I have regularly used Meru cabs for travelling to and from the BIAL Airport, Bangalore to my home in KR Puram. Was happy with the services initially because I mostly used it from Airport to home only. Two of my recent experiences completely changed my views about Meru Bangalore -
- On Oct 14th, I took a Meru cab from airport at 3 AM after a frustrating Kingfisher flight from Delhi. To add to my frustration, as soon as I sat in the cab, the cab driver started talking on his cell phone. I first thought it would end up in a min or two - but I was wrong. He kept on talking on cellphone with his hands off the steering while shifting gears. I politely asked him to park the car and then continue the call which he agreed after 3-4 requests. After that he started driving rash. He was consistently above 80 kmph and the alarm in the cab kept coming on every few seconds. Ths time he decided not to listen to me and slowdown the vhicle.
I wonder why Meru have a HQ with GPS tracking etc if they cannot track someone driving 100 kmph & rash in Bangalore where speed limit is max 60 or 80 kmph. The lives of people paying a premium for cab services is at risk at the will and wish of rowdy cab drivers.
- Another disappointment was when I recently I made a booking for a local travel(about 15 km) and was surprised that the drivers do not wish to drive a cab for local travels(except airport) at all. The call center does not have any control over the drivers if they decide not to go for local routes. Worst is - they send the regret SMS only 20 mins before the pickup time. How fair is it? You wait for a cab & get a surprise only 20 mins before the pickup time. The whole policy of allocating a cab only 20 mins before pickup time is pure crap & a result of unwillingness to really apply minds on the core business strategy and system.
So MSians, if you have a critical local travel or you are travelling from Airport late at night - do not blindly rely on Meru. There must be better options available. Another wayout I found out is to contact my office travel desk and book a cab with the office cabs contrator - since they are more reliable and better behaved. The Meru safety and service is nothing but a fluke!