Who hasn't left something behind in a vehicle?
But when one Tada passenger forgot his phone, he went to great lengths in trying to get it back.
"This may seem like petty news to some, but I hope this story can help me retrieve my lost iPhone, and also raise awareness and help reduce the crime rate in Singapore," said Stomper Zenith.
He had lost his phone on March 15 at 5.50am.
"By the time I realised my phone was missing, it was already too late as the driver had already driven off," recounted the Stomper.
"With technology being so advanced now, tracking my iPhone wasn't a big issue since I had other Apple devices with the 'Find My iPhone' app.
"I rushed to the location where my phone was, which was a carpark. I figured the driver had stopped to have a meal at the nearby coffee shop. But as I was about to reach the location, the driver left and his car was parked at what I assumed to be his house since the location didn't change throughout the whole morning.
"I then filed a police report and called Tada, but they were unable to disclose his contact details due to the PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act), except for his vehicle plate number. Tada also mentioned that they couldn't reach the driver the entire day.
"Around evening, I attempted to go to the location of his vehicle before he started his shift, assuming he was a night shift driver. However, before I could reach the location, the driver had already left."
But he continued stalking his phone with the Find My iPhone app throughout the night.
"In the morning at around 6.30am, my phone stopped at the same spot, confirming that the driver was definitely living in that area. I went down again and, around noon, I saw his vehicle and immediately called Tada to get them to contact the driver," said the Stomper.
"Finally, the driver picked up his phone and told Tada that he had 'just come down to his vehicle' and there was no phone found. He mentioned he had many other passengers after me.
"At that moment, I was right beside his vehicle when he outright lied to Tada, claiming he hadn't found a phone, even though I could still see that my phone's location was clearly there.
"Tada then advised me to call the police again, which I did. The police came down, but they said there was nothing they could do. They couldn't obtain the driver's contact details or information about the apartment where he was staying, so they left.
"Still hopeful, I waited at the location thinking that the driver might come down in the evening before starting his shift, but he didn't show up. I assumed Tada had informed him that I was there, so he waited for me to leave before taking the phone back to his apartment. My iPhone's location then became pinned to a specific block, which I presumed was the block where he lived."
The Stomper added: "I understand that this may not seem significant to some, but the fact remains that the driver kept my phone for himself.
"I hope that with this news, fewer thefts will occur in Singapore, and I also hope that more drivers will have the integrity to return lost items to their rightful owners, rather than keeping them."
When contacted by Stomp, Tada responded with an email that the company had apparently sent to the Stomper.
The email said: "We understand how concerning it is to lose an item, and we are here to assist you in locating your iPhone. In the meantime, we are in the midst of reaching out to the driver-partner who serviced your ride to check if they have found your iPhone.
"As you reported losing a mobile phone, we understand that you may not be able to access the Tada app.
"In this case, we will make every effort to contact the driver-partner on your behalf and update you as soon as we have any information regarding your lost phone."
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- iphone
- private hire driver
- lost
