Last-Minute Cancellations To Low Profit Margin: Cab Drivers Too Have A Long List Of Agonies
It's not the commuters alone who face problems with ride-hailing cabs, even the drivers have complaints.
Around a decade ago, the introduction of ride-hailing cabs into the Indian market came as a blessing of sorts for commuters seeking to avoid crowded public transportation and travel in style by paying a slightly higher fare than standard auto-rickshaw rates. Soon, these cabs became essential, particularly in metropolitan areas, and individuals began to rely on these cars ranging from a normal hatchback to sedan to luxury cars for daily travel. With time, came auto and bike ride options too. However, issues arose, including grievances and even police cases, as passengers accused cab companies of poor service, inadequate safety measures, and at times, unjustified surge pricing. Most complaints were directed towards the drivers, who faced several allegations of crime and harassment against female travellers, exacerbating the situation.
While the set of problems for commuters, apart from safety issues, includes cancellation of cabs, long waiting times, and drivers cancelling rides after making the customers wait for long, it’s not that the drivers have no complaints to make. They are very much dependent on the cab aggregator companies, and their complaints, they allege, often remain unaddressed.
ABP Live spoke to a number of cab drivers who shared the problems they face going about their work.
‘High Commission’ Charged By Companies
According to most cab drivers, their main grievance is that the companies charge a “high commission” for every ride, leaving them with less margin to sustain. The companies often deduct “undefined percentages” without justifying the reason for the same, they said, adding that this was the reason many ask the customers to cancel the ride and pay the amount to the driver, which means the cab aggregator will not get its cut.
“The company deducts 25 to 30% commission on every ride and this percentage often increases when the customer pays through the app,” said a cab driver who operates in Noida and NCR and goes by the name, ‘Gabbar Singh’.
“They sometimes deduct a high commission, due to which drivers ask commuters to cancel the ride so they don’t have to part with any commission,” said another cab driver, Manoj.
Last-Minute Cancellation By Commuters
Another big issue due to which the drivers often don’t readily accept a ride is the fear of a last-minute cancellation if the pick-up location is far away. Many drivers alleged that they often reach the location only to find that the customer has cancelled the ride at the last moment. This, they said, leads to a waste of time and fuel, which only adds up to the drivers’ woes.
“Customers keep us on hold and don't respond to our calls when we reach the pickup location,” said an NCR cab driver, Pankaj.
Low Profit Margins
Short rides are less profitable because the fare is less and the drivers are left with a very small amount after aggregators deduct their commission.
“The company charges a high commission and there is no response to our complaints. I am doing this just to pay off the EMIs of my car. At times, customers make a fool of us. As compared to when I started, the profit margins have also come down,” complained Mahaveer, who said he has been associated with the cab-sharing services for a long time.
Lack Of Support On Grievances
While commuters are quick to complain whenever there is an issue, and the matter gets escalated depending on the reach of the person and thanks to social media, the drivers’ problems rarely get addressed, they claimed.
Many drivers that ABP Live spoke to said the drivers even face problems claiming their due amount from the aggregators, and at times customers refuse to pay money after reaching the destination.
“Once the entire amount was wiped off when the customer left without paying. I tried reaching out to the company but got no customer support. With time, per day income from Uber/Ola has also dropped because of less number of rides,” said a driver, Shivam Kushwah, who operates in Noida, Ghaziabad and Delhi.
What The Cab Aggregators Do For Drivers
ABP Live approached Ola and Uber with specific queries related to the handling of drivers' grievances, but did not get a response despite multiple attempts.
On its website, Uber has listed different ways in which its driver-partners can raise a grievance if any action has been taken against them, including loss of account.
According to Uber.com, if driver-partners want to raise a grievance about any action, they can do so by calling the Uber support team. Their case is promised to be looked into and the team is supposed to update them within the next 24 hours. The only exceptions are cases related to safety, where it might take longer to investigate (up to a maximum of 5 days).
Upon calling support, it is automatically identified that the driver-partner is appealing for reactivation and a confirmation message conveys that his/her grievance will be processed.
Ola driver app connects the partners to the Ola Support Center, which is said to provide various options to report their complaints. According to those in the business, the support team is meant to investigate the complaint and provide assistance to resolve the issue.
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