This is an email that I wrote to Uber. After I found out that Uber has no email and does not encourage active feedback from it’s customer’s, I am pasting it here.
I am also going to uninstall Uber after this. After this, I strongly believe that Uber is unsafe for women. There is an ocean of difference between how Uber reacts and Ola reacts to such situations.
This is the email:
Dear Uber,
Uber in India has a long history of not being safe for women. Recently, I had a ride on Uber and it proved to be true for me too. I have found that Uber is not safe because, the features of the app and the company policy encourages unsafe behaviour by the driver.
I frequently get discount offers from Uber, but since I have personally had safer rides from Ola, I usually go in Ola more. However, this one time, I decided to use my discount of 10 rides with 50% off in Uber.
This is what happened during that ride.
On 21 Feb 2018, at 4pm, I took a cab ride from Uber in Bangalore. The Driver’s name was Pandu. His phone number is(+91) 8296122648.
First off, the driver seemed very hesitant to drive a long distance. I could see in the map that the car wasn’t moving in my direction. Finally, he reached my pick-up.
Throughout the ride, he was talking on the phone with some friend. Therefore since only half his attention was on the road, the car was moving very slowly(probably not more than 40), with a lot of distance between this car and all the vehicles in the front. I asked him to stop using the phone during the ride and to concentrate on the road.
At this point, the driver shouted at me, and told me to get out of the car. He told me that he was going to stop the trip. I told him NOT to stop the trip midway, and to drop me at my destination.
However, he stopped the trip, even after I expressly told him not to.
I told him that I would be complaining about this harassment by the driver to the Uber authorities. He very flippantly, told me that I can complain about him. The manner in which he told me that hints that the driver is obviously not fearing the consequences of such unsafe behaviour.
Since, stopping the vehicle and telling a woman passenger to get out of the vehicle is a very unsafe situation for a woman, I wanted this issue to be resolved immediately.
So after he stopped the vehicle, I tried to call Uber. I tried the toll free number numerous times, the call went through; however, no customer executive was picking up the call.
Then, I tried Uber offices and a lot of the numbers were not picking up. the two that picked were indifferent and apathetic. I have left a review on google on all these offices.
All during this time, I was also telling the driver to call his Uber liaison officer. He kept repeating that he does not know any contact at Uber. I also asked him to drive me to Uber’s office to complain immediately and he refused to drive me there.
He told me to get out of the car. I told him that I had booked this car to go till my destination, and I will be going my way as soon as I can talk to an Uber executive.
As I was continuing to call the different Uber office numbers available on Google, I noticed that the driver got out of the car and was talking on the phone with someone.
Then the driver called the Police. I am guessing the driver received advice from an Uber executive to do so. However, no Uber executive talked to me.
When the Police arrived, the driver went over and talked to them.
Then, the Police came and talked to me. I explained the situation to them. The Police, immediately, scolded the driver, took down his Driver License details and assured me that if any other person complains of harassment by this driver, he would immediately be booked by the Police.
All of this should have been resolved by Uber executives in Bangalore.(Instead, they have been witch-hunting me.)
Leaving a passenger midway is not an inconvenience, but harassment. It could lead to a very dangerous situation depending upon the time and place where it occurs.
The fact that Uber is so indifferent about being unsafe in discouraging.
I had complained on the Uber app. However, someone just wrote a superficial sorry, and themselves ticked off the issue as being resolved. However, there was no mention of any action being taken against the driver. I did click the issue as NOT being resolved, but I didn’t see that page again.
Please fire the driver, Pandu, and the Uber executive who talked to the driver.
Safety is THE main issue in a cab service and Uber put me in a dangerous situation.
Please let me know after you have taken proper action against them. Please make Uber safe in India. Thank you.
PS: Before this incident, my rating was 4.25 something. After, this incident I have not used this app(even though I had 9 rides with 50% off). Today, when I opened the Uber app, I can see that my rating is 3.8. Very curious. If it is to discredit me, if and when I go legal with this issue, please note that it is not my character card. Please be more like Ola, which is more in tune with the issues in India.
Also, since I lead a busy life, I was not able to mail Uber before this time. However, I did think that the issue would be easily resolved through the app itself.
Thank you.