A Ryde passenger’s attempt to pay for her ride with PayNow ended in a nearly hour-long standoff after the driver allegedly refused to accept the payment and locked the car doors until police arrived.
Ms Wang (transliterated), a 53-year-old freelancer, told Shin Min Daily News that she booked a private hire ride via the Ryde platform from Fajar Shopping Centre in Bukit Panjang to Chinatown on the evening of March 28, selecting cash payment through the app.
“The driver was 15 minutes late. I was almost late for work, and when I messaged him, he didn’t reply. During the ride, he drove extremely slowly. A journey that normally takes about 30 minutes ended up taking an hour,” she said.
She added that the driver, a man in his 60s, drove with one hand on the steering wheel and was unable to locate her drop-off point.
“The drop-off point I indicated was Club Street, but he stopped at Amoy Street and told me we had arrived.”
Driver refuses to accept PayNow payment
In a rush to get to work, Ms Wang said she indicated she would pay the fare, which amounted to $24, via PayNow.
However, the driver claimed he had forgotten the mobile number linked to his PayNow account and insisted on cash. He allegedly locked the car doors and refused to let her alight.
“I told him I wasn’t refusing to pay, just that I didn’t have cash. But he said he would report me for fare evasion and kept me in the car,” she said.
