Cab aggregators put on notice over complaints

New Delhi, May 10: Cab aggregators, including Ola and Uber, have been warned of strict action unless they improve their systems and redress rising consumer complaints, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

The government held a meeting on Tuesday with the ride-hailing platforms amid a rise in consumer complaints of alleged unfair trade practices by them, including ride cancellation policy, as drivers force customers to cancel trips after accepting bookings, which results in customers paying cancellation penalties.

“We told them about the rising consumer complaints against their platforms. We gave them the statistics also. We have asked them to improve their system and redress the consumer complaints otherwise the competent authority will take strict action,” consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said after the meeting.

Hinting at the scale of customer unhappiness against the cab aggregators, he said the complaints on the Jago Grahak Jago helpline are just the tip of the iceberg.

Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) Chief Commissioner

Nidhi Khare said the cab aggregators should immediately come out with solutions.

“The authority is likely to issue an advisory to ensure that unfair trade practices by cab aggregators are not carried on in violation of consumers’ rights,” she added.

Khare also said the government has communicated that there will be “zero tolerance against such malpractices” by cab aggregators.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Ola, Uber, Meru, Rapido and Jugnu but declined to speak to the media.

On Monday, Singh had said the government had sought information from the cab aggregators on how they handled cancellation charges and surge pricing and how they calculated fares.