Apple devices are the most lost items during festive days and Diwali.

Uber has released its annual ‘Lost and Found Index’. The survey lists the most forgetful cities in India, as well as the items that Uber riders forgot in the cabs.

According to the 2024 edition of the Lost and Found survey, travellers in Delhi are the most forgetful, followed by Mumbai and Bangalore. Hyderabad is the 4th most forgetful city, followed by Pune in fifth place. 

As per the data, phones, bags, wallets, and clothing were some of the most common items that riders forgot, followed by items like water bottles, keys, spectacles and jewellery. Apple devices are the most lost items during festive days and Diwali.

Besides the usual items that riders forgot in cabs, there were a few unique ones that stood out. These include a Ukulele, a coin collection, prasad and even a hair trimmer. Some riders also forgot their passports, bank and business papers in the cabs.

The survey revealed that riders are most likely to forget their belongings in an Uber on Saturdays and in the evenings at around 7 pm. 

Rapido has been offering bike taxi services in over 100 cities in India.

Rapido, the 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler ride-hailing platform is all set to launch its cab service to compete with brands like Ola and Uber.

According to a media report, Rapido has been operating its cab service in Hyderabad over the last few months on a pilot basis. The platform, which is in an advanced test stage, has received a positive response till now.

"At Rapido, we're thrilled to share that our test run in Hyderabad for Rapido Cabs is off to a fantastic start. The city's vibrant market has warmly embraced us, and the positive response is truly heartening. As we navigate our path forward, we are committed to keeping you closely informed about our progress and eagerly anticipate bringing our innovative services to other cities," the company said in a statement.

Rapido was founded in 2015 and has been offering bike taxi services in over 100 cities in India. The company recently expanded into the 3-wheeler segment.

Source: Tech Crunch

Most of the common vehicles used are Mahindra Xylo, Chevrolet Tavera, Toyota Innova and Etios, Tata Indica and Indigo, and Hyundai Xcent.

BHPian efuture recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello all, I am creating this thread to clear a bug that comes to my mind every time I cross an IT park in Chennai. There are a lot of cabs - hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs / MPVs parked outside the parks and a lot more cabs coming out of the gate.

I was curious how the business is working, who is making money out there, how much corporate companies are paying to transport the employees and why not big buses and vans and why small hatchbacks or some 7-seater SUVs.

I have many friends in IT, but none of them knows how it works even though they avail the service every day. Most common vehicles are Xylo, Tavera, Innova, Indica, Indigo, Etios and Xcent in Chennai. Also, there are not many affordable diesel vehicles available in the market. With this, how this industry's future is going to be without affordable fuel-efficient machinery?

I'm reaching out to the forum members to throw some light on employee transportation in the corporate sector with small cars and MPVs.

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

In Bangalore, usually, the pick-up and drop is from/at the employee's house, so to better navigate the small side roads and to better distribute the pick-up and drop in different parts of the city, I guess they opt for smaller vehicles. The bigger IT companies like Infy do use buses, and I guess for common pickup and drop areas on main roads, a bigger vehicle would work.

On rates- at one company I used to work at, the transport bill used to cost the company 10L a month.

Here's what BHPian Everlearner had to say about the matter:

Our company uses small hatchbacks and sedans for employee transport in Bengaluru since the BLR population is small compared to other locations. Sometimes I chat with the drivers on my way to office/home. Below are some pointers I heard from them.

• The organization has tied up with a vendor who has an app to provide booking/cancellation and also live tracking of cabs.
• The actual contract of the organization is with a large vendor who in turn hires multiple individual cabs.
• Most of the cab drivers are owners as well and they get paid around 55k as a monthly package for a 12-hour daily shift. So, the actual billing rate from the vendor to the org will be more than this.
• There is no separate fuel or maintenance allowance. The driver/owner needs to take care of the expenses within this package. Most of the drivers say the fuel expenses are easily managed with this package.
• Daily workload for a cab involves 2-3 pickup trips and 2-3 drop trips spread across the day. My very crude guess would be around 150-200 KM running per day.
• Most of the cabs are either diesel or CNG.

Additionally, transport via small cars is more expensive for the company. Our Mumbai office provides only TT/minibus type of vehicles with designated stops only on very major roads. Since the BLR population is small, larger vehicles may not get completely utilized. I have heard that BLR office will also follow Mumbai model once we reach a substantial population.

Here's what BHPian raptor_diwan had to say about the matter:

There used to be an agency that partnered with IT companies to provide such services.

