In today's busy schedule we all are scurrying from one destination to another. 10 years back the dependence was on public vehicles or the yellow taxis in the cities of India. With the advent of cab service providers such as Uber which came into existence in California, USA things became a lot more easier for the public. Several offers were given to promote the application. Soon it spread like wild fire all over India.
Initially for the first couple of years the service of cab companies such as Uber and Ola were satisfactory. With passing time the major problem which arose was the sudden and unexpected surcharges. Even when there are plenty of cabs around a particular area surcharges are levied on customers citing increased demand. Going for a 5km trip costs 150 or 200 bucks or more depending on the so called demand. It's really annoying for all to pay such ransom for such short trips.
Then comes another problem that is the addition of trip fare to the next trip even when you have cleared it by paying your
hard earned money to the cab driver or through online payment portal. I will share one of my experiences.
I was left aghast when I tried to book an Uber a couple of days back when the app showed that I have to pay an excess of 262 rupees withstanding from my last trip. For the record, I had paid 105 rupees for a distance of 5 km. I was left wondering how I could be paying the said amount. Even after reaching out to the Uber helpdesk i did not receive any reply to my satisfaction.
The next major issue many customers are facing is the little knowledge the drivers have of the city they are driving in. If you are in a new city it is sometimes very difficult to know the shortest route especially when you are in a hurry. It really helps if the driver has basic idea about the city routes. I have faced a similar problem in Hyderabad where the driver took a much longer route to reach the desired destination at double the charge than was estimated during the start of the trip. Its absolutely bizzare. I find no logic behind these absurd fare that these cab companies are extracting from us in various tricky ways. They should look into these matters and stop exploting the customers.
Something needs to be done to address these issues or else we, the common man, will be the scapegoat.
Please come forward and put forth suggestions as to how this growing problem can be solved to some extent.
Initially for the first couple of years the service of cab companies such as Uber and Ola were satisfactory. With passing time the major problem which arose was the sudden and unexpected surcharges. Even when there are plenty of cabs around a particular area surcharges are levied on customers citing increased demand. Going for a 5km trip costs 150 or 200 bucks or more depending on the so called demand. It's really annoying for all to pay such ransom for such short trips.
Then comes another problem that is the addition of trip fare to the next trip even when you have cleared it by paying your
hard earned money to the cab driver or through online payment portal. I will share one of my experiences.
I was left aghast when I tried to book an Uber a couple of days back when the app showed that I have to pay an excess of 262 rupees withstanding from my last trip. For the record, I had paid 105 rupees for a distance of 5 km. I was left wondering how I could be paying the said amount. Even after reaching out to the Uber helpdesk i did not receive any reply to my satisfaction.
The next major issue many customers are facing is the little knowledge the drivers have of the city they are driving in. If you are in a new city it is sometimes very difficult to know the shortest route especially when you are in a hurry. It really helps if the driver has basic idea about the city routes. I have faced a similar problem in Hyderabad where the driver took a much longer route to reach the desired destination at double the charge than was estimated during the start of the trip. Its absolutely bizzare. I find no logic behind these absurd fare that these cab companies are extracting from us in various tricky ways. They should look into these matters and stop exploting the customers.
Something needs to be done to address these issues or else we, the common man, will be the scapegoat.
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| Cabs are growing by the day in the cities and so are the unjustified fares |
Please come forward and put forth suggestions as to how this growing problem can be solved to some extent.
This is very true and serious problem.. i have faced similar problem in kolkata just as it was raining the price increased during the ride ... but what can be done we are helpless as here yellow cabs almost always refuse to go anywhere during times of emergency!
ReplyDeleteYes true. But a mass protest is required to solve this problem
ReplyDeleteItz true.... At starting they were giving discount as a tactics to suppress the local cabs and autos... Once they are finished....these companies will show there true color.....
ReplyDeleteExactly Karthik!
DeleteGovt transportation should be strong enough. Otherwise govt should undertake company that single handedly manage all taxi services.
ReplyDeleteTrue. But govt should devise some rules to monitor the cab service providers as well.
Delete