What a Ryde: Woman stunned by fares of up to $300 while booking ride from Woodlands to HarbourFront

Is this a glitch or a sign of the times? A woman complained that she was quoted exorbitant fees of up to $300 on a ride-hailing app in the wee hours of Monday (Sept 26).

The customer, named only as Sri, told Stomp that she tried to book a trip on Ryde at 2.43am that day.

Imagine her shock after finding out that it could cost her anywhere from $143 to $316 to travel from Woodlands to the Singapore Cruise Centre in HarbourFront.

If Sri wanted to travel in style that day, paying over $300 would entitle her to a RydeLuxe service of being driven by a "professional" driver on a six-seater vehicle. 

"I was surprised to see the prices shown. Why so expensive?" Sri wondered, while adding that she eventually paid $42 for a ride with Grab.

AsiaOne has contacted Ryde on their response to this complaint, and on how the ride-hailing company calculates their fares.

In November last year, another Ryde customer took to social media to complain about being charged for a trip that was cancelled by a "crazy and rude" driver.

Facebook user Flora Aurelia Tan shared that she was left without a resolution after Ryde did not respond to her complaints.

Ryde had previously announced an increase in its base fares from April onwards, the Business Times reported in March.

The fee for ride cancellation and waiting time has also increased from $4.30 to $5.30.

ALSO READ: 'The audacity of Grab': Customers question why they're charged more for booking the same trip

chingshijie@asiaone.com