In Hyderabad, Ola has been directed by a consumer forum to pay Rs 1 lakh in compensation due to the discourteous behavior of a driver, resulting in the trip’s cancellation midway for Jabez Samuel, his wife, and helper. The complaint highlighted issues such as an unclean car, the driver’s refusal to switch on the AC, and rude behavior. Despite filing a complaint and paying the bill, the refund was awarded along with 5000 costs. The consumer forum deemed the driver’s actions as a deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

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Jabez Samuel, the complainant, stated that he booked an Ola cab for four hours to visit various places for personal work. At around 10 a.m., he, along with his wife and helper, boarded the cab. Shortly after the journey commenced, they noticed that the car was unclean, untidy, and had an unpleasant odor. They asked the driver to switch on the AC, but he refused to do so and behaved rudely.

After traveling for about 4 to 5 kilometers, the driver high-handedly asked them to get out of the cab. Shocked by the misbehavior and adamant attitude of the driver, and unable to endure the mental torture, they calmly got out of the cab to avoid confrontation. With much difficulty, they made alternate arrangements.

Jabez filed a complaint through email and spoke with customer care executives about his trip. Despite this, he continued to receive calls asking to clear the bill amount. To avoid unnecessary conversations, he paid the bill. Jabez filed this complaint seeking a refund and compensation for the mental agony and hardship he suffered.

In its written version, the company submitted that the complainant had erred in not impleading the driver, who is an essential party to the present matter, and had wrongly impleaded them. They pointed out that Ola Cab is the name of an Internet-based Application and there exists no legal entity called ‘Ola Cab,’ citing it as grounds for dismissal of the case. The company stated that they have thousands of drivers on their platform and cannot be expected to keep a check on each and every one of them.

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The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission III, Hyderabad, however, stated that the action of the driver amounted to a deficiency of service and unfair trade practice, and awarded a refund, compensation, and costs of 5000 to the complainant. Despite the company’s argument, the consumer forum deemed the driver’s actions unacceptable, thus ruling in favor of the complainant.