Ola autos take us for a ride via circuitous route, say customers

As per rules laid down by the online cab service, the autos will be available for hire at a flat rate of Rs 29 for the first 4 km, after which commuters will have to pay Rs 12 per km per km. Over 2000 autos in the city have enrolled in Ola cab service. 

The service received good response from the commuters in the beginning as it was cheap compared to other autos. Soon, the complaints started flooding that the Ola auto drivers are taking a circuitous route to increase the kilometres and charge the customers more. 

“When cabs are booked through Ola or Uber, we can see the the estimated fare. The option is not available for OLA-attached autos, giving the loophole for the drivers to take long routes,” said R Manidhasan, a civil engineer of Walltax Road. 

“When we enquire the drivers about taking the detour, they would give traffic as the reason. Some drivers even argue that is the shortest possible route. I felt there was no difference in the fare I pay to ordinary autos,” he added. However, some drivers justify their deeds. 

“We are asking the fare that our GPS shows at the end of the ride. We are not demanding any extra fare. Since many customers take four to five km rides, we are charging only Rs 30 while other autos charge Rs 60 to 70 for the same ride, said a driver of OLA attached auto in New washermenpet. 

When contacted, a staff in the OLA complaint section denied such allegation. He said that if the auto driver takes the long route without any proper reason, the customer should call the customer care centre and make a formal complaint. “Or they could ask the driver about the fare before travelling,” he added.