Over 3,200 passenger complaints have been registered against online cab aggregators

NEW DELHI: Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has slapped notices on cab aggregators Ola and Uber for unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights. Over 3,200 passenger complaints have been registered against them. Complaints are largely related to deficiency in services, levy of cancellation charges, over-charging and non-refund of amount paid.
The issues that have been flagged by the CCPA include lack of proper response from customer support, driver refusing to accept digital payments and insisting on cash, higher amount charged despite going on the same route earlier at a lower charge and drivers refusing to switch on AC when they were promised on the app at the time of booking the ride. Practices of online cab aggregators had also come under the lens of the consumer affairs department, with secretary Rohit Kumar Singh recently convening a meeting, asking the companies to follow transparent policies on charges and other services. Last week, the ministry had said that close to 2,500 complaints were registered against Ola, while 770 grievances were posted against Uber in NCH. During the past one year, there has been spurt in complaints against cab aggregators, including a series of cancellations by driv- ers even after booking a ride.
“The number of complaints that people lodge with the helpline (NCH) is minuscule. Since NCH is a source for us to find the nature of computer complaints, we are hopeful of more people using the helpline number (1915),” an official said.