When young, we have all sorts of ideas to make money.
But exactly how far would you go? Far enough to break the law and leave it crying?
That’s exactly what one young man did, and he had a friend doing it with him.
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Underage Teen Bought a GetGo Account to Do Paid Hitch Rides Illegally
Underage driving is serious enough, but what about an underage person driving passengers on the road?
In the second half of 2021, a 17-year-old teenager got to know about a user selling GetGo accounts.
On 20 Mar 2022, he contacted the seller and got access to a GetGo account for S$360.
The teenager then used his friend’s phone to create a new email address for the GetGo account before setting up the required details.
This includes his new email, his phone number and bank account details.
An Enterprising Business: Friend Sources While He Executes
Between 30 Apr 2022 and 5 May 2022, the teenage driver rented cars on 13 occasions.
His friend, similarly 17 years old, would help source for and liaise with people who need rides through the Telegram group “SG Hitch”.
The teenage driver would keep the payments made by passengers. After all, he has to make payment for the rentals.
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Caught
Despite the fact that GetGo cars are only for personal use, the duo weren’t caught because of the huge GetGo logo outside the vehicle.
On 5 May 2022, both the teenage driver and his friend were in a GetGo car.
At around 1am, the friend contacted a person who had asked for a ride via the Telegram group.
The person requested for a ride from Suntec City to Serangoon Ave 2 for her and her boyfriend.
They eventually agreed on the price of S$10.
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Five minutes after picking up the couple, the GetGo car was stopped at a police roadblock at Republic Boulevard.
Police officers manning the roadblock discovered that the teenage driver did not have a driving license and detained him.
Aftermath
The underaged driver pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One charge of engaging in a conspiracy with a close friend to cheat by personation
- One charge of driving under the age of 18
For cheating by personation, he could’ve been jailed for up to five years, fined, or both. For underage driving, he could’ve been jailed for up to three months or fined for up to S$1,000 for first-time offenders.
A charge of driving a car without insurance was also considered for sentencing.
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The underage driver was eventually sentenced to 15 months’ probation with a curfew. He is also required to perform 50 hours of community service.
To ensure his good behaviour, his mother and stepfather were placed on a S$5,000 bond.
Not The First Time GetGo Cars Made The Headlines
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time car-sharing service GetGo is on the headlines for the wrong reasons.
On 11 July, it was reported that an individual who crashed his GetGo car into a bus service at Yishun was on drugs. He was on the run from CNB and apologised to his wife days before the fatal incident.
Earlier this year in April, a 23-year-old driver decided it was a good idea to speed in a multi storey car park and crashed into several vehicles.
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