“Ola drivers will now see approx drop location & payment mode before accepting a ride,” read a tweet by co-founder of Ola Cabs Bhavish Aggarwal. He added that he was trying to address the second-most popular question posed to him about the app with this move.
Addressing the 2nd most popular question I get – Why does my driver cancel my Ola ride?!!
We're taking steps to fix this industry wide issue. Ola drivers will now see approx drop location & payment mode before accepting a ride. Enabling drivers is key to reducing cancelations. pic.twitter.com/MFaK1q0On8
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) December 21, 2021
Driver cancellation is one of the most common pain points highlighted by customers on social media. Many are vexed by the double whammy of delays and cancellation fees charged by the app.
@Uber_Support I booked a ride through your app. Driver didn't reach the destination. Driver asked information about mode of payment. Driver didn't cancel the trip. I had to cancel it. You have charged cancellation fees. अन्याय आहे अध्यक्ष महोदय.
— Alka Dhupkar (@Alka_Dhupkar) December 21, 2021
However, it remains to be seen whether this resolves the issue as the drivers would call customers to enquire about their drop location earlier whereas now they can cancel the ride easily without having to call them.
Why do drivers cancel?
Most cancellations are a way to avoid the high commission structure of ride-hailing apps, according to a report in Entrackr. Ola and Uber drivers have long been struggling to make enough money, the report added.
A driver interviewed by Entrackr informed the website that if he manages to convince five to seven passengers to cancel their ride on the app, he can easily make an additional Rs 300-400 every day which adds up to Rs 9,000-Rs 12,000 a month.
Many drivers are also not comfortable with modes of payment other than cash which is also one of the reasons reportedly behind the cancellations.
@Olacabs yet again cme across an driver who cancels the ride cause of online payment . As per the driver online payment aren't credited to them . Bt in both cases customer suffer & r charged cancellation . #olacabs pls have genuine drivers in ur panel
— Sriram Radhakrishnan (@r_sriram07) December 21, 2021
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We may also reach out occasionally with our coverage of the Data Protection Bill and more.Also read:
- Ola acquires GeoSpoc, a platform that could improve its mapping in real time
- Ola, Uber drivers say they are exhausted, fear being wiped out
- In major move, govt caps commissions, surge pricing charged by Ola, Uber
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