Cover image via Mothership
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A woman in Singapore claims she was locked inside a ride-hailing vehicle for nearly an hour after a payment dispute escalated and required police intervention
The passenger, identified as Ms Wang, 53, said the incident happened on Saturday, 28 March, after she booked a cab through Ryde — a Singapore-based ride-hailing and carpooling app, from Fajar Shopping Centre in Bukit Panjang to Club Street in Chinatown.
She had selected cash as the payment option on the platform, reported Shin Min Daily News.
According to Ms Wang, the trip started off poorly
She said the driver arrived about 15 minutes late and did not respond to her messages beforehand.
She also claimed the journey took significantly longer than usual.
"He drove very slowly throughout. A trip that normally takes about 30 minutes ended up taking an hour," she said, adding that the situation escalated upon arrival.
Ms Wang said the driver, believed to be in his 60s, dropped her off at the wrong location, stopping at Amoy Street instead of her intended drop-off point at Club Street, which is over 1km away.
As she was already late for work, she agreed to alight and attempted to pay the roughly SGD24 fare via PayNow.
That was when the dispute began.
"I told him I wasn't refusing to pay, I just didn't have cash on me," she said.
"But he insisted on cash and said he had forgotten the phone number needed to receive PayNow."
She alleged that the driver locked the car doors and refused to let her leave
"He said he would make me leave a record of fare evasion," she said.
Both parties eventually called the police.
After officers arrived and mediated the situation, the driver agreed to accept the PayNow transfer. The incident was resolved after nearly an hour.
By the time Ms Wang arrived at work, her shift as a part-time waitress had been cancelled, according to Mothership.
Photos provided by Ms Wang show the driver standing next to a Honda vehicle while two police officers were present at the scene.
Other ride-hailing drivers said such disputes are uncommon, as most accept different payment methods
A 56-year-old driver said he typically accepts both cash and PayNow.
"As long as both sides agree and the payment goes through, it's fine," he said.
Another driver said he also accepts both methods but understands why some drivers may insist on cash.
"These days, you get all kinds of passengers. Some say they'll transfer via PayNow but send less money, or don't pay at all," he said.
"By the time we check, they've already left."
