[Emvi]

I once had a similar experience in Bangalore a few years ago. IIRC, I had booked a cab and was waiting for it to arrive. Then the cab driver called and asked me to cancel the ride saying that it won't be possible for him to pick me up from my location for some reason. I had no other option but to cancel the booking/ride. And guess what, I got a notification on the Uber App that a cancellation charge of 50 bucks has been levied which would be added to my next ride! This left me so annoyed that I deleted the Uber App and have never availed their service since.

[PrasadS]

What a coincidence! I was just discussing on the same topic with my family and this post shows up.
Whenever I'm not available to chauffeur my wife around, she takes an Uber/ Ola from Navi Mumbai to Dombivali. What follows is a flurry of cancellations as soon as they see/call up for the destination, which I can understand, as Dombivali is Notorious for traffic (I'm looking at you Kalyan-Shilphata road )
Apart from that particular destination, no issues whatsoever since Navi Mumbai has amazing roads. Until 2 weeks ago.
Now almost for every route the cab driver waits for you to call, unmoving, waiting to ask the same 2 questions dear to his heart "Kahan jana hai?", "cash or online?". Just today one particular fellow absconded as soon as he heard online payment and didn't even ask us if we can do cash. We would have paid in cash if offered the opportunity since we had 2 cancellations already

Given all this, I've noticed a pattern: If you get a cab allocated and if it's not moving from it's original place for more than 3 minutes, chances are that you are facing a bad apple! He will wait for you to call and then cancel.
It's your day if its a moving car which is allocated..them saints I tell you.

[WorkingGuru]

I have rarely faced cancellations in the past 4-5 months, although they do often ask cash citing that their account is settled 2 times a week and they need to pay cash for fuel (viz getting expensive).

IMO it'd be better if they were offered to accept the ride after they found the destination ok as it'd infact reduce risk of cancellations & aggregators could automate surge for the remaining drivers to encourage rides.

COVID meant that many cabbies went to alternative jobs. Uber/Ola aren't out to help anyone, they've allowed free cancellations for drivers because they don't have the heavily funded money burn anymore to lure new drivers if the present unions strike & de-platform themselves.

So, its partly demand and supply, and partly drivers unionising to get what they want. The former is ok, the latter is shady.

Solution, is to hustle. Maybe after they arrive, tell them you changed your plan. They're much less likely to cancel after having driven a short distance to pick you up. You risk getting a bad rating, but they do too.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Emvi

I got a notification on the Uber App that a cancellation charge of 50 bucks has been levied which would be added to my next ride! This left me so annoyed that I deleted the Uber App and have never availed their service since.

That's exactly why they ask you to cancel, else they would get the fine. In future just ask them to cancel if they're unable to pick up. Ola is the same.

[thanixravindran]

I guess probably this may be new in Mumbai. This is always the case in Bangalore and Chennai for years now. There is nothing surprising when firms with deep pockets enter the market, disrupt them and drive out established players and once become mono/duopoly either leads to exorbitant to afford or reduce the service standards depending on the market.

In Bangalore, I did not had any issue of cancellation when KSTDC or Meru was there before Uber/Ola days for airport drop and you just have to come out and take the airport taxi for city drop till 2015. They costed Rs.1000/- for the 50Kms ride at that time itself. Once Uber/Ola did the discount game, Meru vanished. Once the incentives dried up for drivers and aggregator commissions increased, cancellation become the norm. You have to experience the anxiety whether you will get a cab or driver will come for airport or railway station. Not sure whether the airport taxis are still around.

Same case in Chennai with Fast-track. It was expensive but very negligible cancellations but was mostly driven out of business. First it was cash payment and then refuse to come inside airport to pick up and then become just a street auto asking where do you want to go and decide whether to come or not. Once the driver came, asks me to show the price and cancel the ride. He will only come that I pay him the amount minus the cancellation fee. He is saving the commission that Uber is taking.

I have stopped using them in Chennai. I am glad that I don't have to use them in the last two years. We always had local Auto for short trips within city area but now it has become for full day trips or railway station runs too. A bit costly but it is just a call and no cancellations or anxiety. I shudder to think once my office opens up, what will happen? Now looking for reliable call drivers for airport drops and pickups in my own car.

