This week, users took to social media to expose a potential scam by cab drivers in Bengaluru. The posts allege ride-hailing drivers trying to fleece more money out of unsuspecting taxi rides to and from the airport. Shivam Sourav Jha on X recounted a friend’s account of how Bengaluru cab drivers are scamming passengers, especially women.
According to the thread, the driver, on the way to the airport, stops at a petrol pump, claiming that there is no fuel in the car. Then they ask the passenger to pay for the fuel. Jha said that the fuel was filled for Rs 1,100, and the driver asked his friend for Rs 1000 to be adjusted against the fare. If you refuse, they refuse to move the vehicle. Most people don’t want to miss their flight, so they pay up. It is after this that it gets tricky.
According to the account, the cab driver then takes an alternate inner road that runs parallel to the highway in a bid to avoid the toll of Rs 200. However, most aggregators like Uber and Ola already include the toll in the total fare, and a Rs 1000 ride would, therefore, be just Rs 800. The post alleged that the driver never paid back the balance of the money.
Another user on X, Kritika Kumari, also confirmed on social media that she had the same experience. Anyone who has gone through the inner road that the cab drivers use as an alternate knows that it is dusty and deserted, with no street lamps or regular police patrol. With cab drivers allegedly running this racket with women passengers and potentially endangering them, this is indeed a cause for concern.
This is not the first or second time Bengaluru has been at the centre of controversy as far as ride-hailing is concerned. A few months ago, an anonymous user on Reddit also alleged that Uber staff were creating artificial demand for its higher-priced Uber XL, Uber Premiere, and Uber Sedan slabs at the Bengaluru international airport.
According to the user, the cheaper Uber Go cars were not allowed to approach the waiting area on time despite waiting in the opposite lane, rendering the app to show them longer to arrive. Therefore, users like the aggrieved are forced to book cabs in higher price ranges, the post alleged.
Recently, Anjana Massey, a professional in Mumbai, commented on Uber’s official Instagram, recounting how her cab driver was intoxicated. “The driver exhibited clear signs of intoxication, posing a serious risk to my safety. It was a frightening experience, and I felt compelled to request that the driver stop the ride promptly. I am deeply concerned about the lack of regard for passenger safety and well-being displayed in this instance,” she said in the comment.
Last month, there were also unverified reports in the media of a man claiming that an airport cab driver in Bengaluru left his friend midway at midnight after threatening him for Rs 4,000 rupees.
Comments are closed.