Uber bars driver accused of assaulting Gurgaon woman over fare dispute

A Gurgaon woman has filed an FIR against an Uber driver who allegedly assaulted her and followed her to her home following a dispute over ride fare

A Gurgaon woman has filed an FIR against an Uber driver who allegedly assaulted her, threatened her life and followed her to her home following a dispute over ride fare. Tanisha Sharma shared her account of the incident in an X post on October 26, alleging that the driver refused to let her retrieve her luggage until she paid more than the fare displayed on her Uber app.

Uber said that the driver's access to the app has been removed. (Representative image/Unsplash)

The incident allegedly took place around 4:45 am in Gurgaon, shortly after Sharma landed at Delhi airport. In her post, she described the experience as “one of the most terrifying experiences of my life” and said she was still shaken.

Speaking to Hindustantimes.com on October 27, Sharma said she had filed an online FIR against the driver. An Uber spokesperson confirmed that the driver’s access to the ride-hailing app had been removed.

Uber driver demanded ₹1,479 instead of ₹625

According to Sharma, she had booked an Uber from Delhi airport to her home Gurgaon for a ride that she described as lasting around 20 minutes. The fare displayed on her Uber app was approximately ₹625.

However, after the trip, the driver allegedly showed her a screenshot from Rapido quoting a fare of ₹1,479 and demanded that she pay the higher amount instead.

“When I pointed out that this was a Rapido screenshot and not an Uber screenshot, he said, ‘iss route ka itna hi hota hai’,” Sharma wrote on X.

She said she paid the ₹625 fare displayed on her Uber app. The situation allegedly escalated after she refused to pay the additional amount.

Uber driver threatens passenger

Sharma alleged that the driver locked the car and refused to let her take out her luggage unless she paid ₹1,479.

“When I tried retrieving my belongings, he held my arm and shut the front-seat window where my luggage was, trying to stop me from taking it out,” she wrote.

She further alleged that after she managed to retrieve her luggage and tried to enter her house, the driver followed her, forced his way through the gate and abused her.

“I finally managed to get inside and lock the door. He then started climbing the gate while hurling abuses and threatening my life,” Sharma alleged in her post.

Describing the incident, she said, “This wasn't a fare dispute anymore. This was intimidation, physical aggression and a terrifying violation of my safety at my own doorstep.”

Woman alleges Uber safety support was unavailable

Sharma initially raised concerns about her attempts to contact Uber's safety support team after the incident. She claimed that the safety support option was unavailable to her even as she was dealing with what she described as physical aggression and threats to her life.

“I’m dealing with a terrifying situation involving physical aggression and life threats, and I can’t even get through to the platform’s safety team,” she wrote.

She tagged Uber and its India support accounts, seeking an urgent response and an investigation into the incident.

The following day, Sharma said that Uber’s support team had gotten in touch with her and assured her that the driver’s access to the app had been removed. “Uber has contacted me and confirmed that the driver has been barred from the platform and won't be able to take rides anymore. I've also filed an FIR against him,” she wrote.

Uber responds

In a statement to Hindustantimes.com, an Uber spokesperson described the incident as “deeply concerning” and said that the driver can no longer access their platform.

“What has been described is deeply concerning and has no place on the Uber platform. Such behaviour violates our Community Guidelines, and we have removed the driver’s access to the Uber app. We stand ready to support law enforcement authorities with any information they may require,” the spokesperson said.