Bengaluru pastry artist complains about Uber driver’s ‘non-stop talking’ on phone, company apologises
Bengaluru-based pastry artist Joonie Tan complained to Uber of her driver's non-stop talking inside the cab. Here's what the company has to say.
Cab rides can often be an escape from the outside noise, allowing customers some peace as they reach their destination. However, for Bengaluru-based pastry artist Joonie Tan, the journey turned into a unpleasant experience on Wednesday after she got a “headache” from her Uber driver's “non-stop talking”.

The pastry artist has raised a serious issue: drivers using their phones while driving. Tan took to Instagram to share her experience and wondered what the appropriate step to do would be in such a situation. Originally from Malaysia, Joonie Tan is a popular pastry artist and chef at Lavonne Café based in Bengaluru. She has over 50,000 followers on Instagram.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, she wrote on Wednesday, "Uber driving, keep talking on the phone. I am having a headache from him talking non-stop now." Tan further asked if the cab aggregator has a rule prohibiting drivers from being on the phone.
Joonie Tan said that she lodged a complaint with Uber and added, "Hopefully when they see enough reports on such matters, the company will take this up seriously."

Uber reponds, says ‘dangerous driving taken seriously’
Tan on Thursday revealed Uber reached out to her regarding the matter. The transportation company took note of the matter and issued an apology. In a screenshot shared by her, the company wrote, "Uber partners are expected to maintain a high standard of professional service in all trips."
The company added, “This includes providing a safe and comfortable ride for passengers. Reports of dangerous driving are taken very seriously.”
Based on the feedback and complaint, Uber has assured that it will "review the driver-partner’s account." It added further, "We have also taken steps to prevent your account from being paired with this driver partner for future trip requests made through the app."
Reacting to the same, she wrote, "Uber India called and emailed. Hoping this is not just courtesy call and real action to be taken (sic)."

Customers share tips on what can be done
After sharing the incident online, Tan's followers reached out with similar experiences and possible solutions. Based on the responses received, she also shared a summarised list of appropriate steps to take if one is in a similar situation: "Politely ask them to stop being on their phone (they might oblige or ignore)."
Other suggestions included reporting the issue on the app or via customer services or using noise-cancelling headphones.
ABOUT THE AUTHORKhushi PalKhushi Pal is a journalist at Hindustan Times. She is skilled in writing, editing, and curating trending news with 3+ years of experience across entertainment, lifestyle, fashion and pop culture.

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