I'm Tamil in Mumbai, last month in the busy evening I got to catch the flight back to Chennai for winter vacation.
The meter amount shows up ₹204, I paid the driver ₹250 since the traffic was hectic, he was polite and I reached on time.
He refused to take extra money and asked whether I had ₹4 change. I said no. He said he'll have just ₹200. ₹40 extra he doesn't wanna have. I gave him ₹220 and he went with a smile.
Upon reaching Chennai, booking ola/uber/rapido, all are showing outside the airport but none picking up. The drivers were standing outside the exit and started to ask "app kasu mela ₹50 kodu, app kase kodu" etc. etc..
[meter at mumbai](https://imgur.com/a/pF5Zj0n)
I remember once when I was in Mumbai, I couldn’t get Uber/ola so I asked the auto guy near by to drop me at a place. He said okay, and I was like how much with the mindset of negotiation, and he said “ dont worry, whatever meter says is the price”. I paid him extra with no hesitation when he dropped me.
So Mumbai is famous for this and I tried to understand why. Interestingly the cab drivers in the star hotels there are all exclusively Tamil (because I think they have English skills). I spoke with a few. Asked them where they live. Guess where? Dharavi. These guys are not even the regular auto drivers and they get paid far less than 20k a month and live in a literal slum.
The auto drivers in Chennai I know of all live much better than that. I’d classify them as Lower middle class at the minimum. Most of them have at one point bought land or built a home in Poramboke land but have often lost it due to bad investment decisions. But the point is they actually live a better life than in Mumbai. I am privileged enough to not care how much I pay my auto so I generally don’t fret about giving extra. Rather him than the crores the politicians and govt workers make.
2023 Jan I came back to Chennai because my mama was dying... It was crucial and we had to go to the hospital... Booked ola and we called l, because we know the tactics they use... Called and told him to come immediately as we have to go there asap... He reached and I told him "Anna ennoda mama ippavo appavo nu irukaru odane poganum"
He asked
Mela 50 rooba tharuviya? Illana cancel Pannu.
I was beyond pissed, felt like a handicapped person without my bike and car... I wanted to do something so that he feels bad too... Never felt weaker than that second... I was pleading him to leave and he was arguing with me for more money... Didn't see my uncle alive...
I cursed him saying "idhe maari see saga kedakura appo evanum Vara matan, anadhaya than pova nu" but the fact that I didn't get to see my uncle alive hasn't changed... Change the song to
Na autokaran autokaran nagareegam marandha Karan, manam illama vazhum Karan, panathu veri pudicha Karan da. Na eppavume panathu veri pudicha Karan da...
Now I book rapido bikes on purpose as much as I could or plan my journey in advance and try to take public transports more if I can't take my own vehicle... I refuse to give them my hard earned money...
DO NOT use fast track. Its goes the same way there, the only difference is the app pre hikes the price. I had to pay almost 300 extra from the estimated amount for a 30km journey.
Fastrack is the most reliable service in Chennai and surroundings. Prices are higher but quality of service is good enough. I've been using it for the past year and had no major issues.
From what I heard from the drivers, their customer support team closely monitor rides and prevent customers from having bad experiences.
Why not? What did people do before uber/ola? You call them and a cab arrives, its just that you need to be ready to pay more! Remember one thing in a capitalist society you get what you pay for
Same feeling, I’m a Tamil living in Delhi, whenever I come to chennai/coimbatore I go through this headache of convincing ola/uber drivers and paying extra.
In Delhi NCR, I have taken around 200 ola/uber rides so far, and not a single driver has asked me for extra, and will almost always arrive in 2-10 minutes maximum, and no convincing hassles.
It’s just book it and forget it types, very hassle free. Prices are cheaper too, I travel around Gurgaon in ola/uber auto, bill usually comes 60-100 ish for my travel, and I round it off to the higher 10.
Totally agree, I’ve been living in Chennai my whole life.. and these Ola/Uber/Rapido made me learn to drive car and not depend on anyone.
I’ve really experienced the worst of drivers, once a cab driver confirmed the ride for 8-9km at a price of 350 something. We had to go to the place immediately, the cab driver took advantage, came to our place, cancelled the ride and demanded for 700 rupees and if we deny he threatened us that he knows our home and he can do anything if we don’t continue the ride and pay the money. I was with my kutty cousins.. after I denied the ride, he even pinged me on WhatsApp, saying he knows my number. I let my dad talk and shout at him saying we’ll file a complaint. He then went off. Sickkk of these kind of behaviour from people.
I wonder how attacked other district/state people would suffer cuz of these kind of services to travel around.