Even one of my friends working in IT bought a Toyota Etios car through EMI and leased it to the agency for use as a cab. They provided a driver, and the car was used extensively for about 3 to 4 years. My friend received monthly payments, which not only covered the EMI but also generated a decent profit. When the car reached retirement age ( According to IT companies, they generally do not use cars that are older than 5 years. ) my friend handed it over to another agency, continuing the cycle.

As mentioned by others, not every company is as large as TCS to afford and utilize big buses. Besides, they might lack sufficient parking space. Opting for smaller cars enables them to conveniently pick up and drop off employees even in narrow streets, while also reaching more locations efficiently.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

Many larger IT companies offer a free drop during the night time - say, for people working in the afternoon shift. Night shift folks get a pick-up and drop. 2nd shift folks will need to pay for the pick-up since it is in the daytime, and they often use public transport for this part.

In such cases, they can make do with smaller cars, like hatchbacks.

Others -esp larger companies - do a pick-up and drop for even day shift folks, and these companies would use the larger vehicles.

Pick-up /drop being at door-step, they often have to go into smaller roads - hence here again a smaller car will be better.

I guess it's all about logistics - the number of people on the trip, & the location that will decide the type of vehicles.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The quality of cabs has significantly deteriorated. Half the cars I get now are junk, rattly, smelly and toward the end of their life.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I work from home. Up until 2022, if I had to step out during the day, Uber & Ola were my default commuting tools, despite having multiple cars of my own down the house. Reason = I can work during the commute, and most official work was always in areas with impossible parking.

However, since the last 2 - 3 years, I have observed that:

• The quality of cabs has significantly deteriorated. Half the cars I get now are junk, rattly, smelly and toward the end of their life. 40% of cabs are just about okay, and only 10% are in good condition. In a lot of Ubers & Olas, the AC is no longer powerful enough (presumably due to poor maintenance).
• The quality of customer service from drivers has significantly deteriorated. This is especially the case with Uber, which has suffered such driver shortages that the pendulum of power has swung from customers -> drivers. Neither Uber nor drivers care about ratings anymore. Drivers now call asking about the location, payment method etc. and cancel frequently.
• Availability of cabs, waiting times & trip cancellations have become perennial problems with both the app providers.
• Despite the above, in my experience, Ola has emerged as the superior provider. Earlier, I used to fire up Uber exclusively, but now, I find Ola Cabs to provide the better experience.

Considering the above, here is how my Uber / Ola usage pattern has changed since 2020:

My usage of these cabs has drastically dropped. Now, in order of priority:

• I call for a driver from DriveU, had taken their Black membership for priority service. Only in the rough & tough Thar though, not the soft & delicate Bimmer.
• I drive myself if there is parking available.
• Uber & Ola are now the last resort.
• Earlier, in late nights for a dinner or party, I'd call for an Uber / Ola. Now, I only call for a temporary driver to drive my car on the way back from the restaurant. The entire party mood goes away while commuting in a smelly, worn out cab.

I have moved from being a customer multiple times a month, to opening up the app perhaps once or twice a month now.

What about you?

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

I had stopped using Ola and Uber long before the pandemic and it continues.

If I need a cab, I rely on the local cab operator who provides a cab within an hour and pricing is on par and sometimes cheaper. I am assured of clean cab and a safer driver since I am a regular. customer.

My travel requirements in other cities are taken care by our office, so never felt the need of these apps.

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

Ola/ Uber usage has become negligible now.

• For airport/ station runs, I use a local cab who provides excellent cabs on competitive (if not cheaper) fares.
• Use personal cars for other errands/ outings.

For example, had to use the cab yesterday from home (HSR) to Bellandur [Bangalore]. Started booking cab from 9:15am (both Ola and Uber) and finally got an Ola at 10:00am. Good that I wasn't in a rush.

IMO, Ola/ Uber = Unreliable.

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

Uber is now my last resort.

I have switched over to Blu-Smart Electric Cabs whenever there is predictability about my travel time.

• They are newer, drivers are far more professional and the rates are at par, if not cheaper than Uber.
• No surge pricing
• I was told by one of the drivers that there is no cancellation button available for the drivers, so they cant cancel a ride. I am not sure if this is true.
• Boot space in electric cars is more compared to CNG cars.
• Available for rental too.
• Lesser carbon footprint.
• I don't know if it is by design, but my wife sometimes (25-30% times) gets a lady driver assigned to her when she books using her phone.

The downsides:

• Only hatchbacks and sedans are available.
• Need to book in advance as last minute slots are generally not available.
• Still expanding their network to cover all areas (in Delhi at least).

