Bhubaneswar: A student recently shared how an Ola auto driver, despite being paid an extra Rs 100 as requested, picked up additional passengers during a late-night ride on November 8, breaching the no-sharing policy.
In a post on X, which has since gone viral, Aditya Pattanayak recounted booking an auto from Bhubaneswar railway station to his college at around 11 pm. “I booked an auto from Bhubaneswar railway station to my college this night from Ola. The driver demanded Rs 100 extra despite me already adding a Rs 20 tip. Still, I agreed as I had no other choice, and it was pretty late — around 11 pm,” he wrote.
“…but during the ride, he picked up two random passengers and dropped them off at different locations,” he further stated.
Pattanayak, who initially ignored it, was pricked by concern over his safety. “At first I didn’t argued, but later on it made me feel concerned about my safety. As in if I had already paid for my entire ride that too on top of “Extra” then who the hell are you to even carry two random passengers that too at night ?? This is not only against policy but also extremely unsafe.”
He then questioned who would ensure safety of women in such cases.
His experience went from bad to worse as the driver again demanded more money after dropping him at his destination. “Also, when he dropped me at the location, he again demanded another extra amount, but I refused. Later, he gave me a one-star rating. Is that even a joke?” he wrote.
Sharing screenshots of his booking details, Pattanayak demanded strict action and measures to prevent such incidents. “One more thing that I haven’t added is that your application got so many bugs. Later on that night I was not able to rate the driver nor raise a valid concern with the support team in the application…it’s just now the ratings options appeared on my screen, and I am like, “Wow…,” he later posted.
Ola support team responded to his complaint with a stock reply. “Hi, we understand how concerning the issue is. However, please know that our team is working on resolving the issue at the earliest. In the meantime, your patience is appreciated.”
Pattnayak also mentioned that he received two missed calls from Ola. “…but when I tried calling back, I couldn’t connect. It seemed to be an automated call that lasted barely five seconds. So far, even after all the outrage, companies like Ola haven’t cared to reach out or at least offer any reassurance in other mediums,” he added.
X users flooded the comments section with similar experiences, criticising the company for failing to ensure the safety of riders.