31-10-2023 (SINGAPORE) A group of five foreign tourists visiting Singapore recently found themselves in a rather pricey ride situation, paying S$100 for a 3km journey in a seven-seater limousine taxi from the Sands Expo & Convention Centre to Park Royal Collection Pickering in Chinatown. The entire incident, along with the exchange between the tourists and the taxi driver, was captured on video and subsequently shared on YouTube.
The video was recorded for the Carl Runefelt Vlogs channel during the Token 2049 cryptocurrency conference held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre on September 18 and 19, 2023.
The vehicle used to transport the tourists was parked in a taxi-designated area and prominently displayed the “Taxi” sign on its roof.
What Transpired: At the 9-minute mark of the video, the group of five, including a cameraman, was seen attempting to hail a taxi or book a private hire vehicle to reach Park Royal Collection Pickering.
Upon approaching the limousine taxi driver, whose face was blurred in the video, they were informed that the fare would be S$100 due to heavy traffic in the area.
Unwilling to pay such a steep price, one member of the group decided to book a private hire vehicle, which they secured almost immediately for a fixed fare of S$20.
However, because the group mistakenly indicated the wrong pick-up location as Marina Bay Sands Tower 1, the private hire vehicle was dispatched to a different location, as Marina Bay Sands Tower 1 and Sands Expo & Convention Centre are separated by Bayfront Avenue Road.
Facing a time constraint, the group ultimately opted to board the S$100 seven-seater limousine taxi.
It’s important to note that the seven-seater limousine taxi in Singapore is considered a multi-purpose vehicle.
As shown in the video, since the group didn’t utilize the other transportation option that arrived at MBS Tower 1, they incurred a S$4 cancellation charge.
Driver Claims Credit Card Terminal Malfunction: Upon arriving at the Park Royal Collection Pickering venue, the group attempted to settle the fare using a credit card. This part of the interaction took place at the 19-minute mark of the video.
However, the taxi driver claimed, “The card machine is not functioning.”
Unconvinced, Runefelt, one of the tourists, insisted, “I don’t think that’s true, you just make less money. But this is actually the card we’re going to use for today.”
The driver eventually accepted the card payment, which was processed and approved without any issues.
According to a signboard inside the taxi, as seen in the video, one of the services provided is hourly vehicle booking, starting at a fee of S$100.
Reactions: Responses to the YouTube video varied. One of the top-rated comments, supposedly from a taxi driver, apologized for the behavior of the taxi driver who quoted the high fare.
The comment read, “I am sorry that such a bad experience happened to you in our country. Please note that the one driver you met isn’t a representative of all taxi drivers in this beautiful country and is rather someone who betrayed the moral values amongst us taxi drivers.”
However, another commenter argued that the group paid a premium simply because they were unwilling to cross the road to access the other private hire vehicle charging S$20.
