Ride cancellation, surge pricing remain top concerns for Ola, Uber riders: Survey

The survey shows 71 per cent of respondents complained of ride cancellation by drivers, 45 per cent said they were overcharged beyond the surge pricing cap.

Ola, Uber and other app-based taxi service users have said they faced issues such as "drivers cancelling the ride", "surge pricing", "long waiting times", and "cancellation charges" in the last 12 months, according to a survey.

The survey conducted by citizen engagement platform LocalCircles shows 71 per cent of respondents complained of ride cancellation by drivers, 45 per cent said they were charged beyond the surge pricing cap. However, 60 per cent of respondents were happy with compliance with Covid-19 protocols by drivers.

The survey received more than 65,000 responses from app taxi users from 324 districts across India.

In November 2020, the government came up with the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, which capped the surge pricing at 1.5 times higher than the base fare, and also introduced a cancellation penalty for drivers at 10 per cent of fare capped at Rs 100. However, most states have yet to implement the guidelines.

The survey asked app-based taxi users about their experience with drivers cancelling rides in the last 15 months as compared to before.

Around 71 per cent of respondents said that ride cancellation by drivers continued to persist despite Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 being in place, indicating poor enforcement.

The Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines capped the surge pricing at 1.5 times more than the base fare.