Grab driver allegedly tells woman he can't go to Yishun destination as roads closed, takes her to Mandai on hour-long journey - Mothership

Grab apparently tried to reach the driver while he was driving, but he allegedly ignored their calls.

A woman took a Grab ride after midnight in Singapore and was supposed to reach her destination in Yishun in about 26 minutes.

However, the driver allegedly drove her to Yio Chu Kang and Mandai in a journey that lasted about an hour, asked her to pay more, and even suggested she alight at a bus stop.

The incident was first recounted by the passenger, Rose, in a TikTok on Oct. 28, 2026

Rose wrote in the video that her friend had helped her to hail a ride on the Grab app on Saturday from Circuit Road to Yishun.

At the start of the ride, Rose, a preschool teacher, said the driver was friendly and offered to let her smoke in the car.

She told Mothership that he asked her if she smoked, and when she said she did not, he allegedly kept insisting she could and wound down the window.

They then engaged in conversation and Rose said she is from the Philippines.

"The uncle was friendly, cool, and very talkative," her in-video caption read.

Rose also said he revealed he was 75 years old.

He even shared that he had a Filipina girlfriend when he was 20.

She wrote in the in-video caption that she was filming because the stories he told "were so funny".

Rose said they were laughing and "everything seemed okay" until the driver said Lentor Avenue was closed.

The driver apparently claimed he tried to send a passenger using the route on another night but could not pass, so he decided to take another route.

Rose said "true enough" the "Yishun exit at Lentor" was closed and so he went towards Upper Thomson Road.

And to her surprise, the road was closed too.

Rose said the journey at this point lasted about 40 minutes and it was already 1:30am.

The night was hazy, cold, and eerily quiet, she added.

"We ended up near SBS Transit around Yio Chu Kang, and he told me there was no other way to get to Yishun," she wrote.

He then asked her if she had friends who lived nearby so she could sleep over with them instead.

Rose wrote: "Sleep over?! Uncle, I just want to go home!"

Her friend then noticed the vehicle that Rose was in was not moving towards its destination.

The app sent a prompt to the friend who booked the ride.

Rose told the driver he needed to take her home, and he apparently agreed.

But she realised he was heading in the same direction as before and questioned him about it.

He then apparently headed towards Mandai.

The driver then said he was going to drop Rose off somewhere.

He allegedly suggested she alight at a "dark, quiet, empty bus stop".

She told him he cannot leave her there as she did not know how to get home.

But he kept saying there was no other way.

Rose's friend stayed on the phone with her the whole time and said he would contact Grab's safety team.

At that point, the driver allegedly offered to take her to her destination, but said she had to pay extra.

Rose's friend overheard the conversation and contacted Grab's safety team.

Grab's safety team apparently tried to reach the driver over a call, but he did not pick up and appeared "tense", according to Rose.

"Lady, you don't talk to your friend. You listen to me because you're making the situation worse. It's very confusing," he allegedly told Rose.

Rose stayed on the phone with her friend.

All this while Grab apparently tried to reach the driver via calls, but he allegedly ignored them.

The driver then agreed to take Rose to her home.

Rose was relieved when she saw Northpoint City.

When she reached her destination, she said she ran.

Rose's friend was still on the line and reported the matter to Grab's support team.

Rose said she was sharing her experience as "passenger safety matters".

She told Mothership that she was travelling in the vehicle for as long as an hour.

She added that a personnel from Grab had reached out to her.

Rose said: "They apologised for what I had experienced, asked me to provide more details about the incident, and assured me that they would support me regarding this experience. I appreciate their response, and I hope they will investigate the incident seriously and take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of passengers."

A Grab spokesperson told Mothership: "We are committed to providing safe and reliable rides for all passengers, and we are currently looking into this matter."