Grab S'pore suspends driver who tried to charge lady on crutches extra to be picked up on 3rd floor of car park

The customer relayed her experience on TikTok.

Alfie Kwa | January 09, 2023, 11:38 AM

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Grab has temporarily suspended a driver after he requested additional charges from a customer on crutches who requested to get picked up on the third floor of a car park.

The incident was relayed in a TikTok video posted by the customer which has since gained over 200,000 views.

@nopenotsyaf just a psa #grab #gojek ♬ original sound - bowl of ramen

Responding to queries from Mothership, a Grab spokesperson said that the ride-hailing company was "sorry to learn about this unpleasant incident."

"It is against the driver code of conduct to ask for additional charges, and we have temporarily suspended the partner's account."

What happened?

In the video posted on Jan. 5, the woman who goes by the username "nopenotsyaf",  explained that she'd made the request because of the rainy weather.

"I try not to go down to the first floor as I could slip and fall and hurt myself even further," she said.

She added when booking a private hire car, she'd give the driver a heads-up that she was injured.

On this occasion, she messaged the driver via the app: "I am on crutches, please come to level 3 car park as I cannot come down."

However, the driver responded that there would be an additional charge if he drives up to level three.

"I've never had someone charge me for level 3 before, why is this so sudden," she replied.

To which he said: " then good luck to you cause must be fair to us... how much is your fare? Is it fair to us?"

Nopenotsyaf said that she later informed Grab of the accident.

Called out private hire driver

In the second half of the video, the woman took the driver — and others like him — to task for his lack of empathy towards her situation.

"Is it not your job provide a good service to your customer, aka your passenger?" she questioned.

She added:

"Would it kill you to make the entire ride or experience a little bit more accessible for people?"

While she was grateful for the "tons of nice ones" who've helped her out previously, she pointed out that the driver in question made her feel like it was her fault that she is on crutches.

"Put yourself in that position," she directs her message to the driver, "if you needed help, would you want someone to help you?"

"If you are just gonna provide the bare minimum when it comes to service, don't work in the service industry."

She ended her video with this:

"Don't make your passenger feel like shit for the disability that they cannot control. Do better please. Not just for me but for everyone else out there."

Driver suspended for 72 hours

The woman's TikTok video was subsequently reposted on the Facebook page PHV community.

A man claiming to be the driver responded in the comments, revealing that he was suspended by Grab for 72 hours.

He said that the booking fare was "impractical" to travel to where she was, and yet she "demanded to go level 3" to pick her up.

"At usual time, people with disability [in] wheelchairs, I will definitely help, it comes out from the heart, not by showing through social media," he added.

He also pointed out: "... anyone can be in this industry, your dad your mum or your relative."

His full statement can be found here:

Grab spokesperson added: "In the event of special requests, we hope that all parties on our platform will communicate considerately and with understanding."

Quotes edited for clarity. Images via nopenotsyaf/TikTok.