'After toiling countless hours, this is what I get?' PHV driver says his incentive has been wrongly forfeited

An angry private-hire driver with Tada has ranted on Facebook to protest about how his incentive has been wrongly forfeited due to "dishonest/fraud" activities, arguing that his trips were all genuine. 

The driver posted in a Facebook group for private-hire vehicle drivers on Jan 4 detailing how he was denied his daily incentive of $61 for Dec 29, 2023 despite making 25 trips in a day and fulfilling the criteria.

According to the driver, when he emailed Tada on Jan 3 regarding this, they responded with a "final warning letter" which accused him of "dishonest or fraud activity" and stated that further violation of Tada's policies or code of conduct will result in permanent suspension.

The driver replied to the email, asking for for clarification on the matter, but the company did not respond, he said.

He later told AsiaOne that all his trips were genuine and he feels that this situation is unjust.

"They slapped me with a warning letter without any explanations," the driver said.

'Time is money for our job'

The driver also provided screenshots from Dec 29 on his Facebook post as proof that he made the trips.

"After toiling countless hours on the road taking up LJF (referring to low, undesirable fares) in order to hit the incentive, this is what I get," the driver said.

Tada drivers are entitled to a one-day $51 incentive when they complete 21 trips within a day and the amount is bumped up to $61 when a driver hits 25 trips within the same day, according to the Tada driver app.

These daily incentives are announced to drivers via the driver app along with other "challenges" that they can complete in order to boost earnings.

When responding to comments under his post, the driver explained that he had not received any previous warning for fraudulent activity from Tada and does not understand why he abruptly received a "final warning letter" from them.

The driver told AsiaOne that he contemplated heading down to Tada's office in person to get more clarification, but eventually decided against it.

"Time is money for our job, so I don't feel it's worth it for me to waste my time going down the office. Plus, it was raining that day," the driver added.

The driver said he called Tada instead, and was told to reply to the email he had earlier received to get an answer. Tada has yet to respond, according to him.

Tada's response

Responding to AsiaOne's enquiries, a Tada spokesperson said that the company takes such matters seriously and is committed to maintaining transparency and fairness in its interactions with drivers.

"After careful review, it appears that the driver in question was subject to an internal investigation based on anomalies detected in the system related to the incentives for Dec 29, 2023," the spokesperson said.

"While we understand the driver's concerns, our internal processes are designed to ensure the integrity of our platform and the fair treatment of all parties involved."

ALSO READ: PHV driver cancels on 'cheapo' passenger who wanted help to load his household items, asks him to book van

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com