Uber India charges Rs 27 extra from customer during ride, ordered to pay Rs 28,000 as fine

Being a regular cab user in India isn’t really easy. At times, drivers cancel rides as they insist on cash payments, then there are times when they listen to the location you wish to go to and cancel the ride altogether. But things get even tougher when certain drivers start demanding higher fares for rides. This has happened on several occasions in the past and recently, Uber India was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 28,000 for charging Rs 27 extra from a passenger for a ride.Â

According to a report in The Indian Express, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh has ordered Uber India to pay a total of Rs 28,000 in fines, compensation, and litigation costs over a fare discrepancy of Rs 27. The commission mandated a refund of the overcharged amount to the complainant, Ritvik Garg, and additionally imposed fines for the inconvenience caused.

Ritvik Garg, hailing from Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab, reported that during a ride on September 19, 2022, from Sector 21A to the Modern Housing Complex in Sector 13, Chandigarh, he was overcharged. The initial fare displayed was Rs 53, but he was asked to pay Rs 80 by the driver, named Kailash, who allegedly did not adhere to the standard fare rates.

After his complaint via a legal notice and subsequent emails to Uber went unresolved, Garg approached the commission for redress. In defence, Uber India said that their role is limited to providing a platform via their app for drivers and customers to connect and transact directly for transportation services. They argued that the actual transportation service is independently provided by the drivers.

However, the commission concluded that Uber India could not deflect responsibility solely onto the driver since payments made to drivers also benefit Uber financially. The panel stressed the importance of Uber ensuring their drivers are well-trained and adhere to professional standards to prevent such issues. It added that customers engage with the brand in good faith, expecting a seamless service experience, not necessarily aware of or concerned with the backend contractual relationships with drivers.

Recently, Uber India was making headlines after a driver had created a fake screenshot to charge a customer double the fare amount.Â

The victim had shared his experience on Reddit, asking others to stay safe and not fall for such tricks.

According to the passenger’s Reddit post, the incident occurred on March 24 when a man booked a ride home from Delhi International airport at 10:30 in the night. The app had displayed a fare of Rs 340 initially. However, upon reaching their destination, the Uber driver demanded Rs 648 from the passenger. The driver showed a screenshot with the fare but it was later found out that it was a fake screenshot generated by the driver to charge extra money from the passenger. The customer got a partial refund from the company.Â

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