Gojek driver in dispute with elderly passenger apologises, lodges police report

SINGAPORE - A Gojek driver, whose video of himself arguing with passengers was heavily circulated on social media, apologised on Saturday (March 30) and lodged a police report in relation to the incident the same day.

On Sunday, Gojek said it has concluded its internal investigations into the incident and resolved the matter between both parties, but other investigations are still ongoing.

The latest incident comes just two months after a heated exchange between another Gojek driver and his passenger, who accused the former of kidnapping her, went viral on Facebook.

On Saturday, footage taken from inside the car of the driver in the latest incident began circulating on social media.

In the seven-minute long clip, the driver, who later identified himself on Facebook as Mr Aaron Heng, can be seen arguing with his elderly passengers over the fare for their ride.

The male passenger appears to be on the phone with Gojek's customer support, telling them that when he booked the ride the fare indicated was $14.10.

However, Mr Heng repeatedly claims that his app showed the fare as $21.10.

As the video progresses, the exchange gets more heated, with Mr Heng telling his passengers several times to not "waste (his) time" and interrupting the man's attempts to speak on the phone.

At one point, the man tells Mr Heng: "I'm not saying you, I'm not arguing with you, I'm just telling the people-"

But he is cut off by Mr Heng, who raises his voice and says: "Then you don't waste my time! For $7, you want to... I'm driving to earn my incentive, you know?"

The man suggests that Mr Heng let him and the woman alight, but Mr Heng says that he cannot cancel the ride. Later, he says that cancelling a ride will affect his acceptance rates.

During the exchange, Mr Heng also asks the man if he drives a Mercedes, and comments "I'm not a millionaire like you".

The woman attempts to calm Mr Heng down, patting his shoulder. The man also tells Mr Heng: "I'm not saying you (are wrong), I'm saying Gojek is wrong."

However, Mr Heng continues to raise his voice at the pair, telling them: "Don't make your problem to be my problem."

He tells the pair that they are "kicking up a fuss", and also says he has a recording of the incident.

"Don't worry, I'll make it very big. Trust me, brother... If you can find on Facebook, I'll make sure I'll remember you," he says.

At the end of the video, Mr Heng's passengers agree to pay him $21 and say they will sort the issue out with Gojek.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr Heng posted a statement on Facebook, in which he said he has "nothing against the elderly, especially the poor and the aged".

He claimed that, shortly after picking the pair up, he discovered there was a discrepancy in the price displayed on his app and the fare they were told to pay.

Mr Heng said that his male passenger had "suddenly gotten irritated" and insisted that he alight.

Mr Heng added that after driving to a small road where he could stop his vehicle and allow the couple to call Gojek and alight, he told them that he would be recording the incident in case he was accused of overcharging them.

He wrote: "I cannot afford to lose this job. I've mouths to feed. (I behaved) in such a manner because I was accused of overcharging the passenger. I did not. It is the system...

"I am just trying to hit my incentives as the fares are already low. The pressure is immense. The terms are challenging. I'm facing a lot of stress to meet the targets."

Mr Heng then apologised for his behaviour, stating that he was "unnecessarily rude", "not respectful" and did not explain himself clearly.

"I pray for a chance to make good," he wrote.

About four hours before writing his apology post, Mr Heng also lodged a police report on the incident.

In a copy of the report, which was uploaded on Facebook page SG Road Vigilante, Mr Heng said he had sent the video to a Whatsapp group chat to ask for advice on the situation.

He named the people in the group chat and asked the police to look into the matter and advise him on the actions he should take.

The police confirmed on Sunday that a report was lodged on the matter.

A spokesman from Gojek said that the company looked into the case as soon as it was brought to their attention, and has resolved the matter between the driver and his passengers.

The spokesman added that, while Gojek had concluded its own internal investigations into the incident, another investigation is ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment further.

The spokesman said: "We want everyone to have a good experience when they use our services, which is why we do not tolerate impolite behaviour by any of our users, be they driver-partners or riders."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.