A Maharashtra woman's experience with Rapido's women-focused Pink bike service has sparked a debate after she was assigned a male captain despite booking a ride meant to be operated by female riders. In an Instagram video, Shalini Chaturvedi said she booked a Rapido Pink ride expecting a female captain. However, she received a call from a male rider asking her to confirm her location. Chaturvedi said the booking page had displayed a photograph of a woman, which added to her confusion when a man called her about the ride. She told him that she had specifically chosen the pink service because she expected a female captain.
According to Chaturvedi, the rider then told her that he was gay. "This man has the audacity to tell me that, ‘Madam, I am gay," he said. She decided not to proceed with the ride and cancelled the booking.
The woman said she was then charged a cancellation fee of Rs 15 for a ride that would have cost around Rs 25. She also raised concerns about the fact that the profile photograph shown on the app appeared to belong to a woman.
Chaturvedi criticised the platform for what she described as a serious lapse in women's safety. "And there is a man in front of me. Now this man has seen my face. He knows which building I live in. And I cannot even do anything," she said. "Female safety, women's safety, is just a profitable deal in this country. It's a joke," she added.
Watch the video here:
The video received more than 16000 likes and drew attention online, with several users questioning how a male captain could be assigned to a service specifically marketed for women.
Rapido's Response
Rapido responded to the post and apologised for the experience. The company said Pink rides are intended to be assigned exclusively to female captains and said it would investigate the incident.
"We completely understand how distressing and concerning this experience must have been for you, and we're truly sorry you had to go through this. Bike Pink rides are specifically meant to be assigned to female captains, and we'd like to investigate how this ride was assigned to a male captain, along with the captain's conduct," the company said.
Rapido also said it would review the cancellation charge, adding that the fee should not have been imposed under the circumstances described by Chaturvedi.
In a subsequent update, Chaturvedi said the company initially told her that the captain would receive a warning and face stricter action if a similar incident happened again. She said she was unhappy with that response, particularly because she believed the captain had entered the Pink service using the profile photograph of a female relative. According to her, the issue was not about the cancellation fee but about the safety implications of the incident.
"That made me far more furious than the money or anything else involved," she said.
After she raised her concerns again, Rapido revisited the matter and ultimately terminated the captain's ID from the platform. Chaturvedi said the company also shared proof of the termination with her and that she considered the issue satisfactorily resolved.
"As discussed on the call, we've taken strict action against the Captain and permanently removed them from the Rapido platform. We've shared the details with you via DM for your reference," Rapido said.
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