PHV Driver Charges $5 More to Drop Passengers in Another Lobby in the Same Building

Would you pay $5 more for an extra 200m worth of distance? Because apparently…

An elderly couple had to contend with that issue recently.

PHV Driver Charges $5 More to Drop Passengers in Another Lobby in the Same Building

It’s pretty routine to “adjust” your drop-off point at the end of your ride. Things like “Please drop me off at the rubbish chute” or “You can drop me off here” are things drivers would have grown accustomed to hearing.

But in one particular case, a PHV driver seems to have taken that particular instruction to heart, alongside the petrol costs required for that extra stretch.

A couple of days ago, Facebook user Jay Chen uploaded a Facebook post in which he ranted about one particular TADA driver.

In the post, the evidently disgruntled user explained that he had booked a TADA for his elderly parents, with the end destination being New Tech Park.

For context, New Tech Park is a 1980s 6-storey commercial development situated at Lorong Chuan. It was recently refurbished with the themes of urban intervention and rejuvenation in mind.

But back to the story.

When the elderly couple reached, they asked the driver to drop them off at a certain “Lobby F”.

The driver, however, asked for an extra $5 for the effort, as “the booking drop off point did not indicate Lobby F.”

Chen then expressed how this was ridiculous in every sense. For starters, there’s no option to pick a specific lobby at New Tech Park. For seconds, the distance from the very first drop-off point, Lobby A, to the requested drop-off point, Lobby F, is but a straight-line 200m travel. Last but not least, his parents allegedly took TADA to the same spot numerous times, with the exact same request, but with no extra charge.

The Facebook user then pleaded with TADA to do something about the driver and asked the public to “beware of this scammer.”

He also left his number, asking the driver to contact him for “an apology” to his parents.

Reception

The post has since gone viral, with over 230 likes & reactions, and 60+ shares. It has also attracted over a hundred comments, with sentiments proving to be pretty divisive.

Some, for instance, felt that the driver had gone overboard by demanding an extra $5.

Others, however, empathised with the driver.

Apparently, any request for additional stops after a TADA ride has commenced would be subjected to extra charges.

For distances ranging between 0 and 5km, an additional charge of $5 will be applied for economy rides.

$10 will be incurred for premium rides.

Riders, however, have to be informed of the additional charges before they alight.

In the end, however, it’s but a matter of perspective.

What do you think?