Bengaluru auto driver suspended after techie claims he abused, threatened him, demanded extra cash

A Bengaluru resident reported a “terrible” experience with an Ola driver, prompting the company to suspend the driver and issue a refund.

A Bengaluru resident recently narrated a troubling encounter with an Ola driver in the city. In a social media post, he recounted that he had been abused by the auto driver, who demanded extra money for the ride.

The auto driver later admitted to the mistake and had been suspended by the company, the X user said. (X)

Pawan Kumar, a techie, took to X, writing, “I had a terrible experience today with an @Olacabs auto. I booked a ride from Brookfield to Koramangala with a stop at Mahadevapura. The app quoted ₹292, but when I reached my destination, the driver demanded ₹455. He insisted the app was wrong and threatened to hold me until I paid the higher amount. He became aggressive, shouting and using abusive language.”

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“I called the police and recorded the incident. When the cops arrived, they spoke in Kannada with the driver, who changed his story and claimed he was using the meter. The police then asked me to pay the amount but I denied then they politely asked me to pay ₹350 saying that he is poor and asked me to delete the recording too. The driver continued to threaten me in front of them that he won't leave me if I don't delete the pics or the clip as he knows my office address now and where he picked me from. And the cops still let him go after I complied, telling me to call them if anything else happens,” he added.

“I'm deeply disappointed. Is this how things work? Drivers threatening passengers in front of the police, with no real action taken? Does not speaking Kannada mean I don't belong here? Also, Ola's support seems ineffective, as there is no support at all,” he further stated in the post.

It garnered over 6,26,600 views and more than 4,500 likes.

In response, Ola commented, “This is not the experience we aim to provide, Pawan. Please send us the CRN number of your ride and your email ID via Direct Message so we can investigate this issue promptly.”

The Bengaluru City Police also responded, requesting the user’s contact information to address the complaint.

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A few hours later, Kumar provided an update: the auto driver had admitted to the mistake and had been suspended. Additionally, the company issued a refund for the extra charges. The user noted, “Ola asked me to delete the posts everywhere which I didn't.”

The post also received a horde of replies, with both supportive and disapproving comments.

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“You wanted to create a all these mess for just another 150 rupees, you same people through 500 at restaurant as tip but you couldn't give another 150 for poor auto driver and you called the police. Why you guys always wants to portray Bengaluru and local people in bad manner?” a response read.

“This happened to me in Rapido cab, even after arguing if driver doesn’t accept , pay whatever they charge and get out if the situation . Then file complaint on the app or call customer service. They give you a refund and that amount gets deducted from driver’s end and it affects their credibility to continue with the company,” another wrote.