On Facebook today, a user named Amo Jov shared an experience
about being cheated by a driver who claimed to be an Uber driver. For those of you
who do not know, Uber is a taxi app that allows private drivers to pick up
passengers through a booking system. All they need to do is to register with
Uber and they become an Uber driver.
There is no training and any driver in Singapore can be an
Uber driver, so I’m not surprised by this incident at all. According to Jov, the
driver first told him that the charges were “S$3.90 upon boarding & S$0.70
per km” but after he boarded, the driver said the rate was S$8 per km.
Now Jov has made a police report but there’s a huge problem
in the police taking action; what’s the proof that the driver truly did say the
rate was “S$3.90 upon boarding & S$0.70 per km”? This becomes a matter of "you say, he says" and I have to wonder how could the police decide who is to be believed?
It’s almost impossible; much less proving it in court. Even
if the driver really is an Uber driver, Uber drivers are not licensed. That’s
why they are cheaper than regular taxis but by the same token, when you board
his car, you are entering a private agreement with the driver. There is no
recourse if the driver “cheats” you. The most you can do is to report to Uber
who will take the driver off their app.
3 comments:
They may not be able to charge the driver for theft but they can impound his vehicle for non compliance with rules for private vehicles
Maybe Jover chew had switched profession to be a Uber driver ;)
Not really. The driver did not rent out the vehicle but was driving it so it might not be an offence as long as his insurance cover that of an extra passenger. It can also be argued that by using Uber, Jov knowing entered a private agreement with the driver as he wish to get a private car to ferry him around. Remember, Uber is just an app, it's not a taxi company.
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