Driver associates of ride-hailing apps like Ola and Uber are known for resorting to devious methods to trick customers into paying more. The most recent case involves this Bengaluru woman, who was presented with a fake screenshot displaying an increased fare. However, this time, the woman outsmarted the driver!
Taking a cab from 3rd Phase of JP Nagar to Wilson Garden in Bengaluru, the woman's estimated cost of travel was ₹254 at the time she confirmed her cash trip; but the Ola driver had other plans.
Sharing her experience, the woman on Reddit wrote: “The journey was uneventful. To end the trip, he took his phone from the holder to the side. I was busy collecting my bag.”
“After a minute, he told ‘Madam, amount 749 aagidhe’ (Madam, the fare is 749)” and showed me his phone,” she said, adding that she was astonished to see the significantly higher fare.
“I told him this and the dude also acted shocked. He was like it could be the Ola money dues. He told me to pay him the 749 rupees and then complain in the app,” her post read.
At this point, she requested to inspect the driver’s phone herself.
“I noticed the Ola app still running in the background (you know, the little circle logo on the side of the screen). I confirmed that this was not the actual amount and that he was showing me some random screenshot.”
“I didn’t utter a single word. I just tapped the logo and the app opened. I saw that he hadn’t ended the trip yet.”
In the post, the woman said the driver attempted to play ignorant and retrieve his phone, claiming he had ended the trip. However, she remained composed and asked if she could see it again.
"He didn’t hand over the phone this time, but just showed me the phone. I quickly swiped the red ‘End Trip’ bar on the bottom of the app and said ‘Hinge end maadodhu alva sir?’' (This is how we end it, right sir?)”
This brilliant move saved her hundreds of rupees.