[searacer932]

This is nothing new and has always been an issue in Chennai particularly for early morning trips or late night trips.

With the advent of UPI, there is an option to directly pay the amount to the driver's UPI account.

Does anyone know what's the percentage of commission that
a) Uber takes for a trip
b) Ola takes for a trip

[greenhorn]

This cash payment only business was a giant headache pre covid as i hate carrying cash, but now most cabbies are happy to accept Google pay directly to their accounts.

Generally a driver is going to cancel if
1. The travel he needs to do for a pickup is more than the ride distance
2. If he's going to get stuck in heavy traffic
3. Chances of return are less

I usually cough up the difference for uber premium rides - the difference is minor. They tend to have fewer headaches
Once you do have a ride, once you get in, they usually will ask you to show them the price Uber has committed to me. Then they'll request if they can cancel the ride and pay them via Google pay for the same amount. I don't mind, and this usually happens smoothly.

Uber is probably not happy with this situation, but if they're creating problems instead of solutions, then the market will be creative enough to come up with ones they're not going to like

[GranvilleDsouza]

This has been a recent trend, honestly, we are spoiled in Mumbai. Over my last few trips to Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR, I have realized that it is even worse there. It's the norm to wait 25-30 mins for transport. In Mumbai, 5-mins away, and there the Uber is waiting for you.

From November, until just recently, I was raving how Mumbai was not this bad with respect to Ola/Uber.
(I personally only use Uber, somehow I feel their cars are a lot cleaner and well maintained with no unpleasant smells. Now I know most drivers use both apps, but it is in my head just maybe)

3+ cancellations are a norm in Delhi. Same with Hyderabad (Waited 45-mins to get a cab from Hyatt to the Airport). We do not experience this often in Mumbai. Or at least, we did not earlier.

Just last week in Delhi, I confronted an Uber driver who accepted my ride as to why are there so many cancellations.

Apparently, drivers with an exceptional rating are shown the drop location. For ones who do not have a fantastic rating, they cannot see it, and hence they question where they have to go. Also, in Delhi-NCR, almost no one will cancel an airport trip. As told to me by the driver himself.

Cut back to when I reached back, Mumbai is the same.

Had 5-6 cancellations from Mumbai Airport cause I wanted to go from the Domestic Airport to Bandra. They typically stay 1KM away, and then the question of "Kaha jaana hai?" (Where do you want to go)

Another point to note is that Uber/OLA does not respect where the driver wants to go.
Eg. at 6:00 AM, I booked an Uber to go from Malad West to the Airport (Andheri/Vile Parle).
The cabbie had put his drop location (end of his shift/workday, to go home to Vasai). What is worse is that he came approximately to the location and canceled. So I got charged a cancellation fee as well for this.

"An Uber official informed: “In our efforts to continually improve the Uber experience for riders and drivers, we are experimenting with showing drivers the destination of the trip before they decide to accept. We are actively taking feedback from driver partners and monitoring impact on customer experience.” The decision is currently applicable for the MMR region."

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/87993136.cms

[landcruiser123]

There aren't many examples of a labor intensive service can be which has been a revolutionary improvement if the workers are the same people being paid the same wages, and customer demands cheaper services. India's honeymoon period with Ola and Uber is over as these companies have been running out of VC cash to burn. I honestly don't think there's much of a process in driver training (etiquette) and car inspection.

Cancellation has been a huge menace, especially in smaller cities and towns in India. I was at Vishakapatnam in December 2021 - learnt the hard way to book day rental from local agencies.

One incident stood out - After dinner, our family (5 pax) had to get back to our airbnb from a beach resort which was 2km away. Plan was to take 2 autos. The first auto driver came to the pickup point, asked us the destination and payment method and proceeded to cancel the ride in front of us.

My mom spoke to him in Telugu and offered him almost double the money (Rs 200 for 2km) if he took 4 of us. {It was a diesel piaggio which normally takes 6-8 people in villages}. The driver still refused and drove away.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Guys who stay abroad and use Uber - is it the same experience?

Not once; I had to call an uber driver once because I was unfamiliar with downtown Chicago, but otherwise have never bothered to call/text them on the app.

I do my part and stand exactly at the pickup point, though.

