A person visiting Singapore has accused a ComfortDelGro taxi driver of overcharging by taking a longer route than necessary from a hotel in Novena to Changi Airport.

In response to the public complaint, ComfortDelGro said it is investigating.

Complaint made public

The complainant, believed to be a non-local who was visiting Singapore, wrote about the experience in a Facebook post on Jul. 26.

The post stated that the complainant and his group were travelling from a hotel in Novena to Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Jul. 25, and what should have been a 20-minute journey, somehow became a 40-minute ride.

In response to comments on the post, it was confirmed that the group was travelling during an off-peak period on late Thursday morning.

40-minute ride?

According the photo of the receipt, the trip began at 10:33am and ended at 11:13am.

The total distance clocked was 39.2km, and the fare came up to S$37.75, including fees.

Prior to embarking on the trip, it was confirmed with the hotel staff that the distance to Changi Airport should either be 17.6km via the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), or 21.6km via the East Coast Parkway (ECP).

However, the eventual route to the destination apparently doubled in terms of time and cost.

It was confirmed in response to various queries on the post that the passengers did not make a detour or make an extra stop.

The discrepancy was obvious as there were eight people making their way to the airport at the same time, and the group boarded two separate taxis.

The complainant said he felt "very disappointed to know there was such a taxi driver in Singapore".

According to Google Maps, the journey should have been less than 30 minutes.

Some of the commenters on the post tried to guess the route taken by the taxi driver, as there were no details about it.

ComfortDelGro investigating

In response to Mothership's queries, a ComfortDelGro spokesperson said it is aware of the incident.

"We are aware of the allegations circulating on social media regarding our cabby taking a longer route, resulting in an increased fare. ComfortDelGro is committed to fair and transparent pricing and deliberately overcharging passengers is not acceptable," the spokesperson said.

"We are currently investigating the incident and will take appropriate disciplinary action if the cabby is found to have been in breach of our service standards."

Top photos via Facebook