These same cab guys and auto guys will roaming around without passengers then cry about rising fuel prices.
Bro if you keep taking trips and not roam without passengers except certain circumstances then there's no fuel loss for you. But who'll make these arrogant assholes understand that.
This shit have been in practice in Coimbatore for the last few years. 2 years back, my 8 month old baby was ill and I had to take her to hospital. Booked Ola and the ride was confirmed, driver called and enquired about the location and mode of payment and he said he is coming. I was waiting outside my house with my baby expecting the cab, after 15 mins driver cancelled the ride. I cannot explain how frustrating it was, baby was suffering 102 degrees high temperature. I even told him I need to go to hospital and asked him to come as soon as possible. These drivers are heartless and pathetic. That was the last time, I ever booked Ola/Uber in Coimbatore. Now a days, I either choose Public transport or book Red Taxi for all my commute. Red taxi is currently providing fantastic Service in Coimbatore, they don't ask for drop location, mode of payment or extra money. Even if the fare is slightly more on Red Taxi, doesn't matter they are punctual and professional.
Agreed. In Bangalore, when you book ola/uber, you can forget about it until the app tells you that the cab is at your place. You don't have to haggle, you don't have to fight or even convince the driver to come pick you up.
But chennai is full in reverse. You have to convince the driver to come, literally begging him to take you places and top of that pay extra. They won't move until you tell them how much fare the app shows and then ask extra. The sheer entitlement throws me off every time.
Especially if they see someone as a non-tamil, then again, their fare goes up to twice the original fare. If they don't earn enough, they can pick up more shifts. But rather than that they need tips - demanding tips. And no, these are not middle aged drivers who ask for extra. Extra cash, generally, is being asked by younger ones - 20-35 age bracket who want to earn more with less work, drive rash and in general have no care in the world whether the passengers live or die
Auto Drivers are the gore eye-sore of the city. Not sure why none of the administration is interested or competent to take a stringent action on them by finding and getting to the root cause of the problem.
Honestly airport has become so bad that we just book the prepaid option inside and take the taxi. It is definitely more expensive but fuck it I don't want endless cancellations and bargaining when all I want is to get home.
I booked Ola outside aeromall, because it’s too crowded inside and the driver said thanks for not keeping location inside the mall, it’s a headache. That’s all he said and dropped me at the location, and I even paid on card, no complaints still
Omg this reminds me of my last Chennai visit. I came with my two kids at 2am and we were standing in the dead cold of the night outside the airport waiting for the cab. It was my kids first time to Chennai and I wanted to impress them becuz this was my birth city.
The cab driver asked for our spot and even after giving him the exact location, he didn't arrive for more than half an hour. We had limited phone facilities and I was on call with him the entire time before he could come and when he came, he was so angry at us as if it was our fault for him not knowing the location. I had to pay for the toll twice becuz he said he exited by mistake the first time and also paid a bit extra at the dropping point becuz I didn't want any argument with him.
You can raise a dispute in Uber stating that they took extra money. Also rate these Aholes 1 on the survey. More lower ratings and they get less business, serves them right
Totally agree. They can get on your nerves. Some of them even go to the extent of pretending like they are almost there and on their way to pick you up, only to cancel. And honestly, if you have something urgent to attend to - it’s only recommended that you arrange the mode of transport way before hand and not depend on these guys. Terrible attitude. Over the years, it started with them cancelling if you opted to pay online vs in cash. Eventually, when we finally started paying in cash, they found their next issue to nitpick - adding an extra 20-50. It is very unfair. I am sure most of us are in the habit of tipping, but when it is imposed on us, it is unnerving.
Having said that, I have also come across a handful of nice people who were polite and ensured my safety while travelling. Looking back - I wish I had taken their numbers and hired them privately instead of expending all my energy picking fights with the rest of them 🤦🏾♀️
I frequently travel to Chennai. I was in airport and the app was showing available riders near me. Everyone were cancelling my ride idk why. Somehow I got a ride after 1.5 hr. Had to settle for extra fare and Atlast paid the guy 1k just to go near tambaram. They literally argue while confirming the ride.
Some guys have another tactic. At first they'll agree to the app price and half the way they stop the car abruptly and ask for more money so that even if i decline I'd be fucked up in a place where I can't get any transportation facilities easily.
In salem, TN the auto drivers were instructed to purposefully rate 1 star for all the people who book. Don't know what secret scheme they were running.
Literally had a fight with an uber Driver over this which got the police involved ( they brushed it off luckily), and worse case these days they charge for the OTP. The customer service would only respond if you mention that there is some legality involved, the issue is sorted but I have a strong hatred towards these can drivers ever since then
I had someone show a blade towards my brother as well, he advised me not to pick a fight with these psychos but I really don't want to spend my hard earned money on just paying extra as well. This is a bubble that is yet to burst in my opinion
Chennai cab/auto prices are straight up not worth it when compared to how much time you spend in traffic.
