In January, Grab brought back its GrabShare service, where multiple passengers can share the same ride for a lower fee, on a trial basis in Singapore.
Aside from having to travel in the same direction, there is another rule: only one passenger is allowed per booking.
So you can imagine the shock when one woman found herself on a GrabShare ride with a family of four — in a car that’s meant for five people, including the driver.
Source: Facebook
To make matters worse, the boy sat on his father’s lap in the front passenger seat, which is dangerous and illegal.
The woman has since reported the matter to Grab.
The woman posted about her GrabShare ride with a family of four in a five-seater vehicle in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on Wednesday (21 Feb).
Source: Facebook
At the back with her were a woman and a child, while a man sat in the front passenger seat with a boy in his lap.
“Is this even legal?” the OP questioned.
Source: Facebook
She clarified that the other four passengers were not family members of the driver.
The woman also said that she had no choice but to stay on the ride as the family had boarded after her.
Her post soon garnered hundreds of comments, with many agreeing that what the Grab driver did wasn’t right.
Source: Facebook
One commenter pointed out that each GrabShare ride should have no more than two passengers.
Source: Facebook
This is in line with the info on the Grab app, which states that only one passenger per booking is allowed.
Source: Grab app
Grab’s FAQ also states that if a passenger shows up with an additional person during the trial period, they will be asked to cancel the GrabShare and book a JustGrab instead.
While some called out the OP for complaining and potentially ruining someone’s livelihood, others came to her defence, saying that the driver’s actions were “reckless” and a “safety hazard”.
One user even contacted Grab on the OP’s behalf and got a reply saying that necessary action would be taken against the driver.
Source: Facebook
The OP said that she had informed Grab as well.
Speaking to MS News, the OP, who wished to be known as Ms Tay, said that the incident happened at around 6pm on Wednesday (21 Feb).
After picking her up, the driver went to fetch the second passenger, who turned out to be the entire family of four.
According to Ms Tay, the driver was the one who asked the father and son to sit in the front passenger seat together.
They sat in front for the entire 45-minute ride from the CBD to the Night Safari in Mandai.
Ms Tay said that she wanted to ask the driver about this but hesitated as the family was already in the car.
Furthermore, this was her first time taking GrabShare, so she wasn’t sure what the regulations were like.
She then confirmed that she reported the incident to Grab. However, she isn’t sure what they could do other than offer a refund for her trip.
“The main point and concern here is how the driver exposed all passengers onboard to potential danger on the road,” Ms Tay said.
“The four passengers did not insist on getting into the car,” she continued. “The driver invited them in.”
As the first passenger, she said that she didn’t have a chance to react to the arrangement.
She also felt like she wasn’t in a safe place to confront the driver as she wasn’t sure how he might retaliate.
“The first drop-off was at Mandai, which is very remote,” she explained. “As a solo female in the car, the best decision at that point in time was to keep my silence.”
On Thursday (22 Feb), a Grab spokesperson shared a statement with MS News apologising for “the unpleasant encounter the passenger had with GrabShare”.
“We would like to remind passengers and driver-partners that only one passenger is allowed per GrabShare booking,” the statement reads. “This means that there should only be a maximum of two passengers in a matched GrabShare ride.”
“In this particular incident, the family of four should not have booked a GrabShare ride. Driver-partners can cancel bookings without penalty in the event that passengers choose the wrong service type.”
Also read: Grab S’pore Driver Puts On Bollywood Music For Bengali Passenger, Pulls Out Dance Moves
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Featured images adapted from Facebook.
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