Trans Cab SHD5036 – ★ Dishonest cabbie

Worst trip of my days, i board an cab from tampines century square with an colleague to tampines ave 10 and ang mo kio ave 10. He display M.parade stating shift change sign. Initally i thought forget it, i won’t get to board. He stop near me at the taxi stand, i say tampines, he shake his head but when i finish my sentences with “” and Ang mo kio”” he say ok.. I feel so weird, so i n my colleague board. He started the conversation saying, “” i make so many rounds already from tampines One to tampines mall then finally pick me at century square Tampines taxi stand.. He keep saying all the passengers waste his time, all wish to go nearby only, he won’t earn much so he don’t want to pick. i supposed cab driver as stated are not allowed to do that but he was so proud that he say he always choose carefully by pretending to display shift change to pick where he wants to go.. he started to my first destination and drop my colleague, on the way out of tampines ave 10 dormintory, he stop at the first traffic light suddenly, he reversed his car and say let’s go TPE faster. i say oh OK, then i had no feeling that he trying to detour purposely but when he could easily drive up TPE – CTE exit Ang mo kio, he drive to PIE, i was texting all the way so i didn’t realised anything wrong, maybe he thought that was nearer, i fine with the extra travelling distance although i feel if he still to normal route might save me a few dollar, so when he finally exit Ang mo kio ave 1, i look at the meter and when it turn into ave 10 near to my house, i started preparing my money stating $18.14, surcharge from below the meter stated 4.55. but around 20m to my stop, he covered with his left on the meter display and pressed the button. i did not feel any unusual until the moment he removed his hands and from the little tv like display after totalling up showed $25.69. i was shock, suddenly the fares is far from my initial calculated, i took my wallet out from my bag again then i ask why SO MUCH? he hesitated and say no ah, got surcharge, i realised what happened when he covered the display, he was trying to charge me EXTRA, i started to question him, can you explain the extra charge, he started to say with very diffident tone, “”got anything wrong? should be correct””, i stared at him, and say why surcharge suddenly become $7.55 instead of $4.55??? he started to realise i must know something, so he ask me so”” should be how much?”” i say you tell me, he say “” oh i know, you see you no booking right? , so deduct $3.00 , don’t why shown wrongly with $3.00 booking fee.. Come on, you purposely covered the display before stopping and when my head look down to verify my money, you try to cheat a mister $3.00 to earn extra.. I am very sure he knew everything, from the way he react, basic common sense proved that he must be doing that EXTRA button coverage to earn from people who are not looking carefully at the meter. i was very very disappointed by such dishonesty, so i writing this not because of the $3.00 which i didn’t pay, is that i hope this issue won’t be dealt with seriously against such professional ethics of taxi driver..