SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman had cautioned those trying to book rides via illegal carpooling services like the SG Car Hitch chat group on Telegram, revealing that she came across a driver who made inappropriate intimate propositions when she tried the service for the first time last week.
The 31-year-old woman recounted her encounter to the citizen journalism portal Stomp. She said, “I tried hitching on Telegram for the very first time. This guy texted me. At first, I thought he was a driver and replied to him. However, the moment he messaged me such things, I knew I needed to get his picture so I can alert other ladies out there.”
Screenshots of the conversation shared by the woman showed the driver asking her if she was “open-minded” and inquiring about engaging in intimate activities such as “hug hug and kiss” during the ride. The woman continued the conversation with the intention of obtaining photos of the driver as evidence to warn other women.
The screenshots, which have been circulating online, show the woman requesting the driver’s photos to “see if your face nice or not la,” and the driver complying with her request.
However, after the woman insulted his appearance, the driver responded with an explicit and offensive remark, saying, “Faster lah, you want or not make me f*** your a**.”
The driver only backed off when the woman pretended to be an undercover police officer and claimed his information had been tracked. The conversation abruptly ended as the driver immediately blocked her.
Reflecting on the incident, the woman told Stomp, “He is indeed a predator, and thankfully, I got at least two pictures of him.” She added that she would never try such carpooling services on chat groups again.
It is important to note that while social carpooling arrangements among friends and colleagues are allowed in Singapore, carpooling facilitated through informal non-business platforms, such as SG Hitch on Telegram, is illegal in Singapore.
Only licensed business platforms like GrabHitch and RydePool and other license-exempt platforms with a fleet size of fewer than 800 vehicles are authorized for carpooling services.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has previously stated that it will monitor and take enforcement action against those providing illegal carpooling and matching services.