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'I realised that the cab's registration number did not match the SMS I had received.'
'The driver tried to convince me that his car had broken down so he had to get his friend's cab...'
A young chartered accountant* from Delhi recalls her experience with a radio cab service provider.
Please share your experience.
It was 10.30 pm and I was attending an office party at a mall in Gurgaon.
I usually take a Meru, but this time I thought let's try TaxiForSure because I had heard it is relatively cheaper.
I received an SMS with the driver's name -- Paras -- and the taxi's registration number.
At 10.30 pm, I got a call from the driver informing me that my cab was waiting at the entrance of the mall.
My friends were still partying.
I quickly went down.
When I reached the gate, I realised that the cab's registration number did not match the SMS I had received.
The driver tried to convince me that his car had broken down, so he had to get his friend's cab, hence the registration numbers did not match.
Since I was getting late, and the driver looked genuine, I got inside the cab and immediately called up the customer care at TaxiForSure to cross check.
The customer care executive told me that the cab in which I was sitting in was not registered with TaxiForSure.
I immediately asked the driver to stop and got off the taxi.
When I stepped out, I realised that the cab belonged to Quick Cabs and not TaxiForSure.
The customer care executive who I was speaking to apologised for the delay and promised to arrange a different driver at the earliest.
I overheard the driver talking to someone on the phone (the original driver assigned to me) asking him to intervene and fix the issue.
I soon realised the Quick Cabs taxi driver had swapped his identity with Paras who was registered with TaxiForSure.
I reported the incident to TaxiForSure and demanded an explanation.
The executive asked me to wait for a replacement which I refused.
Fortunately, I was a few steps away from the mall so I decided to go back inside to join my friends.
When I narrated the incident to my friends, they warned me against taking a radio cab and promised to drop me home.
I have been taking radio cabs for more than three years now. This is the first time I had such a experience.
When I came home and narrated the incident to my brother who is a lawyer, he asked me to share details of the driver who came to pick me up so that he could report the incident and take necessary action.
I had forgotten to take a picture of the cab and the driver which could have been used as evidence against the service provider.
Since that day, whenever I take a cab, I always share the details with my brother and family and send them the tracking link.
If I am travelling late, I also activate my phone's GPS so that I can keep a track of the direction.
If the driver takes a shortcut to save travel time, I insist that he takes the original route which I am familiar with.
Even if it means spending a little extra, I never allow taxi drivers to take a short cut or a new route in the night.
For girls who travel late, I have the following advice:
*Name withheld on request.
As told to Divya Nair
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Have you had a bad experience with taxi or rickshaw drivers?
How did you deal with the situation?
What advice would you give passengers who commute late at night?
Please share your experience with us.
Kindly e-mail getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: My Cab Experience) with your name, city and details of commute. We will publish the most useful responses
Lead image (TaxiForSure cab services) published only for representational purposes.