Uber/Ola drivers trend: "Where do you want to go"

Of late though, it's become a menace with almost every booking being followed by a call from the driver asking "where do you want to go?" ("destination kya hai?").

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I use Uber a lot over late nights, and if I'm going to a crowded place during the day with zero parking. Of late though, it's become a menace with almost every booking being followed by a call from the driver asking "where do you want to go?" ("destination kya hai?"). I refuse to answer the question and tell them clearly that Uber / you are supposed to take me wherever I want to go in the city.

About 75% of the time, the driver cancels the booking and I'm allotted another car. That leads to a few additional minutes of wait time. On Sunday evening, I had two Uber guys cancel on me, finally getting the 3rd car.

1. How do you guys handle this?

2. Is Ola better?

3. Why the heck isn't Uber disciplining its drivers? Cancellations from the driver ruin the customer experience. It should impose penalties for drivers cancelling trips after accepting them.

Here's what BHPian lapis_lazuli had to say on the matter:

It is surprising that you discovered it so late, This has been the case for quite some time now, especially in NCR. Ola is no better. Worse in fact. Some will ask, say OK and then not cancel, so that the cancellation is done by the customer. In these cases, I just keep it as it is. The booking stays active till the driver cancels, and he is usually wasting his time, as he would not get another booking as long as he is being a smart-ass! I use another phone to book. That is my way of putting them in line. Eventually the driver cancels and I believe he is penalized a small amount. Some are clever: they will reach close to your location, refuse to go, but then report as customer has not arrived. In most cases you can raise a dispute and get a refund if the cancellation is charged on you. In Kolkata, they would not turn on the AC, but that is a different matter though. Refusals, asking about your destination and trickery, has been with Uber since long. Most drivers have BOTH the apps, so the human factor does not change. Some ask, and say they are asking to check if they would have enough gas, and they would go anywhere. So all types of excuses and drivers, co-exist!

Here's what BHPian khan_sultan had to say on the matter:

In NCR, OLA drivers call after booking and ask on how payment will be made. If you say it will be wallet/UPI etc, they start asking for cash payment and then just don't move or cancel after a long time if you say NO.

They give excuses of bank account not working etc (lies) and then you just have to cancel or wait for the driver to cancel.

Has happened multiple times over several days with me here in NCR.

Here's what BHPian am1m had to say on the matter:

This has been the case in Bangalore for a long time, both Uber and Ola!

And from time immemorial, with auto drivers. I guess the guys who would have become auto drivers became uber and ola drivers instead and carried on with their tricks.

For some time, between pandemic waves, I had good experiences with ola auto. I guess the pandemic brought about a shock and the need to work. But looks like they are back to their old tricks.

Why uber and ola don't do anything about this menace is a mystery. They should just take the driver off the platform if they have say 3 cancellations in a row or something like that. This is going to reduce trust in their service, so it's in their interest to stop these things.

Here's what BHPian samurai had to say on the matter:

It is not a new trend, it is the SOP. You book, they call with questions...

Unless Uber disables the feature to call/message the customer, this is not going to go away.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.