‘I’ll come back at night’: Gurgaon woman’s terrifying encounter with Ola driver

A Gurgaon resident had a terrifying experience during an Ola ride recently, making her worry about customer safety. Puja S was on her way to the Delhi airport last week to catch an early morning flight when the alleged incident took place.
Having booked cabs on both Ola and Rapido to increase her chances of getting a cab at the earliest, the marketing professional said she chose Ola finally due to her trust in the company.
Just 10 minutes into the ride, the driver stopped to fill his bottles and, just after that, claimed that the vehicle wouldn’t start unless she made a payment via a QR code. Puja insisted on ending the ride first so she could confirm the final amount, but instead, the driver allegedly forced her to pay first and threatened her not to leave. She also claimed that after a heated argument, the driver raised his hand to slap her, saying, “I’ll hit you so hard”.
“The driver became increasingly aggressive, speaking in Haryanvi and even making threats, stating, ‘I’ll come back at night and show you what happens.’,” she said in a post on LinkedIn.
Despite Puja’s several attempts to remain calm, he continued to yell and allegedly started to record a video without her consent.
Finally, the Gurgaon woman managed to book another cab and headed to the airport. She thanked the second driver for picking her up mid-way and dropping her to the airport in time for her to catch the flight. She said she paid a little extra to the second driver to reward his behaviour.
Puja added that she will be taking legal action.
Reacting to the viral post, a user, Anindita Deb, commented, “This is seriously concerning! I have recently been having issues with Ola myself. Because of their new “popular fare” policy, which shows a range of fare rather than a definitive fare, I’ve had 2 encounters where drivers demanded the higher value on the range and on me refusing to do so, they got verbally abusive”.
Another user, Sakshi Saxena, commented, “It’s ironic to see such circumstances happening when 3 days back on Independence day, the entire nation was protesting for women’s safety. In such circumstances, the company would do their best to save the brand’s reputation”.
Puja’s experience highlights the importance of strong safety measures in ride services. Improving the safety protocols can help prevent such frightening situations in the future.