A Delhi-based consultant has shared a concerning account of a late-night Rapido ride, claiming that the rider she booked a bike with arrived in a car and repeatedly asked her to get inside. Rapido has since responded to her post, saying it has taken action against the reported captain's account.
In a LinkedIn post, Moni Shandilya said she was at Sector 16 Noida Metro Station, Gate No. 4, at around 11:07 pm when she booked a Rapido bike to go home. She said that the ride details showed a Hero Splendor and the rider's name as Anmol Mishra. However, she claimed that a few minutes later, a Maruti Ritz arrived instead of the bike.
"I was obviously confused because I had booked a bike, not a cab," she wrote, adding that the person in the car was the same person she had been speaking to on the phone, but did not match the rider's profile picture on the app.
Moni said that the man told her that his bike had broken down and that he had arrived in a car instead. She said that he then asked her to get into the vehicle. "I said no. He kept insisting. At that point, I got scared and started shouting at him. He then said, 'Okay, I'm going,' and said he would cancel the ride. But I was the one who eventually cancelled the ride," she wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Moni said that the man told her that his bike had broken down and that he had arrived in a car instead. She said that he then asked her to get into the vehicle. "I said no. He kept insisting. At that point, I got scared and started shouting at him. He then said, 'Okay, I'm going,' and said he would cancel the ride. But I was the one who eventually cancelled the ride," she wrote.
{{/usCountry}}She added that the car then moved ahead of the metro gate and stopped there. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Moni added that the man followed her till Sector 15 but eventually stopped due to a traffic jam. She said that she felt unsafe at the moment and "went blank". "All I could think about was getting home safely," she wrote in the post.
"I'm not saying this is only about women. If a man had been in the same situation, I don't think it would have been safe for him either," she said.
She concluded her post by urging Rapido to investigate what happened with the ride and the person who arrived in the car. "I'm safe now, but I really hope this is taken seriously so that this doesn't happen to someone else," she wrote.
Moni also told HT.com that she got a fever after the incident. "The guy did follow me till Sector 15, and there was a traffic jam so he then moved back... agar us din wo traffic nhi milti toh I wouldn't be here. I got a fever after that incident because that thing was continuously going on," she said.
(Also Read: Bengaluru techie, working as Rapido driver on weekend, assaulted by customer)
Rapido responds
Responding to the post, Rapido Support said it had acknowledged the seriousness of the concern and understood the impact of her experience. "Please be assured that such behavior is not acceptable under any circumstances and does not align with the service standards we strive to maintain," Rapido Support wrote.
The company added that "immediate action" had been taken against the reported captain's account and that necessary measures had been initiated to help prevent similar incidents.
(Also Read: 'Worst experience': Dehradun woman alleges Rapido driver left her midway, company responds)
Social media reactions
The post sparked discussion among LinkedIn users, with several people expressing concern over passenger safety.
One user wrote, "Its not just women, but men are not safe as well, lets put it this way HUMANS ARE NOT SAFE!! Just because of few people people are getting betrayed, harmed and deceived...Even I had a similar instance."
"I am glad that you are safe. And believe me I know how it would have felt. What you did in that situation was smart and brave," commented another.
"No matter what, at the end your safety is in your hands. I'm glad you are safe and not succumbed yourself to what the situation had to offer," wrote a third user.