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CEO says Chennai Rapido driver charged ₹1,000 for 21 km ride: ‘Fare shown was ₹350’
A Rapido customer in Chennai claims that a driver associated with the ride-hailing company asked him to pay ₹1,000 for a distance of 21 km.
A Rapido customer in Chennai claims that a driver associated with the ride-hailing company charged him double fare citing waterlogging in his area. Ashok Raj Rajendran, founder and CEO of AJ Skill Development Academy, said that his Rapido driver initially asked him to pay ₹1000 for a distance of 21 km, when the fare shown on the app was only ₹350. To make matters worse, he claims that the company “simply closed the chat” when he raised a complaint about being charged extra.
₹1,000 for 21 km
In a LinkedIn post, Rajendran said he had booked a Rapido ride from Madras Central Railway Station to Thoraipakkam in Chennai - a distance of 21 km. While the fare shown on the app was ₹350, the driver who came to pick him up demanded ₹1,000.
The Rapido driver cited waterlogging in the area as justification for the increased fare. Rajendran managed to negotiate the fare down to ₹800, which was still more than double the fare shown on the app. In fact, the Chennai-based CEO found there was no waterlogging during the ride.
“When we reported this issue to Rapido they simply closed the chat without even enquiring about the driver’s actions,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“Rapido closed chat”
A screenshot of Rajendran’s chat with a Rapido customer service representative shows the ride hailing app claiming that extra fare was charged because the company noticed a “discrepancy in the dropped locations.”
Rajendran said that the ‘discrepancy’ was only of 100 metres. “100% extra fare for 100 metres?” he asked the representative, who simply repeated the line about there being a “discrepancy in the dropped locations” before closing the chat.
“Rapido if you’re not concerned about your drivers asking for extra pay, why have an option asking, “Did the driver ask for extra pay?” Is it just for the sake of appearances?” the irate customer asked on LinkedIn.
“Your drivers are exploiting situations, and you are helping them, you’ll soon face the consequences of this neglect,” he added.
Rapido’s response
Rajendran’s public complaint did lead to a resolution - Rapido soon contacted him and the two parties managed to resolve the issue.
In the comments section, Rapido said that “strict action” had been taken against the driver, while the difference in fare had been refunded.
“As discussed over the call, we want to assure you that your concern has been promptly addressed. Strict action has been taken against the captain for such unprofessionalism, and he has undergone retraining to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. Additionally, the difference amount has been refunded to your Rapido wallet,” reads a comment from Rapido support.
HT.com has reached out to Rapido for a statement and will update this copy on receiving a response.
