Bengaluru, Jan 6: Cab aggregators are once again in news for the wrong reasons after an Ola cab driver misbehaved with a 34-year-old woman passenger and even threatened to kill her when she raised an alarm.
But what followed was worse. The woman, a software engineer, immediately called the Ola emergency number following which they asked her to check if the driver was drunk. She later pressed the emergency button on the Ola app but received a message asking her to dial 100. After the aggregator failed to help her, she said she was lucky to be saved by the public.
Reacting to the incident, an Ola spokesperson said, “We regret the unfortunate incident and have immediately terminated the driver-partner from the platform upon receiving the complaint.”
Shruthi G (name changed), an employee at a software company at Bagmane Tech Park in Mahadevapura, booked an Ola cab after her work in the evening of January 3. She booked pick-up stops at two locations as she had to pick her four-year-old daughter from the day-care centre, which is 2 km away from her house.
However, around 6.22 pm, when the cab reached Malleshpalya near Kids Castle, the driver did not stop the vehicle. He asked her to get down at the last drop location. She told him to stop and tried to open the doors but he locked the doors, insisting that she sit in the car. When she resisted, he held her hands and abused her; he even threatened to kill her if she raised an alarm.
The victim said she pressed the emergency button on the app twice but only got a message advising her to call the police.
When she called the Ola emergency number, the person at the other end asked about her condition and to check whether the driver was drunk. They called back after one-and-a-half hours when she was filing a complaint at the police station.
“Ola did not make any efforts to reach out to the police or do anything to track my location and help me in that situation,” she said.
The victim called 100 and the staffer at the control room asked her which area she was in. Since she was familiar with the area, Shruthi was able to give her location.
“First they told me that the area comes under Baiyappanahalli. Later, they said it comes under HAL. Finally, they figured out the location. It took 20 minutes for the police to reach the spot,” she said.
What saved Shruti was her sheer instinct and luck. Alone in the cab, she started raising an alarm. Luckily, commuters in the other vehicles next to the cab noticed her screaming for help and stopped the driver.
“If this is the kind of security Ola provides its customer, it is very questionable,” she said. “If we have to really call the police during an emergency then why they put out the number and emergency button, it’s a waste of time during that crucial situation. If they directly told us to dial 100 during an emergency, it will save time. Lakhs of commuters take Ola cabs thinking it is safe but they have no mechanism to check their drivers and track their customers in danger.”
Baiyappanahalli police said the accused Bhimashankar Malged was arrested and remanded in judicial custody following the complaint.
Comments
this is really foolish to give this kind of advertisement. Kanhaiya is getting free marketing out of fools like this. Very soon he will be famous & become politician too. When Aamir khan PK was released, some fools in Gujrath did marketing for PK movie by putting ban on the movie. This is also gonna be same. Already Kanhaiya is famous but the person who announced this money has given positive review towards JNU President. Now People all over India will know JNU president is Clean without any black mark on his career
Dear Randeep, you should read the news everyday it is officially declared that 60% RSS Goons are there in our Police force what more you can expect from them, it is clear that RSS and even BJP should be banned and we need a good government to rule the country not this fake, uncivilized and lyre BJP Govt.
A speech by Comrade Kanayya is revolutionary and praise worthy. Every Indian citizen must watch his speech in JNU campus. And his chat with Barkha Dutt, NDTV, unbelievable. His thought are very high for his age and his heart for the downtrodden, dalits, ST/SC/and minorities is praise worthy.
By announcing the reward for his killing or cutting his tongue clearly indicates Sangh Parivar and BJP's real intentions and their role in his sedition case.
Long live Kanayya,
RSS cannot stop people from speaking from their heart...independent India gave all its citizens right to speak, nobody can curtail that right from anyone....if they kill one Kanhaiya, there will be more of him born in India....it will be multiplying...how many they will kill...forget about 13 lakhs...13000000 crores will not be enough for it....
WE WANT AZAADI FROM RSS
WE WANT AZAADI FROM VHP
WE WANT AZAADI FROM ABVP
Ban RSS
What else to be expected from the Terrorists ???
Killing, Bloodshed, Riots, Rape threats to women, Disturbing Peace, Attacking religious places, Attacking lonely and even Old Aged, Harassing Innocent People .......... What not ?.
They have forgot that Death will not come to them ?
A Cheddi deception to put u in trouble just like Godse..
No one will get this money... Black money still on que
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