Latest news with #GrabDriver
CNA
26-06-2025
- CNA
Man who put Grab driver in a chokehold after argument about vomit in car given jail
SINGAPORE: A man who got into a scuffle with his Grab driver after traces of his vomit were found in the car put the driver in a chokehold. Ashton Jude Joseph, 34, was handed five weeks' jail on Thursday (Jun 26) after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt to the driver, 46-year-old Lee Chee Wei. Joseph, a Singaporean, was a regular serviceman in the Singapore Armed Forces holding the rank of Captain at the time of the offences. His lawyer told the court that he intends to appeal the sentence. According to court documents, Joseph met a group of friends at a bar near Serangoon Road at about 7pm on Aug 30 last year. He drank about six or seven pints of beer through the night. At about 3am the next day, a Grab booking was made to send Joseph home, and Mr Lee was the assigned driver. Mr Lee noticed that Joseph, who sat in the backseat, was drunk. While on the way home, Joseph felt nauseated and asked Mr Lee for a plastic bag. Mr Lee handed over a plastic bag, which Joseph then vomited into. The driver offered to stop the car at the roadside for Joseph to finish vomiting, but the latter declined the suggestion. At about 3.30am, the car arrived at the destination and Joseph alighted. Mr Lee also alighted to check if there was vomit in his car and noticed traces on the seats and carpets. Upset, Mr Lee removed the carpets and started to scold Joseph, triggering an argument over the next few minutes. As Mr Lee returned to his car and reached for the backseat, Joseph grabbed the back of his neck, prompting the victim to shout for help. Joseph then put Mr Lee in a chokehold. He stopped as a van arrived at the scene a while later, and walked away. Two witnesses who alighted from the van chased Joseph, who started to run but tripped and fell, injuring his nose. Both witnesses and Joseph then returned to the car. The altercation was captured by two PolCams near the scene. Mr Lee felt pain in his neck due to the incident and called the police at about 3.40am. The authorities arrived a short while later and arrested Joseph. His blood sample was found to contain 124 milligrams of ethanol in 100ml of blood. Joseph has since offered S$500 (US$392) as compensation and a written apology to Mr Lee. The prosecution sought five to six weeks' jail. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Tay said Joseph's reaction, although not entirely unprovoked, was disproportionate. Ms Tay pointed out that Joseph had been convicted on one count of drink driving in 2016, among other charges. District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam found that a jail term was warranted in this case and sentenced Joseph accordingly.
AsiaOne
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- AsiaOne
GrabCab to launch in July, fares in line with market rate, Singapore News
Commuters will be able to flag down GrabCab taxis from July, according to a media briefing held on Wednesday (June 4). GrabCab will start out with a fleet of 40 fifth-generation electric hybrid Toyota Prius cars, with more vehicles including the electric hybrid Hyundai Kona to be added as they expand their fleet to the minimum fleet size requirement of 800 in the future, reported The Straits Times. GrabCab joins the likes of Comfort, CityCab, Prime, Strides Premier and Trans-Cab to become Singapore's sixth taxi operator. "Aimed at improving overall ride availability, GrabCab complements existing point-to-point services by serving passengers at taxi stands, via street-hails and through app-based bookings," said Grab in a media factsheet. The taxis will be equipped with Grab's advanced technologies, including a mobile data terminal — typically known as a taxi meter — that is fully integrated with the Grab Driver app. Taxis will also be fitted with AI-powered dashcams to detect road safety risks and promote safe driving. GrabCab's rates are similar to those of existing operators. The flag down rate for a standard 4-seater will be $4.60, with every 400m under 10km costing $0.26. Subsequently, $0.26 will be charged for every 350m after the first 10km. "All location-based, time-based surcharges, and booking fees are aligned with prevailing industry rates," Grab said. GrabCab will offer different rental packages for new cars starting from $117 per day to cater to different driver preferences, compared to other operators which have starting prices between $115 and $135, reported CNA. GrabCar will offer drivers fuel discounts of up to 40 per cent at Caltex locations islandwide, in addition to charging discounts of up to 25 per cent at Charge+, SP, Volt and Shell. Grab also offers a range of benefits to its drivers including a safe driving bonus of $1,000 for every 12 months of being at-fault accident free and coverage under GrabBenefits 2.0, which provides access to education sponsorship and upskilling support. Up to 800 drivers have expressed interest in renting a GrabCab vehicle, of which around 400 to 500 eligible applicants have been selected for the first pool of drivers according to Victor Sim, director of GrabRentals. Only applicants with a taxi driver's vocational licence (TDVL) and 'good safety records' were chosen, and applicants without a TDVL will be directed to take a TDVL course at approved training centres. Eligible drivers will be sponsored up to $400 by GrabCab for their TDVL application. Speaking about competition with other taxi operators, Sim said that GrabCab aims to reactivate the relatively large pool of inactive drivers with TDVLs and "focus on the national supply (of drivers) problem", according to The Straits Times. [[nid:716292]]
