'Aircon number 3 u think u what VIP?': Grab driver suspended after adding $5 'VIP' surcharge
The rider said he had simply asked for the air conditioning to be turned on.
A passenger who requested air-conditioning during a Grab ride was surprised to receive a message from the driver after the trip, informing him that a $5 charge had been added for what the driver called "VIP treatment".
Stomper Dominic told Stomp that the incident occurred on May 18 when he booked a ride from Orchard to Bencoolen.
"During the journey, I asked the driver to turn on the air-conditioning," said Dominic. "He did so without comment, only to message me after the trip via the Grab app, stating that he had added a $5 charge for 'VIP treatment'."
Dominic said the charge was never discussed or agreed upon during the ride.
"It was imposed entirely at the driver's discretion, with no transparency or consent on my part," he added. "It sets a worrying precedent if passengers can be subject to arbitrary fees after a trip has ended."
In a screenshot shared by the Stomper, he replied to the driver: "You overcharged me $5. I am reporting you to Grab."
The driver responded: "Aircon number 3 u think u what VIP?"
In response to a Stomp query, a Grab spokesperson said: "We are sorry about the unpleasant experience this passenger encountered.
"It is against our driver-partner code of conduct to impose additional charges unless there is a valid reason - such as extra stops beyond the initial booking or for additional child seats.
"A request to adjust the air-conditioning should not have incurred a fee. The driver-partner's actions are not reflective of the standards we hold, nor of the vast majority of our driver-partners.
"We have since taken immediate action by temporarily suspending the driver-partner's account and issuing a full refund of the surcharge to the passenger."