A heavily pregnant woman who recently travelled via a ComfortDelGro cab with her two children found herself in a situation that’s anything but comfortable.
While she had indicated her destination as Yishun, the taxi driver dropped them off at Toa Payoh before leaving the scene.
Source: Facebook
Following the incident, ComfortDelGro sacked the driver, calling such behaviour “unacceptable”.
In a Facebook post shared by the pregnant woman’s husband, the incident happened on Sunday (21 Aug) at about 10pm.
The husband said he booked a cab for his heavily pregnant wife and two children via the CDG Zig app. The trio were apparently at Marsiling then, and the ride was for them to return to their home in Yishun.
When the woman and her kids were walking toward the taxi, the driver was said to have lit his cigarette and told the three passengers to wait inside the vehicle.
The wait apparently lasted more than five minutes before the driver returned and started driving.
As the fare for the ride wasn’t fixed, the mother requested the driver to follow her preferred route, which goes from BKE to SLE, before turning into Mandai.
In response, the driver proposed travelling via CTE. But the mother declined as it was “clearly out of the way”.
While the mother was occupied with her two sleepy toddlers and not paying full attention to the route taken, the driver reportedly drove past an SLE entrance towards PIE.
Sensing something was amiss, the woman checked her map and asked the driver,
Uncle, I say Yishun. Why you want to go towards Toa Payoh?
The driver claimed that Mandai was just right ahead. But according to the post, it was clear that the vehicle was heading toward Lornie Road/Braddell.
For unknown reasons, the driver then asked the mother how much it’d typically cost her to travel from Marsiling to Yishun.
After she responded that it typically costs less than S$20, the driver got “angsty” and said,
Like that I drop you off at Toa Payoh. You go take another cab, I don’t want to drive you! I wanna go back home I stay at Toa Payoh. You are wasting my time and petrol.
Due to the sudden refusal, the heavily pregnant woman started experiencing panic attacks and shortness of breath.
She then decided to call her husband and put him on speaker so he could talk to the driver. Over the phone, the husband instructed the driver to send the trio back to Yishun, but the cabbie apparently refused.
Soon after, the driver dropped the three of them off somewhere in Toa Payoh.
Despite being emotionally distressed, the mother eventually called customer service and lodged a complaint.
The customer service officer seemingly struggled to grasp the situation at first but eventually acknowledged the traumatic experience after the mother recounted the incident in full.
Ending the post, the OP demanded a refund for the ride, as well as an explanation and an update on the actions taken against the driver.
In response to MS News’ queries, ComfortDelGro group chief branding and communications officer Tammy Tan said the driver’s behaviour was “unacceptable”.
The company has since terminated the driver’s hiring agreement and is currently in contact with the passenger and her husband to offer support.
Ms Tan stressed that their cabbies are expected to be professional by taking the right or preferred routes and completing every trip they take.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and by MS News.
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