"Am I Beggar?": Bengaluru Auto Driver Demands Extra Money, UPI Only; Techie's Post Goes Viral

Dhanush Nehru, a software engineer returning to Bengaluru after a long break, recently shared a frustrating encounter with an auto-rickshaw driver on X (formerly Twitter) and labelled it as a "peak Bengaluru moment." The trouble began immediately after he booked an hour-long ride. Before even starting the vehicle, the driver demanded extra money. To avoid an argument, he told the driver they would settle it upon arrival.

However, when he pulled out cash to pay the exact fare, the driver refused it, demanding digital payment via UPI (Unified Payments Interface) instead. The driver even took offence to the physical money, asking, "Am I a beggar?"

"Booked an auto through Ola for a ride that was almost an hour long," Dhanush wrote on X. "The driver asked for extra money even before the trip started. I said I will see to it once we reached because I didn't want to argue before the ride. When we finally reached, I took out cash to pay the fare, he refused to accept it and said, 'Am I a beggar?' because he wanted UPI only."

Also read | Left High-Paying Dubai Job": Techie Regrets Pouring Millions Into Family Business, Seeks Advice

See the post here: 

peak bengaluru moment

booked an auto through ola for a ride that was almost an hour long ... the driver asked for extra money even before the trip started ... i said i will see to it once we reached because i didn't want to argue before the ride

when we finally reached i took… pic.twitter.com/mOVYoXL1Rx

— Dhanush N (@Dhanush_Nehru) July 5, 2026

The techie revealed that he ended up being the one apologising just to avoid a public scene. However, given the driver's attitude, Dhanush ultimately refused to pay the extra amount demanded at the start of the trip.

Concluding his viral post, he asked: "Since when did paying in cash become a problem, and are Ola and Uber auto drivers even allowed to demand extra money before the ride starts?"

Also read | Man Questions Sister-in-Law's Rs 6,000 Salary As Kindergarten Teacher In Bengaluru, Sparks Debate

Social media reactions

The post quickly went viral, getting over 353,000 views and prompting other commuters to share their own ride-hailing stories. "When I travelled by Ola from home to Yeshwantpur, the cab driver asked for an extra Rs 50 for luggage. When I questioned him, he started arguing and shouting unnecessarily... I paid the amount he asked for, but then complained to Ola. I got my money back. Cab/auto drivers are crazy," one user wrote. 

"A similar incident happened to me on Rapido, where the driver insisted the fare was ₹20 more. I paid it, came home, and raised a complaint. The fare was promptly refunded to my Rapido wallet," another user wrote. 

"I'm surprised he didn't argue with you when you refused to pay the extra fare, but chose to argue simply because you paid in cash," a third said.