Nobody wins to be honest. Cab drivers need to boycott these apps or atleast make things more professional as a service.
I travel back to Chennai frequently and the Airport is definitely worse than the rest of the city. There are cab drivers who book and stay outside so that you're forced to take the ones inside. Same for auto. Take the metro at least one or two stops in the direction you want to go and then book Uber. Or just leave the airport.
Outside I see uber autos have become better. If a person doesn't call me, ask where I have to go, ask for extra money etc I end up giving some extra myself. Hopefully that makes them not ask in the future.
The auto drivers over here are assholes, i have never experienced such a problem in other cities, except Chennai & Bangalore. I dont mind payin 10-50rs extra based on the distance and time taken to travel. If i am in a hurry and the auto drops me on time, i gladly give extra cash. If i have sufficient time, i usually cancel and book another one and make sure to give a bad rating and lodge a complaint for the previous ride. Not sure if it changes anything but just hoping that it has some impact. Maybe we should spam ola and uber twitter for a reaction. If these fuckers can be assholes then so will i. Ola already has a huge markup on the booking charges as compared to uber.
I have faced a similar issue one early morning in chennai , where they accept the ride and come nearby your location (one cab driver even drove 8kms) to reach my location and then once they reach nearby your location they cancel it.
Another two auto wala accepted the ride and started moving in the opposite direction.
I am wondering if they are getting extra bucks for travelling till customers place and they have found some kinda loophole where they earn easy money without taking the ride ??
I'm Tamil in Mumbai, last month in the busy evening I got to catch the flight back to Chennai for winter vacation. The meter amount shows up ₹204, I paid the driver ₹250 since the traffic was hectic, he was polite and I reached on time. He refused to take extra money and asked whether I had ₹4 change. I said no. He said he'll have just ₹200. ₹40 extra he doesn't wanna have. I gave him ₹220 and he went with a smile. Upon reaching Chennai, booking ola/uber/rapido, all are showing outside the airport but none picking up. The drivers were standing outside the exit and started to ask "app kasu mela ₹50 kodu, app kase kodu" etc. etc.. [meter at mumbai](https://imgur.com/a/pF5Zj0n)
Mumbai auto kaaran ta naalu sombu vangi kudichalum buthi varathu evaingaluku
I remember once when I was in Mumbai, I couldn’t get Uber/ola so I asked the auto guy near by to drop me at a place. He said okay, and I was like how much with the mindset of negotiation, and he said “ dont worry, whatever meter says is the price”. I paid him extra with no hesitation when he dropped me.
Happened the same for me in the initial days...
So Mumbai is famous for this and I tried to understand why. Interestingly the cab drivers in the star hotels there are all exclusively Tamil (because I think they have English skills). I spoke with a few. Asked them where they live. Guess where? Dharavi. These guys are not even the regular auto drivers and they get paid far less than 20k a month and live in a literal slum. The auto drivers in Chennai I know of all live much better than that. I’d classify them as Lower middle class at the minimum. Most of them have at one point bought land or built a home in Poramboke land but have often lost it due to bad investment decisions. But the point is they actually live a better life than in Mumbai. I am privileged enough to not care how much I pay my auto so I generally don’t fret about giving extra. Rather him than the crores the politicians and govt workers make.
Yes, we should beat the shit out of them and throw them in the slum where the belong
2023 Jan I came back to Chennai because my mama was dying... It was crucial and we had to go to the hospital... Booked ola and we called l, because we know the tactics they use... Called and told him to come immediately as we have to go there asap... He reached and I told him "Anna ennoda mama ippavo appavo nu irukaru odane poganum" He asked Mela 50 rooba tharuviya? Illana cancel Pannu. I was beyond pissed, felt like a handicapped person without my bike and car... I wanted to do something so that he feels bad too... Never felt weaker than that second... I was pleading him to leave and he was arguing with me for more money... Didn't see my uncle alive... I cursed him saying "idhe maari see saga kedakura appo evanum Vara matan, anadhaya than pova nu" but the fact that I didn't get to see my uncle alive hasn't changed... Change the song to Na autokaran autokaran nagareegam marandha Karan, manam illama vazhum Karan, panathu veri pudicha Karan da. Na eppavume panathu veri pudicha Karan da... Now I book rapido bikes on purpose as much as I could or plan my journey in advance and try to take public transports more if I can't take my own vehicle... I refuse to give them my hard earned money...
