Ryde temporarily suspends 5-star driver who left sick passenger stranded for over 10 hours

SINGAPORE: A Ryde customer was left stranded after a driver who accepted his booking became uncontactable and remained stationary for more than 10 hours, raising questions about the ride-hailing platform’s cancellation policy.

The incident, which occurred on the night of May 24, was shared with Stomp by a frustrated passenger named Kenneth. According to Kenneth, the ordeal began at 11:15pm when he booked a ride through Ryde. While a driver accepted his request, the vehicle did not move from its location and the driver could not be reached.

“I waited for a driver who accepted my request that remained stationary and uncontactable for over 10 hours, from 11.15pm till 9.14am the next day,” Kenneth told Stomp.

Unable to cancel and rebook the ride without incurring a $6.50 cancellation fee, Kenneth said he was effectively left in limbo.

“I ended up having to wait forever,” he said, “I could not go home to take my medication when I was already feeling sick, having just been discharged from Changi General Hospital.”

He also expressed frustration over Ryde’s cancellation policy: “Ryde should review it. Why punish your customer? If we cancel after three minutes, it must be for a genuine reason.”

In response to queries from Stomp, a Ryde spokesperson said the company had launched an internal review following Kenneth’s report.

“We take all feedback seriously and have conducted a thorough internal review,” said the spokesperson, who described the incident as an isolated case involving a single trip. The company confirmed that Kenneth’s account had no history of issues.

According to Ryde, the driver in question holds a consistent five-star rating and has no record of past violations. However, the spokesperson added that the driver has been “temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure pending further investigation.”

“We have requested a formal explanation and will reinforce our standards of professional conduct,” the spokesperson said.

The company also noted that its support team had responded to Kenneth with “findings and clarification” and remains open to further communication if needed.

Ryde emphasized that it maintains strict platform safeguards, including real-time monitoring, feedback review, and regulatory compliance. The company said it is now reviewing the incident to assess potential improvements.

“Based on current findings, we believe this is an isolated case,” the spokesperson told Stomp, “We remain committed to fair, timely resolution of all rider concerns and to continually strengthening trust across our community.”