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Office-goers, elderly face the brunt of cab delays in Chandigarh tricity area
Chandigarh tricity area residents, especially those who rely on cabs for their daily commute, have been facing major inconvenience as drivers and cab aggregators continue to go back-and-forth on remuneration
Commuters have been facing the brunt of delays and frequent cancellations over the last week as drivers and cab aggregators continue to go back-and-forth on remuneration for the former lot.
Tricity residents, especially those who rely on cabs for their daily commute, have been facing major inconvenience with the wait for a cab lasting longer than 30-40 minutes. Employees working late-night shifts and relying on cabs to take them back home are the worst hit.
Ritika Bhalla, a resident of Phase 11, Mohali, shared her ordeal saying, “On Wednesday, my work concluded around 11.30 pm. I attempted to book a cab. Surprisingly, there were none available in the vicinity. Once my ride was confirmed, I ended up waiting for more than half an hour, despite the app indicating a waiting time of five minutes.”
Another commuter, Lal Chand, a resident of Phase 5, Mohali, said he used one of the apps to book a cab for the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, after experiencing sudden pain in his back during a walk. Frequent cancellations, however, meant he had to endure the shooting pain standing in the middle of the road for half an hour.
Nitika Sharma, a regular office commuter, said she reached work late on most days over the last week in view of the long waiting time for cabs, especially since she leaves early in the morning around 6 am.
Saima, another commuter who booked a cab from Industrial Area, Phase 1, to the nearby Chandigarh railway station, said her driver cancelled the ride after an eight-minute wait.
Drivers attribute the cancellations and unwillingness to accept ride offers instantly to not receiving the minimum base fare from various aggregators corresponding to the distance travelled.
In the tricity area, where multiple cab service providers operate, drivers often juggle between various apps simultaneously to secure rides. They tend to prefer rides from the aggregator offering higher fares, cancelling those previously accepted, leaving passengers nonplussed and behind schedule.
On Thursday, e-mails were sent to ride sharing companies Ola and Uber seeking information about the issue. Even a day later, there was no response from the companies at the time of filing of this report.
