- Mumbai woman Ruchika Lohiya faced unsafe encounters with Uber and Rapido drivers in Delhi
- The Rapido driver refused to turn on the air conditioning, while the Uber driver was caught filming Ms Lohiya
- Both Rapido and Uber have apologised and requested ride details to investigate the incidents
A Mumbai-based woman, Ruchika Lohiya, has shared a harrowing experience with cab drivers during her recent trip to Delhi. In an Instagram post, Ms Lohiya recounted two separate incidents involving Uber and Rapido drivers that left her feeling deeply unsafe. She described the encounters as traumatic and highlighted how both rides turned into distressing ordeals. Her account has sparked fresh outrage online, prompting renewed discussion about the safety of women travelling alone in Delhi.
In the post, Ms Lohiya recalled booking a Rapido ride from Delhi Airport and requested the driver to turn on the air conditioning. However, he angrily refused, saying, "It will be turned on at my will. If you need AC that badly, book another cab." After the altercation, Ms Lohiya approached Rapido's help desk at the airport. While the staff was polite, she said she ultimately had to book an Uber to continue her journey to Noida.
Midway through the long Uber ride, Ms Lohiya said that she fell asleep for a brief moment and woke up to find the driver filming her. At first, she was in denial. She thought that the driver might be watching one of her Instagram videos. However, moments later, she realised that he was recording her.
Panicked, she alerted her sister and shared the cab details. Her sister advised her to get out of the car immediately. Pretending to be unaware of the driver's actions, Ms Lohiya told him she needed to hand something to a friend who had just arrived. She then grabbed her suitcase, stepped out of the vehicle, and ran to a crowded area, where she booked another cab.
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Ms Lohiya described the incident as one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. "One of the mosttt unsafe places to visit, don't know when will it get better but it's surely getting worse!" she wrote in the caption of her post.
Ms Lohiya shared the nightmarish ordeal just a day ago, and since then, the video has garnered over 2 million views. The clip has also caught the attention of both Rapido and Uber.
Rapido responded to the video, stating: "We apologise for the trouble caused on your recent ride. This is not the kind of service we aim to provide. Kindly share your registered mobile number and ride ID via DM so that we can assist you further."
"Hi Ruchika, this is extremely concerning to hear. Uber takes rider safety very seriously, so we'd like to look into this. Please DM us your Uber account and trip details so we can further investigate," wrote Uber.
