Bengaluru Woman Alleges Rapido Driver Turned Aggressive Over Fare Dispute: "He Abused Me"

A Bengaluru professional has raised concerns over passenger safety after alleging that a Rapido cab driver verbally abused her and her husband. Srijoni Roy, a Marketing and Communications Strategist, shared her experience on LinkedIn, saying the incident occurred while she was returning from a hospital with her husband and their three-month-old baby after the child's vaccination. According to Roy, the driver was rude and impatient, and his driving became another concern as he travelled over pothole-filled roads.

"Throughout the journey, he drove rashly on roads full of potholes. My husband requested him to slow down as we had a small baby. His response: 'The road is like this only. There are potholes. I can't fly.' We calmly explained that we travel on these roads every day and were only asking him to slow down. He ignored us," Roy wrote. 

The dispute escalated after the cab reached their residential society. Roy said the destination entered in the Rapido app included their block and wing, but the driver initially refused to drive further, claiming that doing so would add extra kilometres. The couple told him that any additional fare would be calculated through the app. The driver eventually entered the society, but after the trip ended, Roy said he demanded an additional cash payment that was not reflected in the app.

When she refused to pay an amount that did not appear on the fare screen, Roy said the driver began abusing her.

Her husband, who was holding their baby at the time, then confronted the driver. According to Roy, the driver continued to abuse them and moved towards her husband in an attempt to physically confront him.

"I stepped between them and eventually told my husband to just pay the extra amount and end the situation. That's what we had to do — sacrifice what was right because our priority was our baby's safety," she added.

See the post here:

Roy also highlighted another concern during the altercation - assumptions about language and regional identity. "Not everyone in Bengaluru who isn't Kannada-speaking is 'North Indian.' And even if someone is from North India — who gives anyone the right to abuse, intimidate or attack them? Being a 'local' does not give anyone a licence to disrespect another human being," she added. 

The entire incident allegedly took place inside the residential society, where Roy said CCTV footage captured what happened.

Roy also claimed that she was then left waiting for more than 50 minutes for a customer-service representative while the chatbot repeatedly indicated that someone would connect with her. She urged Rapido to review the ride and the circumstances surrounding the complaint.

Rapido's Response

Responding to her post, Rapido apologised for the captain's inappropriate behaviour and for the delay in supporting her. 

"This is not the standard of service we aim to provide. Safe and responsible driving by our captains is extremely important to us, and any such behaviour is never acceptable. Kindly allow us some time to review your concern. We will get back to you with an update," their reply read.