Overall - Well done Tatas, Ambanis and other investors! Let's hope it can maintain the standards and does not go the Uber way.

Here' what BHPian airguitar had to say on the matter:

Ola/Uber almost never in the last year or so.

• I never get a cab/auto from the apps when I need the most ( to work and from work : peak hours). NEVER! The app keeps you waiting as if you are at a sarkari bank with absolutely no engagement. To top it when you try to cancel, the app lies through it's teeth that "your trip has just been offered to a driver, do you want to wait until he accepts or do you want to cancel" - 1 star rating just for this lie of a message.
• Smelly, dirty vehicles, most of them don't even turn on ACs these days. You have to ask them to turn on.

#1 is the biggest reason why I don't take the cabs. I drive myself and the family to every required place. Thankfully, parking is not always a problem in Bangalore. Exceptions are when I don't feel like driving ( 1-2 times a month ) where I hire an auto (yes, you guessed it right, at the price of an uber cab ) or take the metro.

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

No change.

I hate driving the car within the city, and was using a mix of two wheelers, public transport (metro, etc if available) and Uber/Ola. The availability of the vehicle used to be always a coin toss for me, so I don't see a difference now. Also I use Ola/Uber autos a lot more than their cabs; and that have not changed in any manner (eg condition). However I do agree - I rarely see new / well maintained Uber/Ola cars but that never really impacted me.

Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to say on the matter:

Yes.

Instead of having two demons, I chose to keep one and so I have Uber only. I know that I will get a cab after waiting for 0.5-1 hr and hence I plan accordingly. And I have started using auto too to reduce my wait time, which I never preferred as I felt it was unstable.

We also got a two wheeler now to reduce our dependency on Uber further. If it's any longer than a one time 5-10 km drop, I reach out to my trusted travels guy and pre-book a cab. He might be slightly more expensive but is super reliable, has a clean fleet of cabs and good drivers.

With this, our Uber usage is less 10 trips in a year unless I am traveling outstation without my car.

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

In Delhi NCR avoiding OLA/uber is difficult but now options are available.

Although services of OLA/Uber is becoming unreliable day by day this is despite increased prices.

Issues:

• Almost 50-70% drivers cancel ride after accepting.
• Some don't move towards your location and you are forced to cancel yourself inviting cancellation charges.
• Toll charges included even when their is no Toll. I stay in Noida. Their is toll booth when entering Delhi from noida but their is none when entering noida from Delhi. But don't know why Toll charges still included. There used to be a big issue with Uber. When booking from Noida expressway towards Vaishali Ghaziabad, double toll tax used to be pre- included as the route selected by the app based on shortest time passes through Delhi even while the shortest route was through UP itself without any tolls. when customer forces driver to pass through UP only, OLA used to reduce fare but not uber. Now it's the other way round OLA still charges Upfront fare shown(Inclusive of Double Toll) but uber after repeated complaints have sorted this issue.
• Surge pricing as much as 50-70%.
• Previously the surge pricing used to be applied before you started your ride. So atleast you know the expected fare. And final fare used to close to the upfront fare shown. Now surge pricing is applied even while on the ride.
• Many cab riders have now started demanding extra over and a above fare shown or they don't move to your destination.
• No confirmed pre-booking for a particular time. Even if you pre-book the availability of cab is not confirmed.

I have started using other options such as Indrive and Blue electric.

Indrive is really good:

• Cancellation are rare as driver who has accepted your ride knows destination and fare beforehand.
• You can choose the type of cab from among all those who have accepted your offer. So i can choose a sedan or better cab at the same price as hatchback.
• Fare is almost 10/20% less than OLA/Uber for short distance and 30% less for longer distance rides.
• You can choose your surge price. It's not forced on you. If none of driver accepts your offer, they would provide their offer or you may revise your offer. But in most cases despite such surge prices it's still far cheaper than that shown on OLA/Uber, since more drivers accept your offer on Indrive than on OLA/Uber.

For pre-booking you can choose Blue Electric.

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

I knew my Uber usage had dropped but I didn’t realise how much! Checked my Uber app. Used Uber several times in Tokyo recently. But as I scrolled down the trip list (which included several cancelations), I very quickly started seeing trips in New York dating back to February 2020. Incredibly, I have used Uber only 7 times (and attempted to use it 3-4 more times which were canceled) since Covid started. Scrolling down further, I realised I used Uber at least 2-3 times a month before that.

Didn’t use Ola much either in the past or recently - can see only one trip in my history (don’t know when they delete trips from the log).

RIP Uber at least in India.

