Tamil Nadu cab aggregators made the most of the wet Monday

CHENNAI: Cab aggregators charged sky-high fares and made the most of the rains on Monday. Some spillover effect was also seen on Tuesday morning when commuters had a tough time getting to work at peak hours as cabs were either not available, charging exorbitant rates or taking very long to reach the spots.

“I regularly commute in cabs and I dread when it begins raining,” said S Radhika, an employee of a private company. “Cabs are my primary mode of transport and I know that the moment it starts raining, the fares surge. On Monday night, I paid Rs 700 for what normally costs Rs 315. It is absolutely ridiculous how the cab companies fleece customers in times of need.”

For others who were not willing to pay such high fares, they either had to resort to waiting for hours hoping for the rates to come down or were forced to haggle with auto drivers. Auto drivers too had a field day on Monday as the number of cabs were not enough to meet the demand. Autos were the next best option.

“I have the Ola app on my phone but I turn it off when it begins raining,” said an autodriver who did not wish to be identified. “It is because Ola’s surge pricing for autos is close to nothing. In this heavy rain, even if it is a short distance, do you think I would do it for Rs 30 or Rs  40? Absolutely not. So, I ask customers for whatever I think is the right rate. It is also our only time to make some money, now that everyone prefers booking cabs to autos.”

“It is very risky driving in the rain,” said an Uber driver who did not wish to be named. “I always head straight home when I know it is going to get bad because the roads get clogged and there is always fear of water entering the car. Over that visibility is low and traffic is terrible. It is not worth all the trouble just for a little extra money.” Not everyone thinks this way though. Those drivers who got long rides on Monday struck gold.

“I had one ride where I earned Rs 1017,” said an ecstatic Ola driver. “I had to go from Medavakkam to Valasaravakkam. Generally, a trip like that would cost Rs 500, but it was double on Monday. I got another ride later which was for about 14 kilometres that earned me Rs  800. Rainy days are the most profitable if you have the patience and get good rides.”However, commuters, were the ones who suffered. The rates continued to be high till noon on Tuesday.

Not worth the risk

However, for some cab drivers, the thought of driving in heavy rain is daunting. So they do not take any request for rides. That also explains in part the long wait time that many customers were subjected to on Monday