A Singaporean woman experienced an unexpected situation in the early hours of Nov. 15 when her booked Gojek ride started without her, and she later found a Caucasian man lying on the road in front of her block.
Ride Began Without Passenger
The passenger, Chong, 28, shared that she had been at Hard Rock Cafe at HPL House for a teen pop-themed party with her colleagues earlier that night. At around 2:40am, she booked a Gojek ride to return to her home at Hougang Avenue 6.
She said they were all sober at the time. When she saw that the driver was three minutes away, she waited at the pick-up point and watched the vehicle’s location closely on the app. However, when the app showed that the driver had arrived, she could not find the car anywhere.
Chong asked her colleagues to help her look around. Moments later, she received a notification that the ride had already started heading to her destination. Thinking that the driver had picked the wrong person, she tried calling him but could not reach him. She also sent a message through the app, but did not receive a reply.
This left her frustrated, especially when the driver did not cancel the trip, which cost S$32.80. She managed to book a Grab ride about six minutes later.
Drunk Man Found at Hougang Block
When Chong reached her block at around 3:10am, her Grab driver pointed out a man lying on the road near the open-air car park. She went closer and saw a Caucasian man, fully clothed and holding a mobile phone, asleep on a wet patch on the ground.
Chong said, “The block is quite close-knit, and I have lived there for 28 years,” and she did not recognise the man. She believed he appeared intoxicated.
Worried that he might have alcohol poisoning, Chong called the non-emergency police hotline. After she went home to shower, she returned about 20 minutes later and saw police officers and an ambulance at the scene. Three paramedics and two officers were speaking to the man, who was conscious by then. The ambulance left without taking him to the hospital.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said a person at the location “declined to be sent to the hospital”.
Drivers Share Ride Theft Is Common Late at Night
Chong’s Grab driver later explained that ride theft is “a common occurrence”, especially at late hours. He told her that tourists sometimes enter any vehicle they see, particularly when they are drunk, and then ask to change the destination after the car moves off.
Some drivers will confront the passengers and make them get out, but others may feel bad and take them home before trying to apply for a refund for the original passenger.
Chong said she could not be fully certain that the man she saw was the one who took her ride but found the coincidence “crazy”.
Refund Initially Rejected, Then Approved
Chong submitted a refund request to Gojek with pictures and screenshots. Two days later, the claim was rejected. A customer service agent said a review showed that “the order was completed and the driver-partner dropped you off at the destination”.
Upset, she reopened her ticket and pointed out that the driver had “sent a man instead of me”.
The next day, Gojek reversed the decision, giving her a full refund and two S$10 vouchers. The agent told her, “We acknowledge the issues you experienced… We value your patronage and want to make amends.”
A Gojek spokesperson later confirmed that they had investigated the matter and refunded the customer, adding that they are “committed to providing a positive experience for everyone using our platform”.
Chong said she was relieved that the situation ended well, despite the unusual experience.