Chek out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

In 2017, the Supreme Court had directed states to install Speed Limiting Devices (SLDs) on transport vehicles, including cabs.

The government is looking to set maximum speed limits for different types of roads based on the lane configuration instead of having separate speed limits for passenger cars and cabs.

At present, the speed limit for private cars on expressways and national highways is 120 km/h and 100 km/h, respectively. However, cabs are electronically limited to 80 km/h. The issue recently came up during discussions held by a committee set up for the 'Review of Speed Limit' of vehicles by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

The Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), in a letter to the ministry, has termed the policy as "highly discriminatory".

"This is highly discriminatory and doesn't serve the purpose. Speed limits should be defined by safety features provided in vehicles rather than applying different speed limits to the same model on vehicles based on its category as transport and non-transport," BOCI said.

A Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety had directed all states to install Speed Limiting Devices (SLDs) on transport vehicles, including cabs, in April 2017.

Source: ET Auto

Non-transport vehicles include 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers with white number plates.

The government of Maharashtra has banned the use of non-transport vehicles for aggregation and car-pooling.

The government, citing road safety concerns has issued a government resolution (GR) on January 19, which bans the use of non-transport vehicles (white number plate) including 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers for car-pooling.

According to the GR, the use of non-transport vehicles for commercial purposes is on the rise, which has raised serious practical and security concerns for passengers. It also affects the economic viability of vehicles operating with valid permits.

The GR also states that if non-transport vehicles are to be permitted to be used for aggregation and car-pooling, it would require detailed consideration regarding terms and conditions, framework and guidelines.

Source: ET Auto

A few weeks later when I checked my Ola app, it showed me that I need to clear my pending dues (of my last ride).

BHPian v12 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I usually do not like to post grievances online but I guess Ola Customer Support has taken it too far now.

I have had a lot of good and not so good experience with Customer Support across various services - Internet Services Providers, Banks, Consumer Stores etc. But the Ola Customer Support takes the cake.

I have been using Ola since a couple of years now and till date have never faced any issues whatsoever. However things changed at the start of the year and that was now my last Ola drive. I'd rather use a regular autorickshaw than Ola cabs.

I had booked an Ola cab from Mumbai to Thane in January this year. Post completion of the ride, the payment was promptly made to the driver (through GPay). A few weeks later when I checked my Ola app, it showed me that I need to clear my pending dues (of my last ride). I tried reaching out to Ola Customer Support through their app - and believe it or not, they don't have a section where you can select a query for payment made and not acknowledged. They do not even have a Hotline number that works at any time of the day. I finally sent them an email to their customer support on 4-Mar with evidence showing the ride details and the payment being made. And the response I receive from them is to raise a grievance via the app (where there is no option). I drop an email back mentioning there is no option to select for the query I have.

And here is the rest of the story :

On March 5, I received an email from Manisha "Please note that the amount will not reflect in your account after 72 hours."

I checked in Mar 9 and the message still showed on the app.

On March 13 I received an email from Anjali "We tried reaching you on your mobile number *******## on 12-03-2022 at around 12:45 PM but we couldn't get through." - but I never got any call from Ola.

On Mar 17 I receive an email from Himanshu to provide more details which were already provided earlier.

On Mar 18 I receive an email from Dorothy that you are unable to provide a refund - BUT I NEVER ASKED FOR A REFUND.

On March 19 I received an email from Santhosh "Please note that the amount will not reflect in your account after 72 hours."

On March 20 I received an email from Mohan "Please note that the amount will not reflect in your account after 72 hours."

On March 23 I received an email from Lalith "Please note that the amount will not reflect in your account after 72 hours."

At this rate, I am sure each and every employee from the Ola Customer Support will be reaching out to me with a 72 hours turn-around-time.

It's 28-Mar today and there is no resolution on the issue. I mean, how hard is it for an Ola Customer Support to review the evidence that I have attached and resolve the query. The email has been through 7 executives now without a proper resolution.

Seriously, this kind of a support is ridiculous. Reminds me of the joke, how many OLA Customer Support executives people does it take to resolve one simple query??

Answer, probably their entire Customer Service department.

Have any of you faced such a situation with Ola Customer Support? Please do share your experiences.

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

How timely is this post. Just last Friday did I use Ola app after a period of few years.

It was 5 in the morning and I was not the most attentive after three days of travel. The new UI was confusing to me. I assumed i had selected the cash option and promptly paid the driver in cash after completing the journey.

