Tempers flare after accident between duck boat and car causes tour disruptions
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The accident just outside Esplanade caused the ride to be delayed by an hour and the tour duration reduced as well.
PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER
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SINGAPORE – An accident between an amphibious vehicle and a car along Raffles Boulevard led to unhappiness among tourists after their schedule was disrupted on Wednesday.
Shin Min Daily News reported on Thursday that a dispute ensued between the passengers of the Captain Explorer DUKW tour and staff of tour company City Tours after the programme was cut short.
The vehicle, which can travel both on land and on the water, takes passengers around the Civic District before it enters Singapore River through the Marina Bay area.
A tourist surnamed Zhang, 44, told the Chinese-language newspaper that the tour was supposed to start at 2.30pm, but the accident just outside Esplanade caused the ride to be delayed by an hour and the tour duration was reduced as well.
“We had only five minutes in the water and that was unacceptable,” he said.
These tours typically take an hour and the river ride is about 35 minutes, City Tours general manager Wendy Leong told The Straits Times.
In a video seen by ST, the tourists and a City Tours staff member were engaged in a heated argument, at times escalating into a shouting match. The tourists were demanding compensation from City Tours.
The situation simmered down after the staff member apologised and said the company would be offering a full refund of the ticket.
According to Shin Min, the next batch of passengers, whose trip was delayed by 30 minutes, also began to complain after the tourists from the previous batch refused to get off the vehicle.
Responding to queries, the police said the accident happened at 2.36pm along 6 Raffles Boulevard.
A 47-year-old male car driver was conscious when taken to Raffles Hospital, it added.
When asked how the accident happened, Ms Leong would only say the situation was being reviewed by their insurance company.
“The incident was resolved by 3pm with 22 passengers affected,” she added.
“For those who were affected, we have rescheduled them to another tour date, but for those who can’t make it, we have provided them with a full refund.”
Police investigations are ongoing.
