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Comfort DelGro says it has reprimanded a taxi driver and a customer service agent for "lapses" in how they handled a situation where passengers were dropped off at Toh Tuck Drive instead of Toh Yi Drive.

The taxi booking was made on Jun. 25 on behalf of an 88-year-old lady with dementia, and a domestic helper, by the lady's daughter, Agnes Ho.

When they did not arrive as planned, Ho resorted to searching for her mother and the helper on foot.

They had been dropped off near Toh Tuck Drive, some 900 metres from their intended destination.

Ho's account of what happened also mentioned her difficulties getting information from Comfort DelGro's hotline.

Ho had been tracking the trip via her mobile app and noticed that the journey ended near Toh Tuck Drive. However, a customer service agent initially informed her that the passengers had been dropped off at the intended destination.

The company said it launched an investigation upon learning about the incident, and that the cabby "admitted to making a mistake and dropping Ms Ho's mother and the helper at Toh Tuck Drive instead of Toh Yi Drive."

"He realised this soon after, and had returned to look for them but was unsuccessful," said Tammy Tan, the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer at ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited, in a statement on Jun. 27.

Apology and full refund

Comfort DelGro has reached out to the customer, and the passengers with an apology. It will also provide them "a full refund for the fares", said the statement.

The company also said it would be visiting the family.

Cabbies need to ascertain destination

Comfort DelGro also said it will "reinforce in our cabbies the need to ascertain the destination with the passengers and also to watch out for vulnerable groups such as seniors and children."

Here's the statement in full:

"We had, on learning about this incident yesterday, launched an investigation. The cabby admitted to making a mistake and dropping Ms Ho's mother and the helper at Toh Tuck Drive instead of Toh Yi Drive. He realised this soon after, and had returned to look for them but was unsuccessful. We have reprimanded him and the customer service agent for their lapses. We have also reached out to Ms Ho to convey our deepest apologies to her, her mother and the helper. We will also be giving a full refund for the fares and will be visiting the family to check on her well-being. We will reinforce in our cabbies the need to ascertain the destination with the passengers, and also to watch out for vulnerable groups such as seniors and children. We are sorry for this incident."

Top image via Google maps and via Agnes Ho on Facebook