Online services such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido have revolutionized transportation by offering the convenience of pre-determined fares. This strikes out the need for passengers to negotiate with drivers at the end of their journey, providing a hassle-free experience.
However, Ola has introduced a controversial new feature that changes this model. Passengers will no longer see a fixed fare before booking. This policy started on March 1, reported News18. Instead, the app now displays a fare range, for example, Rs. 130-200 for a trip from point A to point B. This means passengers will need to negotiate the final amount with the driver after the ride ends.
This change has not been well-received by all users. One frustrated customer from Bengaluru expressed his dissatisfaction on social media, sharing a screenshot of the new fare range and writing, “Now @Olacabs wants its users to negotiate the final amount with the drivers once the ride is complete.”
Have a look:
Now @Olacabs wants its users to negotiate the final amount with the drivers once the ride is complete. pic.twitter.com/xfJ1bUoUpj
— Abhiek (@macho_nonreal) June 5, 2024
The tweet quickly sparked a lively debate online, highlighting the mixed reactions to Ola’s new policy. Here’s how some people reacted:
Start a kalesh over 6 rs?
— Amit (@Sh0rtSqueeze) June 6, 2024
this is such a useless feature because you and i know that auto drivers are gonna ask for the max amt (even worse in cities like chennai where auto drivers are entitled for extra 50/100)
— Naveen R (@TheOnlyNaveenR) June 5, 2024
Just yest, when the fare was 138-144 and final price showed 138, still the driver asked 144 only..Ola expects you to get into brawl with drivers incase there is an disagreement with fee.. Useless
— Jayashree Sharma (@mejayashree) June 7, 2024
And if u ask rider kitna hua he will always say the highest that is shown
— NitishK (@nitipune007) June 7, 2024
There’s no negotiation, one has to pay the high end price. Plus it’s cash only. Worst feature, have stopped using Ola for past few weeks because of this.
— Ankit Samariya (@ankitsamariya_) June 7, 2024
If I want to negotiate why use the app ? What if my driver doesn’t agree with the price range ? This is beyond 😐
— Lakshminarayanan Neelakandan (@Lakshmi03358840) June 7, 2024
What are your views regarding this new feature?