- A Bengaluru passenger faced a fake Rs 5,950 fare demand after booking a Rs 285 Ola ride
- The driver accused the passenger of cancelling rides and insisted on immediate payment
- Language barrier and poor Ola support worsened the stressful situation for the passenger
A Bengaluru commuter has exposed a deceptive new tactic used by cab drivers to inflate fares. After booking a cab via Ola from Majestic to Jalahalli for Rs 285, the user was allegedly confronted with a Rs 5,950 bill generated on the driver's own phone. This incident, shared on X (formerly Twitter), highlights the shoddy measures some drivers are using to scam unsuspecting passengers.
"He [driver] claimed that I had cancelled some old rides and that the amount would be deducted from his account if I did not pay," the passenger wrote, adding: "When I tried to explain that my app clearly showed Rs 285, the driver started becoming aggressive and repeatedly insisted that I must pay Rs 5950."
The situation turned 'stressful' and difficult to manage as the driver was mostly speaking in Kannada while the passenger was not fluent in the language. Despite contacting the cab service provider, no resolution was offered.
"I then contacted Ola's emergency support through the app, expecting immediate help. Unfortunately, the response from the support representative was extremely disappointing and dismissive," the passenger said, adding that the Ola representative was rude and dismissive.
Before the situation could worsen, the passenger's house owner arrived on the scene and diffused the situation. "He [owner] advised the driver that we should go to the police station to resolve the matter. I followed him on his bike while the driver followed us in the cab. However, midway through the driver suddenly rerouted and fled the area."
Check The Viral Post Here:
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Social Media Reactions
As the post went viral, social media users empathised with the passenger, adding that they should have immediately called the police.
"Please call 112 in these situations, their ETA is around 5 to 10 mins only, said one user, while another added: "Happened to me too, where they say 'it's not an emergency' and hang up the call. Pretty lame and disconcerting."
A third commented: "The only thing these cab aggregators will do is refund the money. As if, refunding will neutralise all the trauma and harassment. These cab companies never take any action against such drivers. Sad reality."
A fourth said: "Simple solution for this type of issue. Remove the cash trip feature from your app and move to a prepaid model. Payment should be deducted once the trip is accepted, and the card should be held for refunds or excess charges."
