SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, June 24: When one books an Ola, or Rapido, the chances of the driver calling and asking “Jana Kahan Hai?” (where do you have to go) and then cancelling the trip, is expected to be less. It seems more improbable, when before cancelling the trips, riders ask, “Price kitna show kar rha hai?” (what is the price displayed) or “Kuchh badha ke dijiyega?” (Give some more than displayed).
However, these are some questions that the residents of the city have been facing on a daily basis. Initially, riders would blame it on the petrol price hikes, however, now, the companies and their rates are blamed.
When questioned, an Ola driver Suresh Chaudhary said, “In case of cars, we don’t ask for an extra amount, but when riding a bike, I ask for extra because we work hard, and the percentages offered to us, don’t seem to help.”
Anil, another Ola bike rider was asked as to why even Ola riders ask for money when as compared to Rapido, they get better compensation, said, “We work hard, ride around in the sun and even are sent in opposite directions for meagre sums. This is why we have to ask for extra amounts.
Ramesh Tiwari of Rapido said, “The company cuts around 30-40 percent of the total fare. We are made to face problems. Even the petrol prices have risen.”
Rapido rider Umeshwar Singh shared a similar story. When asked the reason behind the cancellation, he said, “Many times, we cancel because the destination is in an area, where we don’t get rides when returning. In other cases, when we are sent to areas far away and ask for more than what the price is, customers deny paying. We ask because the prices aren’t enough as compared to the cost of travelling to the area.”
When questioned if they have addressed these issues to the company, the riders claim that they have done so repeatedly but to no avail.
Meanwhile, another ride-hailing company Uber is thought of as being costlier as compared to the other similar options available in Ranchi. It did come up with various innovations for improving the experience for drivers and riders in India.
These address concerns ranging from earnings in the wake of higher fuel prices to long-distance pick-ups and payment schedules. Other issues that the new features aim to address include riders complaining about drivers cancelling trips or not wanting to switch on the AC. Uber even raised fares to cushion drivers from the impact of rising fuel prices across many cities in India.
“We have raised fares across multiple cities typically in the range of 10-15 per cent and the number varies city by city,” said Nitish Singh, an official at Uber. “Here essentially what we look at is the fuel price increase of the different fuel types. Some markets are CNG heavy and others are diesel heavy. So depending on the dominant fuel type in the city, the price hike actually varies based on the location,” he added.
The other issue is the driver calling the customers, asking them about the destination and then cancelling the trip. Singh said Uber now shows trip destinations to drivers before they decide to accept a ride. Ola, on the other hand, declined to comment. Rapido official in Ranchi, on the other hand, when reached said, it was the decision of the higher-ups.”
Drivers understandably also don’t like having to drive out of their way to pick up passengers. To fix this, Uber had introduced additional earnings for drivers in case they have to travel a long distance to pick up riders. This will give drivers the comfort to accept more trips and will benefit riders as trip reliability goes up. Drivers will be able to see the earnings for long pick-ups, separately displayed on the fare receipt.
Meanwhile, Ola and Rapido are yet to take any such steps for their riders.
