No more ‘Your ride has been cancelled'! Mumbaikars laud app cab penalty
In the absence of a driver refusal penalty in the past, thousands of Mumbaikars booking aggregator cabs faced mental agony from drivers cancelling rides. State govt has now come up with a government resolution, framing rules for imposing a fine of 10% of journey or Rs 100, whichever is lower, to the driver cancelling an Ola or Uber ride.
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'We welcome this decision as this will deter aggregator cab drivers from cancelling rides,' said marketing executive Vishal Mishra. 'Once, I faced four such cancellations before getting a booking after 20 minutes for my destination. I was delayed for an important assignment that day.'
It all began when the Supreme Court in the recent past instructed states to draft guidelines for app-based operators to address these concerns from riders. Maharashtra's policy took a cue from this instruction and a comprehensively drafted report by a committee headed by retired IAS officer Sudhir Kumar Srivastava.
'Drivers who cancel rides or deny short trips will be penalised, with the penalty amount directly credited to the rider's account,' said state transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar. The penalty is also imposed on riders cancelling rides at the eleventh hour after booking and the amount in that case is credited to the driver.
While citizens have welcomed the govt decision to impose penalties, officials from Ola Cab and Uber were not available for comment.
According to Prapti Thakker, who regularly takes autos, taxis, and private cabs from Ghatkopar,
there has been a migration of passengers from aggregator cabs and autos to Kaali-Peeli taxis and regular autorickshaws, respectively, due to this cancellation nuisance.
'Once I was at a wedding event in Goregaon and booked a cab around 11 pm. The app showed the cab will reach the venue in 20 minutes. I waited till 11.18pm and saw the cab was almost nearing the location, but the driver suddenly cancelled the ride. I was left stranded and struggling to book another cab for my destination. After two more cancellations, I got a cab around midnight,' recalled Thakker.
A commuter, who had last year switched to Kaali Peelis to travel across island city for work, said:
'When the app-based cab services began in 2014, there were incentives to riders and cabs would arrive in four to five minutes. But after the Covid pandemic, we have found drivers first asking about the destination, and then cancelling rides. Now, the aggregator firms have introduced a feature wherein the driver gets to know your destination at the time of booking and has the right to refuse immediately.'
Another commuter said: 'The waiting time for an aggregator cab booking and the repeated cancellation of rides leave you fuming, and you may miss your flight. Now, I prefer taking Metro 7 from western suburbs to Gundavali and then catch a regular auto to T1 airport to board a flight.'
Riders, who depend largely on aggregator autos in suburbs for short or long trips, said it was difficult to get such autos during rains. 'I could conveniently hail an auto on the road and travel to my destination, while saving money on the fare,' one such woman rider added.
But commuter Veena Shetty said: 'The driver cancellation penalty should not just be for aggregator cabs, but should also be imposed on regular auto and Kaali-Peeli taxi drivers. There is a spate of refusals, with drivers not even helping senior citizens and women left stranded on the road. Govt should come out with a strict penalty for such refusals."
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