Some Singaporeans can be cheapskate. And then some Singaporeans are cheapskate with too much free time.

But you haven't seen anything yet.

A video of an audio recording posted on Facebook on July 24 highlighted the petty stupidity of at least one taxi passenger in Singapore.

In this instance, the passenger actually complained to ComfortDelGro that he or she was shortchanged by five cents by the cabbie -- one week after the ride.

The idiocy of the situation prompted both the investigating personnel and the taxi driver to snort a few times over the phone as they held a polite 100-second conversation determining the facts of the case.

The conversation was in Mandarin, so here is the translated version:

ComfortDelGro: Hi, are you Mr Goh?

Taxi driver: Yes, I am.

ComfortDelGro: I'm not sure if you remember, last Tuesday, you picked up a passenger at about 11am from Tuas to Clementi Avenue 3. After a week, the passenger provided feedback to say you shortchanged the passenger five cents in fares. I'm also not sure what happened. [Laughs] Let's say the fare is S$17.65, will you provide exact five cents change in return?

Taxi driver: The majority of the time I will absorb the shortfall.

ComfortDelGro: The passenger said the fare was S$17.65 and you were handed S$20 and the driver gave a change of S$2.30 but it should have been S$2.35. Do you still remember this incident?

Taxi driver: I don't remember. [Laughs in background] I would take less change and not take extra change most of the time.

ComfortDelGro: Okay. [Laughs] I will note it down.

Taxi driver: I went for the refresher course and it said the driver can accept less money but not more.

ComfortDelGro: I also feel paiseh (embarrassed) to give you this call.

Taxi driver: This sort of thing also want to complain? I would accept less fares most of the time. This type of complaint is a waste. Nowadays five-cent coin on the floor people also don't want.

ComfortDelGro: Okay, thank you.

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