A rather shocking case that occurred to a person living in Gurgaon during a regular Ola cab ride has surely given a new dimension to customer endangerment on the app-based service providers. The unpleasant experience was in transit to the airport in Delhi for an early morning flight, and the person was Puja S.
Earlier, to get a taxi quickly, Puja had installed both Ola and Rapido applications but later switched to Ola, stating her faith in the Ola application. That is why, on this very experiment, just ten minutes into the ride, the driver stopped to fill his bottles. After this, he said that the car could not start unless she paid via a QR code for ransom.
Puja had to demand the driver stop first so she could calculate the total fare, but the driver apparently demanded she pay him immediately and threatened her if she tried to go. Other papers state that the interaction between them progressed further, the driver aggressively threatening her with physical violence by raising his hand, and uttering other aggressive words, including those that he would return later.At this point, the driver was still screaming and decided to record her without her permission to do so.
At long last, Puja got another cab, which came to get her midway to the airport to catch her flight. She thanked the second driver, practically giving him some cash more than the agreed amount.
The incident is unbearable, forcing Puja, who has expressed her intentions, to seek legal redress. Such feelings have received sympathy from many people on social media, where they express similar feelings concerning the safety of the rides. Issues related to Ola’s fare policy were brought up by one of the commenters or persons who complained, while another person stated that such incidents happened shortly after ‘women’s safety’ was discussed across the nation.
This is why it is high time that ride-hailing services improve their safety levels to prevent their passengers from being in dangerous positions in the future.
