A routine ride with a Rapido cab in Bengaluru took a dangerous turn for a Bengaluru man allegedly following a disagreement over his request to turn on the air conditioning. The incident underscores significant privacy and safety concerns within the ride-hailing service.
The passenger, who claims to be fluent in Kannada, took to Reddit to share his harrowing experience. According to him, he requested the air conditioning be turned on. But the driver reportedly refused the request allegedly because "he was in a bad mood".
The disagreement escalated when the driver asked the passenger to exit the vehicle and cancel the ride. However, the passenger refused saying, "You wanted me to get out so you take accountability and cancel". "To this, he turned his key chain to what looked a mini sharp knife and came towards me, holding the key chain to my chest," the passenger wrote on Reddit.
In a bid to de-escalate the situation, the passenger pointed towards a nearby traffic police officer, suggesting they address the matter with law enforcement. This action prompted the driver to temporarily retreat, although he was overheard making a phone call potentially summoning reinforcements to further intimidate the passenger. An auto rickshaw driver intervened, assisting the passenger to safely reach their destination.
Following the incident, concerns have been raised regarding the lack of privacy protections for passengers. In fact, the passenger's claimed the driver has been harassing him over the phone as his phone number was not masked. "He has not stopped calling me, abusing me and scaring me as he knows my pick up and drop location," he said, adding that the driver has been "OTP-bombed" repeatedly.
In addition, the Redditor added that Rapido's response to the incident has been inadequate. The company indicated that they "will suspend" the cab driver, a measure the passenger feels does not sufficiently address the threat to their safety. The victim remains anxious about potential continued harassment, fearing that even blocking the driver's number might not deter further intimidation, given the driver's access to additional contacts.
The passenger has pursued an FIR against the driver. As the incident highlights pressing issues regarding passenger safety within ride-hailing services, he is contemplating if he should initiate legal proceedings against Rapido as well.