'Bad Experience': Google Engineer Claims Bengaluru Uber Driver Abused Him, Asked Him To Get Out Of Car

In a post on X, the software engineer detailed the entire incident, describing it as his "first bad experience in Bangalore."

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In an era where reliance on cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber is growing, a troubling incident involving an Uber driver has gained widespread attention on social media. The individual, known as Striver on X (formelry known as Twitter) and employed as a software engineer at Google, has alleged that an Uber driver verbally abused him and his friend before abandoning them during their journey.

According to the individual, the driver had placed his phone call on loudspeaker and had been engaged in conversation for approximately 30 minutes. When the software engineer and his companion asked the driver to use headphones, he verbally abused them and instructed them to exit the vehicle. The driver stated that he felt uncomfortable riding them and requested that they disembark.

Sharing his "first bad experience" in Bengaluru, he stated: “Booked this Uber @Uber_India the estimated journey time was 1.5 hours. For the first 30 minutes, the driver constantly kept talking over his phone on a loudspeaker. I and my friend, got some headache after a while, and asked him politely to use headphones, or talk later. Guess what happened next.”

“We were abused, and asked to get out of the car, saying “I am not comfortable to ride with you people,” he claimed. 

First bad experience in Bangalore.

Booked this Uber @Uber_India the estimated journey time was 1.5 hours. For the first 30 minutes, the driver constantly kept talking over his phone on a loudspeaker.

I and my friend, got some headache after a while, and asked him politely to… pic.twitter.com/Gf2DKyNNHK

— Striver (@striver_79) March 16, 2024

His post drew the attention of numerous X users who had encountered similar incidents. Additionally, several users voiced complaints about Uber drivers reportedly declining to activate the air conditioning and asked extra fees upon reaching their destination.

One X user stated: ''Uber drivers employ these tactics professionally 1. If asked whether they will switch on AC, they ask us to cancel. 2. If we don't cancel they come near the pick.up point and drive away, cancel the trip stating that the customer didn't take the ride.'' 

“Hahah during every single ride from airport to Marathali this happens with me. Lets file a petition to stop unlimited calling," another said. Responding to the user, Uber India Support stated: "This is concerning, Ansar. Such behavior is unacceptable, and we prioritize your safety above all else. Kindly send your registered Uber account contact details through Direct Message, and our safety team will contact you shortly."

This is concerning, Ansar. Such behavior is unacceptable, and we prioritize your safety above all else. Kindly send your registered Uber account contact details through Direct Message, and our safety team will contact you shortly. https://t.co/1WqzzOmdKe

— Uber India Support (@UberIN_Support) March 16, 2024

In another post, the engineer told users that Uber Support reached out to him after he raised a complaint. 

Thanks @UberIN_Support for reaching out, and promising action.

I am not sure how long will it take for you to take action, but glad that you did take some time out to call and listen to customer problems, instead of sending bot messages.

How about introducing two new… https://t.co/UYO5K8BTnW

— Striver (@striver_79) March 17, 2024

''I am not sure how long will it take for you to take action, but glad that you did take some time out to call and listen to customer problems, instead of sending bot messages. How about introducing two new features. - raising issue from the app for no-ac while in-ride - raising the issue for “using phone” In both cases, uber can ask the customer to send a picture or a small clip, and then AI can verify and trigger a warning, on multiple warnings, you can take some action," he stated.