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Gojek driver is a 'road hazard'

This article is more than 12 months old

It seems that this Gojek driver has been caught on video before – or at least his car.

The passenger who took the viral TikTok video of the Gojek driver shouting at him for adjusting the car seat and air-conditioner without permission told Stomp that the driver was a "road hazard".

By using the driver's car plate number, Stomper Christopher, who was the passenger, unearthed a 2021 video showing the same red Honda almost hitting another car while crossing double white lines on the road at Collyer Quay.

Why are some drivers so reckless on our shared roads? This PHV driver of SLH4243E has little or no regards for road markings and other driver’s safety.

Posted by ROADS.sg on Thursday, April 29, 2021

Christopher said the Gojek driver should be taken off the road.

He explained that in the Jan 7 TikTok video, he had asked the driver to change to another lane because the driver was road-hogging.

"He was driving at around 40kmh to 50kmh on the Pan-Island Expressway and he kept looking at the GPS on the phone with his face close to the steering wheel," recounted the Stomper, who said the ride was mostly quiet until he asked the driver to change lanes.

That was when the driver started demanding that Christopher get out of the car.

The driver was also upset that the Stomper adjusted the car seat and air-conditioner without asking for the driver's permission first.

Christopher told Stomp that he had previously done so in other private-hire vehicles without any complaints from the drivers and he would always adjust the seat back to its original position after the ride.

He also explained that he would sit in the front instead of the back because the front seat was adjustable and he had a lower back problem.

 

@cseetoh15

 

♬ original sound - Christopher See Toh

 

 

The driver then called the Stomper "siao" (Hokkien for "crazy") for asking whether the driver had started the ride.

Christopher told Stomp that he did so because previously, he had been charged waiting fees when drivers failed to start the ride on the app at the start of the trip. So now he makes it a point to check with the driver whether the ride has been started once he gets into the car.

Gojek charges a $3 waiting fee for every 5 minutes of waiting by the driver after a four-minute grace period.

The Stomper had booked the ride from Ubi to Marine Parade, but was forced out of the car in a public car park at Merpati Road, where the driver cancelled the trip.

Christopher then booked another private-hire vehicle – ironically from Gojek again.

To prove that he is not a troublesome passenger, the Stomper shared a screenshot of a comment by the second Gojek driver who picked him up, who said Christopher seemed "quite polite".

The Stomper said that after reporting the incident to Gojek, he was offered a 10 per cent off voucher capped at $3, which he said was not enough.

"I'm in sales," Christopher told Stomp. "So I know."

He pointed out that Gojek is currently running a simple contest where you can win $6 off all rides from Mondays to Thursdays between 9am and 4pm.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gojek Singapore (@gojeksg)

The Stomper said he has also made a police report.

In response to a Stomp query, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and they are looking into the matter.

When contacted by Stomp, a Gojek spokesman said: "We do not tolerate negative outbursts or impolite behaviour of any kind towards passengers or driver-partners.

"We are currently investigating this matter and have reached out to both the parties involved to verify the details of the incident.”

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