber-shady Uber driver on Facebook.
He, his wife and two young children were waiting along Beach Road for a taxi when they boarded the private car. They were heading towards Woodlands and entered only when the driver said he was an Uber driver.
The faux uber driver used an iPhone app to measure the fare, and challenged Lee to check online if he was sceptical.
“After that, he said the metered fare was $3.90 upon boarding and $0.70 per km,” Mr Lee accounted.
After less than half an hour, Lee realised the “meter” had gone over S$50. Lee requested to be stopped nearby. The driver stopped at an isolated area of Yio Chu Kang and asked for S$97.
Wanting to avoid any harm towards his family, Lee gave into the demands. Wong and Lee turned to Facebook, after failing to make a case with the LTA.
Wong said he was turned away, “…no receipt, no case. Now if it was a scam, do you think the guy would be issuing receipts?”
Uber has taken note of the incident and issued an alert on their Facebook page.
Photo: Shawn Danker
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