Woman's Gojek ride gets 'hijacked' in Orchard, she then finds drunk man on road under her Hougang HDB block

A Singaporean woman waiting at the pick-up point for her Gojek ride to arrive in Orchard in the wee hours of Nov. 15 observed the car she had booked moving off to her destination — without her.

The driver did not respond to her calls or her message informing him that he had "picked the wrong person".

After she booked a separate ride to get home in Hougang, she arrived at her destination and saw a Caucasian man slumped on the road in the public housing estate.

Underneath the man was a visible wet patch "snail trail" left on the road in front of her block.

She called for police assistance after she surmised that the person on the road was the one who took the ride she had hailed — while in a drunken stupor.

Ride started without her

The woman, Chong, 28, told Mothership that she was at Hard Rock Cafe at HPL House for a teen pop-themed party with colleagues.

At around 2:40am, Chong left the event with her colleagues and booked a Gojek ride back to her block at Hougang Avenue 6.

"We were sober at the time," she said.

Seeing that the driver was three minutes away, Chong waited at the pick-up point outside Hard Rock Cafe, and observed the vehicle's real-time location closely.

But when the app indicated that her ride had arrived, she was unable to locate the car.

Chong even enlisted the help of her colleagues to look around, but she then got a notification that the car had started the journey to her stated location.

Suspecting the driver might have picked up the wrong passenger, Chong tried to call him but to no avail.

She also messaged him on the app but did not get a reply.

While Chong managed to book a Grab ride within six minutes of the botched ride, she felt annoyed that the Gojek driver did not cancel the ride, which cost S$32.80.

Found man sleeping at block

When Chong arrived at her block at around 3:10am, the Grab driver alerted her that there was a man lying on the road near the drop-off point.

The location was an open-air car park.

After taking a closer look, Chong said she did not recognise the Caucasian man who appeared asleep.

"The block is quite close-knit, and I've lived there for 28 years," she said.

Pictures shared by Chong showed that the man was fully-clothed and holding a mobile phone.

He was lying in what was described as a "wet patch" on the road.

Chong said he looked intoxicated.

Concerned that the man might have alcohol poisoning, Chong called the non-emergency police hotline to seek assistance.

She then went home to shower and about 20 minutes later, saw that the police and an ambulance had arrived at the scene.

Three paramedics and two police officers were seen conversing with the man, who was conscious and standing up at this point.

Chong said the ambulance left about five minutes later without the man, but the police officers continued to speak to him.

She did not stick around to see the man leave, but noticed later in the day that the wet patch he left on the ground was still visible.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Mothership that on Nov. 15 at about 3:25am, SCDF received a call for assistance at the location.

A person was assessed by an SCDF paramedic and declined to be sent to the hospital.

Mothership understands that the man was assessed to be intoxicated at the time.

Suspected drunk stranger stole her ride

Private-hire vehicle drivers are to verify the identity of the passenger and confirm the destination before starting the trip.

Chong recalled the conversation she had with her Grab driver about having her Gojek ride "stolen".

She said the driver told her that it's a "common occurrence" especially late at night, when it is typically harder to get a ride.

"He said that usually tourists are the ones who get a bit desperate and just get into any car, especially if they are drunk."

"Even though it's not their car, they'll tell the driver it is theirs but ask for a change of destination once the car drives off," Chong said.

According to Chong's Grab driver, some drivers would tell the errant passengers off and kick them out, but others might feel sorry for them and send them back, before applying for a refund for the original passenger.

"Sometimes it's too troublesome and they won't try to ask for the refund," the driver said, according to Chong.

Chong added that she cannot confirm for sure if the man on the road was the one who took her ride as she did not see him alight, but she found "the coincidence" to be "crazy".

"If he actually lived at the block, I think the police would have left him alone earlier," she added.

This was her first time getting her ride "stolen", she said.

Refund initially rejected, then approved

Chong also revealed that her initial claim for a refund for the failed Gojek ride was rejected two days later on Nov. 17.

She had submitted a claim via the app and provided pictures and screenshots of her experience.

"I know it’s just S$25 to S$30 but I don’t think it’s right for the driver to just take the money and go, especially if they picked up the wrong person," she said.

A Gojek customer service agent told Chong that a review of her case found that "the order was completed and the driver-partner dropped you off at the destination".

This upset Chong, who reopened her ticket and pressed her case that the driver "sent a man instead of me" and did not respond when she tried to contact him.

The next day, the decision was reversed and Chong was granted a full refund, along with two S$10 Gojek vouchers.

A different Gojek customer service agent apologised to Chong for the inconvenience she faced during her recent trip and in their previous correspondence.

"Upon review of the information and screenshots you have shared, we acknowledge the issues you experienced... We value your patronage and want to make amends for the inconvenience you faced," the agent said.

Chong told Mothership she is pleasantly surprised to get vouchers on top of compensation for the ride.

"It's a weird experience all around, but I'm glad it ended well," she said.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Gojek spokesperson said they have investigated the matter, and have provided the customer with a full refund.

"We take all customer feedback seriously and are committed to providing a positive experience for everyone using our platform," the spokesperson added.

Top image courtesy of Chong