[sinharishi]

This has been always been the case in NCR. UP registered cars will hesitate to go to Gurgaon/Faridabad or DL registered cabs will refuse to go to Greater Noida or HR registered cabs refuse to take you to Ghaziabad/Noida. We were without a car for 3 months and relied on Uber/Ola for commute. From day 3 onwards, wife and I made a habit of messaging the destination on the Uber/Ola app to the cab drivers instantly after booking a cab. This way we never had to wait for the drivers to call and give excuses and cancel.

What I have observed is it is easy to get a cab to reach Delhi from NCR but very difficult to find cabs to take you out of Delhi to NCR!

[ike]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Sometimes, I just take the prepaid cab from the airport. I pay slightly higher but no hassles thereon.

I was told the prepaid cabs expect some tips over and above what you have already paid in Chennai?

I have had very good experience with Uber in my hometown (Thrissur), I have used Uber in Thrissur only a handful of times and only late in the nights. No questions asked, you get an airconditioned cab for less than or equal to what an auto would cost especially if you are outside corporation limits.

[Samba]

I face the same in Kolkata too. They insist on cash and they prefer their own desired route, else they simply cancel the booking themselves or asks me to cancel it! I generally do not cancel and force the driver to cancel himself as he refused the ride.

Another icing on the cake is, most of the Ola/Uber drivers in Kolkata will say, their A/C is not working! So once the cab is booked, I call the driver and confirm whether the A/C is working or not! Out of 5 cabs it's the same story with atleast 3 cabs! In winter, I do not bother, but in summer I always cancel the ride if the driver refuse to turn on the A/C.

[JoshMachine]

Its the same in Pune too! However, the hassle is slightly diluted since we don't use Uber much. Rely on our own ride most of the times.
But the problem in general remains - drivers calling beforehand to check the destination - if the destination is expected to be crowded (near a mall, airport, railway station etc) ONLY then those guys "accept" the ride. Else, they coolly cancel and forfeit whatever amount they are required to do so.

[akhil_007]

Well, most of the experiences shared saintly to me compared to what I experienced once.

Booked a cab at 6:30 AM. The cabbie accepted the ride, called me and asked for destination.

Cabbie: Where is the destination Saar?
Me: XXX. How long to pick me up? I see you are pretty close to my location
Cabbie: Payment is Cash ah, Saar?
Me: No. PayTM
Cabbie: Cash only saar.
Me: I m not carrying the cash. You have accepted the ride. Better come and pick me up. I cant cancel
Cabbie: Not possible saar

Ten minutes passed. He is not moving. I cancelled the ride, cancellation fee got added to my account.

I tried booking again. No cabs except for one. And this was the same cabbie. He accepted after 2-3 mins. Called me again

Cabbie: No cabs available nearby saar. I can pick you and drop you fast. Cash only saar
Me: I dont have cash with me.
Cabbie: You can withdraw from ATM nearby, when I drop you off
Me: Ok. Do you have change. ATM does not give me exact amount to pay you
Cabbie: How much is App showing you?
Me: 563 Rs
Cabbie: Do one thing. Cancel the ride. I ll pay you 100 in cash for 2 cancellations. Also, I ll pick you up and drop without Uber. You can pay me 350 in cash
Me (thinking): Creativity at its finest.

I agreed and went ahead with the ride. I would not have agreed if it was late night OR if family members were travelling though

[rajivr1612]

Last Sunday I booked an Uber cab after a gap of more that two years. This was for a short ride from my house in KK Nagar to Ashok Nagar Metro station (Chennai). I had couple of suitcases and laptop bags. I didn't look at a specific type of cab, but selected UberGo since it was the cheapest at around 110 Rs. As everyone mentioned here, I got a call from the driver asking the destination and type of payment. I told him the destination in map was correct and disconnected the call.
Sure enough he reached home in a Swift Dezire at the set time but I was shocked by what he said next. As I had booked UberGo, I don't have the boot facility and have to keep the luggage in the cabin. As I had couple of suitcases and couple of laptop bag, I managed with one in the front and other on mine and wife's lap.
Is this really the case that UberGo does not allow boot usage?
I was not a frequent cab user even pre-covid, hence don't know the nitty gritties.