Chennai Woman Escapes Just In Time Before Her Uber Burns Up In Flames

We all try safeguarding ourselves when we travel via public transport. It’s either getting robbed, molested or caught in an accident that we are scared of. But what happened to this woman in Chennai was unimaginable.

Pallavi Singh, costume designer and wardrobe stylist, took on social media to narrate the story of her horrifying Uber ride.

Pallavi was on her way back home when she started sensing a burning smell in her car. At first, she thought it was from outside, till smoke started emerging from the AC ducts and the foot area.

To her surprise, the driver seemed indifferent! It was when people from other cars told them to pull over that the driver came to his senses. The spark from under the car was visible to everyone on the road.

As soon as they stepped outside the car, Pallavi saw it “burn down to ashes” along with her IDs and wallet.

View this post on Instagram

@uber_india A word of caution to all Uber users out there, who believe their safety is being taken care of with utmost sincerity. Last night, on my trip back home, I sensed a burning smell inside the car. At first my limited imagination made me think that it’s coming from the outside. Once the car drove up the TTK road fly over, I saw smoke coming out from the foot area and possibly the AC ducts. To my shock, the driver had not spotted it nor taken any effort to warn me about it. I warned him and asked him what was going on. Luckily, people from other cars around told us to pull over, as they had seen sparks from under. We stopped and exited the car, only to see it burn down to ashes, and along with it my bag containing my IDs, Dailies and Wallet. I came to know that only the metal skeleton of the seats remained. It was undoubtedly the scariest moment of my life. I cannot get that image out of my head. And it’s been over 12 hours since this happened and I wonder if Uber even knows this happened or have absolutely nothing to say to me. This is heights of carelessness, ignorance and utter lack of interest in their customers. Thanks Uber. FYI, I saved your driver’s life last night. @uber_india

A post shared by Pallavi Singh (@pallavi_85) on Jan 12, 2019 at 11:45pm PST

Later on social media, she notified people how it has been 12 hours since the incident took place and Uber hasn’t responded yet.

Archana Kalpathi, a businesswoman, who was present behind the line of cars on the same road during the incident, reached out to her on Twitter.

I was there in a line of cars behind this.Did not know it was you. Must have been super scary. pic.twitter.com/kNl6uOIEvZ

— Archana Kalpathi (@archanakalpathi) January 13, 2019

However, Uber did finally respond and plans on taking care of the situation.

Here’s the official statement by an Uber spokesperson –

“Uber is grateful that both the rider and driver partner are safe after this incident. We have also reached out to them both and applaud the rider for quickly bringing this issue to our attention. There’s nothing more critical than the safety of our riders and driver partners and we standby to assist the law enforcement with any information they might require.”

Pallavi, this is concerning. We would like to get in touch with you through our safety teams. We understand the urgency and would like for you to direct message us with your registered mobile number at the earliest. https://t.co/1WqzzOmdKe

— Uber India Support (@UberINSupport) January 13, 2019

Your safety is in your hands!