Woman recounts a terrifying experience with an Ola cab in Gurugram, the app’s SOS feature failed to function
Mumbai-Pune Ola Ride Turns Ugly: Driver Slaps Passenger, Route Change Sparks Outrage
The woman filed a complaint with Ola’s customer service following the incident.
A woman from Delhi recounted her frightening experience during an Ola cab ride in Gurugram, Haryana, criticizing the company for its failure to take responsibility.
Shazia A, a senior manager at Genpact, took to LinkedIn to recount her unsettling experience. On December 20, 2024, around 1:30 pm IST, Shazia encountered a troubling moment when her driver unexpectedly reduced the speed of the cab after they had passed through a toll on their journey to Gurgaon.
Soon after, she observed two men in front of the cab, signaling for the driver to move to the left. The driver obeyed and Shazia was amused by this act.
There was more to the story. The woman stated that when she confronted the driver, he remained silent. The situation escalated when two additional men came up to the car, bringing the total to five, including the driver. She recounted that the driver spoke of an outstanding loan payment, which frightened her so much that she fled from the cab.
“Feeling unsafe, I opened the right-side door and ran for my life. It was an extremely traumatic experience, and I cannot emphasize enough how terrified I felt. To make matters worse, when I tried to use the SOS button on the Ola app, it did not work. I raised a complaint with Ola, but it has now been over 24 hours, and I have not received any response. This lack of accountability and urgency from Ola’s team is both shocking and deeply disappointing. Passenger safety is not just a feature—it’s a fundamental responsibility,” wrote Shazia.
The woman called on Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to address the matter and take steps to guarantee that passenger safety is always prioritized.
This event highlights persistent worries about passenger safety in ride-hailing services such as Ola, especially for women traveling alone. Although Ola has implemented initiatives to improve safety, including their ’10 Steps to a Safer Ride’ program that features mandatory sanitization and driver training, cases like Shazia’s reveal shortcomings in accountability and responsiveness.