After freshening up, I sat with the mobile to see a mail about Ola post paid pop in my mailbox. Apparently i had selected Ola post paid option to pay up the amount. So basically i ended up paying twice for the journey. I was fuming and tried looking up options for raising a ticket. Three mails down and still I have no idea if they have seen my communication at all. Just 15 minutes back, I paid up the dues of Ola post paid as well and promptly logged off Ola never to use it again.

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

Ola Customer Support executives select responses to customer complaints from the various options in a drop down menu. They are not allowed to think up a response.

That is why you get responses that are repeated. Nothing new.

The reason for this is 3 fold:

(1) Ola / Uber do not want their executives to draft their own response - you can imagine the quality of English you would have to handle and (2) Ola / Uber believe that all complaints can be categorized into the options mentioned in their internal drop down menu. (3) Varying responses by customer support executives could land Ola in trouble.

So if you’re stuck outside of those options, you have to keep repeating your complaint, IGNORING the response from the customer support executive AND ask for an escalation to the higher up’s.

If you’re patient enough till this complaint lying open catches the eye of the higher up’s you could get a resolution.

Best of luck.

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

Ok, This means the driver simply has not updated the Cash as collected and scammed you. When the driver reaches the destination, he will complete the trip. You will see the trip as complete in the status. When the cash is paid, he has to mark it as Paid and then the status will change to Paid (in Green color) for you. If it is card payment, it is automatic as Ola will change it in software.

I experienced this more than 5 years ago in Bangalore Railway station with Ola. I completed the trip, paid in cash but status is only Completed and not as Paid. I waited for 10 minutes and then called the driver (I was lucky as I called him earlier) and asked him to update the payment status. He told that there is a network problem and I told I will call Ola support since I have to take another cab. He updated and immediately trip status becomes Paid.

So you may try reaching out the driver as you have the number and check the possibility of him updating the trip status to Paid. Or check whether you can escalate it through social media channels.

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

Hi V12.

I have a similar story to share and my issue isn’t resolved two years later.

I took Ola ride in March 2020 from Hyderabad Airport to home. I paid the driver via Paytm and the driver I believe scammed me by not updating the trip is settled.

Couple of days later when I wanted to take another ride I noticed Ola wants me to pay. I immediately reached out support from the app and received bit like responses just like you did.

Reached out to them on Twitter and it gets funnier. They ask me to pay up and request refund. That sounded counter intuitive to me.

They wanted me to pay one more time just so I can check back in to taste their world class service one more time!? And that’s how they permanently lost me to Uber.

Anyway, let pictures do the talking:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The service has been launched in Lucknow and will be expanded to other cities in the near future.

Uber has rolled out a WhatsApp-based ride-booking option in India.

Uber Technologies Inc and Meta Platforms Inc have collaborated to develop this capability that uses WhatsApp's chatbot. The service has been launched in Lucknow and will be expanded to other cities in the near future.

WhatsApp users can register, book rides and receive trip receipts on the messaging platform itself. Further, the driver's name, license plate and location enroute to pickup will be included in the WhatsApp booking information.

At present, the service is only available in English, but there are plans to include support for other Indian languages as well.

It is an app-free mobility service managed by ex-servicemen.

Motherpod Innovations Pvt. Ltd. has launched India's first ex-servicemen managed all-electric cab service called SainikPod Sit & Go in Bangalore.

SainikPod Sit & Go is an app-free mobility service aimed at those who find app-based ride-hailing services cumbersome and time-consuming.

The service uses all-electric Nanos built by Electra EV. The cars are equipped with a rooftop indicator. All one needs to do is flag down a car with a green rooftop indicator. To start the ride, the passenger has to give a missed call to a number provided in the vehicle.

SainikPod Sit & Go claims to offer a safer riding experience for passengers, healthier and pollution-free rides and follows stringent sanitisation protocols.

The cars are fitted with an acrylic partition, Smart Meter to help track the vehicle, a Panic Button and Speed Governor.

Motherpod plans to set up a network of charging stations for its fleet of electric Nano cabs. Currently, the cars can travel up to 120 km on a single charge.

Thanks to BHPian Turbanator for sharing this information with other enthusiasts.

The Toyota Yaris is likely to get a CNG variant. It is believed that the CNG kit could be installed at the factory and it will come with Toyota warranty. The CNG tank is expected to be placed in the boot. The installation is expected to be done with the help of Maruti.

Last week, we had reported that Toyota is planning to launch a lower-spec Yaris for fleet operators, which could get the CNG option.

At present, the Yaris is powered by a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that puts out 106 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 140 Nm of torque @ 4,200 rpm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed CVT with paddle shift. The car does not come with a diesel engine.