S'pore Grab driver suspended after charging passenger who asked to turn on air-con S$5

A Grab driver in Singapore has been temporarily suspended after charging a passenger an additional S$5 for requesting air-conditioning.

The ride took place on Jul. 18, based on the screenshot of their chat.

The passenger, known as Dominic, shared about the incident with Stomp. The driver had sent him from Orchard to Bencoolen.

"During the journey, I asked the driver to turn on the air-conditioning," Dominic told Stomp. "He did so without comment, only to message me after the trip via the Grab app, stating that he had added a $5 charge for 'VIP treatment'."

According to Dominic, the charge was never discussed or agreed upon during the ride.

The screenshot of their chat, which he shared with Stomp, shows him warning the driver that he would report him to Grab.

To which the driver replied, "aircon number 3 u think u what vip."

Grab's response

In response to Mothership queries, a Grab spokesperson said:

"It is against our driver-partner code of conduct to impose additional charges unless there is a valid reason — such as extra stops beyond the initial booking or for additional child seats.

A request to adjust the air-conditioning should not have incurred a fee. The driver-partner's actions are not reflective of the standards we hold, nor of the vast majority of our driver-partners.

We have since taken immediate action by temporarily suspending the driver-partner's account and issuing a full refund of the surcharge to the passenger."

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