[NPV]

Recently used Shoffr twice for onward and return To & From Bangalore airport.

Onward - 2am pickup at home, had booked previous day and car arrived on time and I received driver detaills almost 2 hours prior. First time Shoffr experience for my family and they were impressed (rear passengers need to be buckled up which is a great thing). Very comfortable ride and good driver.

Return - booked the cab while boarding at Ahmedabad airport since we wanted to be sure that our flight was on time. Landed at Bangalore and I received the driver details. We scheduled the pickup for 1:30 am, an hour after our flight landed so that we had time to pick up our checked in luggage and also grab some food. Again, a nice ride, great experience overall. The driver was super happy when I conversed in Kannada, he said I was the first customer who spoke in Kannada since the time he started working for them 6 months ago!

Both times I chose the toll option and paid Rs.1310. On enquiring with the drivers, they said that when non toll option is selected, they bypass the toll by using the exit towards Baglur side and joining back somewhere near Sadahalli.

[sameer_vwagner]

Been 4 months since i tried Shoffr for the first time and was surprised to see have already taken about 15 rides with them. A few quick observations:

- Car interiors remain clean. Externally they wash the cars at the start of their duty hence at night, the exterior might have some dust (and this is perfectly normal as most of their cabs are on airport duty and there is a lot of construction going on in that region).
- They try their best to make sure even last minute changes are accommodated. On a couple of occassions, my last minute change requests were responded to by Vikas and Kislay (Co-founders).
- I have taken their airport pickup at odd hours (thanks to Vistara's last BOM-BLR service not operating on time since i dont know when) and their drivers dont look sleepy, neither have they asked to play music and nor are they on their phones.
- A few of their drivers do tell you that the seat back jacket has water bottles, polo (mint), sanitizers. On almost all the times when they dropped me at the airport, the drivers offered me a bottle of water - a great touch that speaks volumes about their grooming.
- Unlike other cab aggregators, since these chaps are paid salaries, they dont make faces when they hear a drop location that is not to their liking. Also, they drive safe and hence I have comforatbly dozed off at odd hours while using their service.
- Also tried their rental service and that too was very good, no complaints whatsoever.

Hope they start service in other cities too.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Indeed Ola and Uber needed some start-ups to emerge and take on them. Two EV operators Shoffr and BluSmart it is evident have now landed on the coveted "runway".

I have been using Blu Smart of late for Airport runs, preferring them to the dirty OLA cabs and the dirty Uber cabs here in Bangalore.
Normally they give a Tata Tigor which is perfectly fine.
Sometimes they say ‘Classic’ isn't available and they push one to the ‘Premium SUV’ which usually is an MG ZS EV.
Ive booked one for tomorrow and am likely to get an MG as above.
For the return journeys from the Airport I find that it is much better to use the normal Airport Taxis.

[A.K]

Something interesting that I came across today. Damn cool to see funds being raised from users!

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update...ULT%2Cfalse%29

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I have been using Blu Smart of late for Airport runs...

Blusmart is the most incompetent cab service I've come across. Pre booked airport drops were cancelled twice. The first time the driver said that the blusmart guys were giving him a hard time and flatly refused to come. A month later I had a similar experience where the driver told me that he was still cleaning the cab and would be half an hour late.
There was no alternate cab provided and customer service does not exist.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Roy.S

Blusmart is the most incompetent cab service I've come across. Pre booked airport drops were cancelled twice. The first time the driver said that the blusmart guys were giving him a hard time and flatly refused to come..

Due to the range of the Tata cab, half the daily range and the wait for the charge and the wait for the return journey means airport drops are not productive for them. THats why BluSmart have taken on a fleet of MG's.

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Due to the range of the Tata cab, half the daily range and the wait for the charge and the wait for the return journey means airport drops are not productive for them. THats why BluSmart have taken on a fleet of MG's.

Out of the 2 no shows by Blusmart, one was a MG. Both the pickups were booked 2 days in advance and they were not at inconvenient times. One was at 9:30am and the other at 5:00pm.
If airport drops are not productive they should not offer the service. Leaving the client high and dry at the last minute just underlines their incompetence.
This is an electric cab company with the morals of a shady auto driver.

[G-BoleroBoy]

Hi, I had similar experience with Blusmart after they ditched me couple of times when I had booked two days in advance for airport drop. Shoffr experience proved great when I tried them and stuck to it as my preferred choice. I really want shoffr to succeed and it works really well for me for airport runs. However recent experience was a let down with shoffr. They reassigned a cab in the last minute that had me waiting for cab in the middle of the night at airport over 30+ minutes in sweltering heat. Yes, the undergound pick-up point in terminal 2 airport doesn’t get much fresh air while cars running there add to fumes and heat.
Back to Shoffr story, the original driver assigned called me and told he was coming to pick up as I was walking out of aircraft. But later when I called him after reaching pick-up point and waiting there for few minutes he changed the stance stating he was still on the way to airport and somebody else will call me. New cab assigned after few minutes and when I called that driver he told me he would need 20 mins to pick me. I had booked a cab for 10:45 pm pickup for a flight that has arrival time of 10:30pm. Yet I had to wait for so long. I was waiting for over 30 mins at pickup point after which I called their help desk multiple times to see that the number was engaged. Finally when I got through the person on the other end, he politely stated that the original car assigned had a headlight issue and hence they had to change the car. I was ok with that, but not ok with the way drivers were replying not so politely and seemed to be harried with their assignments.

