"Stepped Closer To Me": Bengaluru Woman On "Harrowing" Experience With Ola Driver

In a recent incident that garnered significant attention, a woman from Bengaluru shared a "harrowing" experience with an Ola auto driver in Bengaluru. Tanisha Mallya added that she faced harassment and verbal abuse from the driver over a fare disagreement. The user took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "I had a very harrowing and unsettling experience with my @Olacabs booking today in Bangalore. I had booked an Ola Auto which showed a fare range of Rs 347-356 for a -25km journey." She stated that once she reached the destination, the auto driver demanded that she pay him at least Rs 470 "because he had supposedly driven over 45km."

"When I stood my ground about paying him Rs 356 which the app clearly showed on both his and my phone, he started shouting at me to pay him the amount he was asking for because 'Ola shouldn't show such a low price'," she posted on X.

The situation became worse after Ms Mallya refused to pay the extra amount. The driver exited the vehicle, used aggressive language, and threatened to take her to the pickup location unless she paid Rs 470. Following an argument, the woman paid the right fare (Rs 356) and attempted to enter her apartment gate, but the driver continued to create an issue by using more expletives. She said, "I was lucky that I lived w family & my father could come to step in & yet when I mentioned that he was cursing at me, he stepped closer to me & started screaming in my face that I was lying."

She added that she received no support from Ola and was not even given a chance to speak to customer care. Mallya later found that the reason for the fare differences was Ola's implementation of a new fare system based on metre patterns. She expressed concern about the ambiguity and the risk to other travellers, especially women who might not know Kannada or who are travelling alone. "But that does not mean the driver can ask for any amount & the customer should pay. All this happened in a span of 10 minutes and I'm lucky that I can speak and argue back in Kannada, my father was close by to come to help me, the drop location was to my apartment, and it was not very late in the night (this happened around 8:10pm)," she continued.

To make matters worse, Ms Mallya discovered that while she had the CRN number, she was unable to obtain the driver's information or the vehicle's number from her Ola history when it came to making a complaint.

Bengaluru Police took note of the same and asked the woman to "provide your specific area details and your contact number."

Since being shared, the post has amassed over two lakh views and 10,000 likes on the microblogging platform.

"This happens a lot. Best thing to do is pay these aggressive drivers the amount they demand for our own safety (using UPI only). Take screen shot of final bill page and UPI screenshot. Take it up with Ola support post the ride. They refund the money and much safer option," suggested a person.

A second wrote, "Drivers (both auto & taxi) in Bangalore have always been aggressive. It's been that way for over 40+ yrs & it's gotten worse. With the slightest hint of a red flag, I call their emergency number. I never engage with drivers, instead let Ola/Uber customer care staff deal with their partners themselves. I also save the screenshot of the original price, route & other evidence of potential violations."

"Not sure when Ola take up customer concern seriously ! Every time this is case with everyone ," commented a third user.

"Bangalore auto guys. Mafia," remarked an X user.