Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
Uber India was imposed a ₹20,000 fine from the Chandigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The Commission ordered that Uber India deposit ₹10,000 in the legal assistance account and compensate a customer named Ashwani Prashar ₹10,000.
Prashar, a resident of Chandigarh, complained that on August 6, 2021, he used the ride-hailing app Uber to request a cab. The 8.83-kilometer ride, he claimed, only took 15 minutes, from 10.40 to 10.57 p.m., yet he was charged ₹1,334, or almost ₹150 per kilometer. After trying in vain to resolve his problem through multiple chats and emails with Uber, Prashar filed the complaint.
Uber India responded by stating that the rider was shown an upfront fare of ₹359. However, because of several route changes made while traveling from AG Colony, Audit Phool Colony, Sector 41-B, Chandigarh, to Sector 48-B, Chandigarh, the ultimate ticket was ₹1334.
Uber India said that it is impossible to identify whether the aforementioned deviations were caused by the driver or by the rider or complainant. The business maintained that it could not be held accountable for any detour caused by the rider/complainant or the driver in any scenario. Additionally, the company declared that it is not a party to any agreement made by the driver and the rider on the route taken for any travel, but rather only serves as a middleman between the two.
The firm stated that as it was a cash journey, they returned ₹975 in Uber Credits to the complainant’s Uber account as a courtesy and to preserve the rider’s confidence in the dependability of the platform.
The Disputes Redressal Commission referred to the situation as “unfair trade practice” while ruling in the complainant’s favour – “practice of charging excess fare than that of actual contracted fare at the time of advance booking, is unfair trade practice, which needs be deprecated and as such complainant is entitled for compensation for mental agony and harassment and also to litigation expenses. In order to keep check on such unruly service providers, who commit breach of assurances, promises and commitments at the nick of time, they are required to be dealt with heavy hands and as such OPs must be made to deposit at least ₹10,000 as compensation in Consumer Welfare Fund of this Forum, in addition to the amounts payable to complainant as compensation and litigation expenses.”