Helpdesk person on the other hand was giving excuses about such technical issues happen (I understand) and reassignments do happen. That’s absolutely fine, but that needs to be handled more efficiently with minimal impact to customer. They need not wait for passenger to reach waiting point to figure out the car is not coming since it is reassigned. An additional car in queue is all they need to get this sorted. However, to his credit the helpdesk person offered me to sponsor a coffee. I told him that meant I had to walk back all the way to some/any shop in terminal with luggage to get that coffee and send them bill for reimbursement. Really? Would somebody do that? I declined this offer as politely as I could.

Meanwhile the cab reached at 11:20 or so and parked a little away from where I had said I was waiting (pick up point 12). When asked driver said there was another car there at pickup point 12 which clearly was not true. I ignored all that and got in and finally the ride started.
Later on the driver told me that originally assigned car driver had some issues with the lady passenger he was dropping and hence was taken off the roster immediately- and that impacted my ride. To the extent that my reassigned car guy didn’t have time to replenish water bottles before he picked me up.
To my dismay and bad luck this guy rode a bit rough - or the car probably was not riding well - or I was hungry and hence started feeling nauseous. Most likely the third reason. Somehow, that ride is something I want to forget and move on.

This happened on Thursday 2nd may 2024 night at Bangalore airport. I had sent series of WhatsApp messages to the number listed in shoffr app for contact. And offered them I could talk through all this and offer some candid feedback since I want to continue shoffr for airport trips. Not a single response from them though I could see them being online at times. Because there is no better alternative in Bangalore yet may be? I have to go back to BMTC bus which is super comfortable and reliable. Except the last mile connectivity to home that I have to manage.

All this rant because I think Shoffr has higher patronage these days and either they are struggling with volumes or they are yet to sort out their customer management aspect (helpdesk particularly). Either ways, I will probably give them one more chance before jumping on to BMTC.

PS: typed on mobile, please excuse brevity. Admins, please excuse any typos. Plus I waited this long to see if shoffr would revert for my WhatsApp messages. But they haven’t. So, alerting other patrons to watch out. Thanks for reading through.

[SourPai]

After really good experience 3-4 times in the recent 5-6 months, had not so good experience last time for Bangalore airport pickup

• Got whats app message with car number and driver number. Called driver on the booked time as I was walking out with luggage, and he said he is 30 min away. I was surprised as these cabs are usually 15-20 min before time
• Called helpcentre, they said they will resolve and driver will come in 10 min
• called driver again to confirm, but he said he cant come before 30 min... casually checked his car number, but it was different from whatsapp message car number
• Called help centre again about this goofup from their side. They said they will resolve again
• Finally got another message with different car and different driver. He took another 20-25 min to come for pickup

Overall I had to wait for 30 - 40 min in this process. I guess their systems are not automated and prone to manual errors.

[atnyia]

I had the same experience with Shoffr the last couple of times.

The airports drops were fine. In one pickup, the AC didn't work and we had to ride out window panes open on the ORR. The second time wss the same story of car reassignment due to some 'issue' with original car.

Couple of takeaways:
1. Operations is the soft spot. I feel that they overbook and drivers are scrambling to make time for pick ups. Heard a couple of stories from drivers on how they made up the lost time by driving extra fast or skipping meals. They need to hire a good operation manager as the current one isn't doing a good job.

2. Issues aren't resolved quickly. They face parts issues from BYD. One guy told me about driving with a broken mirror (probably the easiest replacement) for over a month.

A great offering but execution is lacking for past few months now.

[115]

Booked Shoffr for a late night Bangalore airport pickup for guests. Flight got delayed. I was able to modify the booking on their website. I reached out to them on WhatsApp also informing them about the delay. Response was very prompt though they do not have have a dedicated customer support team.
The driver arrived on time and the journey was uneventful.
Overall happy with their services.

[itspatra]

Are there any reliable cab service for 5 person transfers to the cabin. I look forward to take my family to the airport in the coming weeks. ( All are adults, I looked into shoffr but they say 4 person cabs ) Should I try my luck with Ola/Uber SUVs ?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by itspatra

Are there any reliable cab service for 5 person transfers to the cabin. I look forward to take my family to the airport in the coming weeks. ( All are adults, I looked into shoffr but they say 4 person cabs ) Should I try my luck with Ola/Uber SUVs ?

SUV with 5 people plus luggage may still not be convenient for your requirement, you can instead consider booking 2 cars. Do check if Mega Cabs has larger cars (advantage is advance booking), or even Uber XL may work (but you may have to take a chance finding one before you head out).

[G-BoleroBoy]

Originally Posted by itspatra

Are there any reliable cab service for 5 person transfers to the cabin. I look forward to take my family to the airport in the coming weeks. ( All are adults, I looked into shoffr but they say 4 person cabs ) Should I try my luck with Ola/Uber SUVs ?

You may have to look at non-airport taxi to ensure you get an Innova for this need. Ertiga is usually the car that shows up as Uber XL. You can’t really fit so many people and luggage in ertiga. Economically speaking, two sedans may not be too expensive compared to Innova hire.

Alternate option is to check if BMTC volvo is an option for you.

[ShreyG]

Originally Posted by itspatra

Are there any reliable cab service for 5 person transfers to the cabin.

You can try Wegacabs for booking larger vehicles. They are generally cheaper than Uber / Ola and have been reliable so far.