Ride-hailing app Ola has been ordered to pay ₹1 lakh in compensation to a customer after a cab driver abruptly ended the trip and instructed the passenger to exit the vehicle.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III, Hyderabad, was dealing with a complaint filed by Jabez Samuel, a resident of Abids. The opposite party (OP) was Ola Cabs.
The complainant said that on October 19, 2021, he booked a cab for four hours. Around 10 a.m., he, his spouse and another individual boarded the cab, which they found to be unclean and smelly. The cab driver was rude and refused to turn on the air conditioner, he claimed. After traveling approximately 5 km, the driver abruptly ordered them to exit the cab.
The complainant claimed that he was billed ₹861 and that for that distance, the bill should have been about ₹200. He later received calls asking him to pay the amount, and he complied. He had to make alternative arrangements, which cost him time and money.
The OP rejected all allegations. They pointed out that the driver was not made a respondent. No legal entity by the name Ola Cabs exists. The company ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd. owns the brand name Ola, they contended.
Citing Snapdeal vs Nikhil Bansal, a case that was heard in the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, the OP sough a dismissal of the case. The complainant accepted the fare, which was displayed prominently at the time of embarking on the trip. By choosing Ola Rentals category of service, the complainant accepted the terms and conditions and the charges.
The OP stated that this placed the responsibility on the complainant to bear the cost. Evidence of the driver’s alleged rude behaviour was not placed before the Commission, the OP further contended.
Taking the evidence placed on record, the commission cited an order of the Tamil Nadu State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission that dealt with a cab driver leaving a passenger midway after an argument broke out between them. The commission concluded that there was deficiency of service and unfair trade practices displayed on the part of the OP.
As such, the commission ordered a compensation of ₹1 lakh and costs of ₹5,000 to be paid to the consumer.
