System error resulted in Grab app displaying unusually high fares
Grab users hoping for a ride were shocked to be quoted abnormally high fares of more than S$1,000 for short trips around Singapore.
The company has apologised for this, saying this was due to a system error that Grab corrected within 20 minutes.
Source: GRAB CAR registration on Facebook. Photo for illustration purposes only.
Grab users quoted high fares from 12pm on 20 Aug
Grab users started posting screenshots of the app after 12pm on Wednesday (20 Aug), taken aback by the unusually steep fares.
One user said the system quoted at least S$1,041.43 for a trip from Bugis to Tai Seng.
Source: Koh Lee Pang on Facebook
Another user faced paying S$1,518.20 to go from a club in Duxton Road to Changi Airport.
Source: Shawn Chin on Facebook
A woman was shocked that a ride from the Singapore Zoo cost between S$1,560.14 and S$1,605.36.
Source: Kirsten Oberholster via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
She said she tried using the app on her husband’s phone, and the same thing happened.
M’sian users also affected
The issue also affected users in Malaysia.
A man trying to get from the Johor Premium Outlets to the customs checkpoint saw fares up to RM4,005 (S$1,221.80).
Source: Yk Liow on facebook
In Kuala Lumpur, another would-be passenger complained of an RM839 (S$256) surcharge for a mere 5km journey.
Source: 小哈尼 Deacon Chai on Facebook
‘Unusually high’ fares due to system error: Grab
Addressing the issue in a Facebook post on Wednesday (20 Aug) night, Grab said a system error resulted in its app displaying “unusually high” prices.
In response to MS News queries, a Grab spokesperson said the company corrected the misconfigured fee within 20 minutes.
The company’s safeguards automatically prevented most of the incorrect charges from going through.
However, the incident affected some users.
They received full refunds by 9pm on the same day, the spokesperson noted, adding:
We know this was an unwelcome surprise, and we sincerely apologise for this.
Grab is “doing everything to learn from the incident so it doesn’t happen again”.
Users can help by messaging Grab if something does not seem right.
“Our customers trust us with their daily needs and we don’t take this for granted”, the spokesperson added.
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Featured image adapted from Shawn Chin on Facebook and Kirsten Oberholster via Complaint Singapore on Facebook.
