My Uber Experiences in India: A Cautionary Tale for Potential Riders

Have you ever encountered difficulties or bad experiences with Uber in India? I certainly have, and yet I still find myself relying on the service. Clearly, I have no real choice in the matter. My most recent experience was scheduled to be a night of celebration for a special party. However, I booked an Uber eight times and faced a series of frustrating cancellations from drivers who never actually showed up. After growing increasingly irritated, I ultimately decided to drive myself to the venue. This situation was both frustrating and baffling, as it almost seems like the drivers are intentionally depriving their passengers of service. It’s as if I’ve run a restaurant, but the customers only receive excuses and are not served anything.

Notable Issues When Booking Uber in India

Considering these experiences, there are some key points that are worth noting:

Driver Unawareness About Arrival Point: Even if the arrival point is mentioned in the app, the drivers often do not know where you are headed until they call you. They then direct you to a different location and insist on traveling to that spot. Lack of Change for Cash Payments: Most drivers do not carry enough change, so be prepared to face the typical dialogue about change or be ready to pay more if you prefer to pay in cash. Taking Long Routes and Canceling: Once you book a cab, the app might show a 2-3 minute arrival time, but the driver may take a long route and only show up after 10 minutes or may not show up at all and go back. After some time, they might cancel the booking, charging a cancellation fee from the passenger. Ignoring Acknowledged Destinations: Even after boarding the cab, the driver may not know your destination if it was mentioned in the app and they initially accepted the ride. They might refuse to go, requiring you to pay a cancellation fee and the hassle of booking a new cab, which could result in similar issues. Charging Extra for Longer Routes: Be prepared to pay more for extra time and distance as drivers might take a long route to reach your destination. Customer Care Issues: In cases of issues, there is no option to call the customer care of Uber. This might be due to the large number of complaints and the small number of customer care representatives, which might not be able to solve thousands of such problems. Instead, Uber requests that you send a message to be contacted back, which is often never done. Thus, Uber is unlikely to resolve issues in a timely manner.

Unfortunately, these negative experiences are not isolated incidents. I will continue to document my experiences and try to help other potential users of the service make informed decisions in order to improve the overall quality of Uber in India.