A large-scale survey has revealed that cancellation of rides by drivers on learning of the destination, or non-cash mode of payment, or surge pricing as well as rude behaviour of the cabbies are the major pain points for commuters using app-based taxi services.
A whopping 79 per cent of survey participants flagged ride-cancellation issues, while 45 per cent said they were charged more than 1.5 times in surge pricing. While many of them expressed satisfaction over the drivers’ Covid-proper behaviour — wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing protocols — several commuters want drivers of app-based taxis to maintain cleanliness and appropriate sanitation standards as well.
The survey was conducted by community platform “LocalCircles” covering 65,000 app-based taxi-users residing in 324 districts of India. While 48 per cent respondents were from tier 1 districts, 31 per cent were from tier 2 districts, and 21 per cent were from tier 3, 4, and rural districts.
The survey found that commuters expressed concern over the extortionist practices of some drivers to undertake private trips. Long waiting periods, safety, and driver misbehaviour are among the other complaints raised by customers. Some have also shared their experiences of violent crimes perpetrated by drivers.
The app-based taxi services providers such as Ola, Uber and Rapido among others have become an important part of the modern lifestyle.
In 2017, the Supreme Court stated that app-based transport service providers need to be regulated and they should be made to ensure the safety of women commuters. Both Ola and Uber introduced a 24x7 safety helpline. However, consumers continue to have negative sentiments for taxi aggregator apps with ride cancellation, surge pricing, customer service, and safety among key concerns.
Also, 15 months since the Motor Vehicle Guidelines came into effect, LocalCircles has gone back to consumers to understand their current issues with the Ola, Uber, Rapido among others so that the concerned stakeholders can make appropriate interventions to address them. It also sought to understand if Government-introduced Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines have been effective to resolve ride cancellation and surge pricing issues faced by app taxi users.