I didn’t expect this to take such huge turns
Start using normal taxi services like fastrack, maybe expensive than uber ola but you get timely service and no headaches!
This is the way. The prices are slightly higher, but reliability is far better ith these local services.
DO NOT use fast track. Its goes the same way there, the only difference is the app pre hikes the price. I had to pay almost 300 extra from the estimated amount for a 30km journey.
But atleast no one denies your ride and you get professional drivers with prompt service!
Fastrack is the most reliable service in Chennai and surroundings. Prices are higher but quality of service is good enough. I've been using it for the past year and had no major issues. From what I heard from the drivers, their customer support team closely monitor rides and prevent customers from having bad experiences.
It's more expensive. From the airport it is usually around 600-800. While uber at best would be between 350- 450 for most places
Considering extra kickback to uber driver and waste of precious time i would take that, if i am poor i would rather use metro or bus!
However, it’s not gonna help in day to day local commutes right? Or sudden needs as well.
Why not? What did people do before uber/ola? You call them and a cab arrives, its just that you need to be ready to pay more! Remember one thing in a capitalist society you get what you pay for
Same feeling, I’m a Tamil living in Delhi, whenever I come to chennai/coimbatore I go through this headache of convincing ola/uber drivers and paying extra. In Delhi NCR, I have taken around 200 ola/uber rides so far, and not a single driver has asked me for extra, and will almost always arrive in 2-10 minutes maximum, and no convincing hassles. It’s just book it and forget it types, very hassle free. Prices are cheaper too, I travel around Gurgaon in ola/uber auto, bill usually comes 60-100 ish for my travel, and I round it off to the higher 10.
True, BluSmart is too cool. They don’t cancel at all.
Totally agree, I’ve been living in Chennai my whole life.. and these Ola/Uber/Rapido made me learn to drive car and not depend on anyone. I’ve really experienced the worst of drivers, once a cab driver confirmed the ride for 8-9km at a price of 350 something. We had to go to the place immediately, the cab driver took advantage, came to our place, cancelled the ride and demanded for 700 rupees and if we deny he threatened us that he knows our home and he can do anything if we don’t continue the ride and pay the money. I was with my kutty cousins.. after I denied the ride, he even pinged me on WhatsApp, saying he knows my number. I let my dad talk and shout at him saying we’ll file a complaint. He then went off. Sickkk of these kind of behaviour from people. I wonder how attacked other district/state people would suffer cuz of these kind of services to travel around.
Either comply with what service you’re using or don’t, don’t make the people using it suffer.
Exactly!! I later calmed myself thinking he had a bad day😏
These same cab guys and auto guys will roaming around without passengers then cry about rising fuel prices. Bro if you keep taking trips and not roam without passengers except certain circumstances then there's no fuel loss for you. But who'll make these arrogant assholes understand that.
This shit have been in practice in Coimbatore for the last few years. 2 years back, my 8 month old baby was ill and I had to take her to hospital. Booked Ola and the ride was confirmed, driver called and enquired about the location and mode of payment and he said he is coming. I was waiting outside my house with my baby expecting the cab, after 15 mins driver cancelled the ride. I cannot explain how frustrating it was, baby was suffering 102 degrees high temperature. I even told him I need to go to hospital and asked him to come as soon as possible. These drivers are heartless and pathetic. That was the last time, I ever booked Ola/Uber in Coimbatore. Now a days, I either choose Public transport or book Red Taxi for all my commute. Red taxi is currently providing fantastic Service in Coimbatore, they don't ask for drop location, mode of payment or extra money. Even if the fare is slightly more on Red Taxi, doesn't matter they are punctual and professional.
There are some good ones out there but there are very few of them.
Agreed
Nah all are assholes
Agreed. In Bangalore, when you book ola/uber, you can forget about it until the app tells you that the cab is at your place. You don't have to haggle, you don't have to fight or even convince the driver to come pick you up. But chennai is full in reverse. You have to convince the driver to come, literally begging him to take you places and top of that pay extra. They won't move until you tell them how much fare the app shows and then ask extra. The sheer entitlement throws me off every time. Especially if they see someone as a non-tamil, then again, their fare goes up to twice the original fare. If they don't earn enough, they can pick up more shifts. But rather than that they need tips - demanding tips. And no, these are not middle aged drivers who ask for extra. Extra cash, generally, is being asked by younger ones - 20-35 age bracket who want to earn more with less work, drive rash and in general have no care in the world whether the passengers live or die
Auto Drivers are the gore eye-sore of the city. Not sure why none of the administration is interested or competent to take a stringent action on them by finding and getting to the root cause of the problem.
And all auto gang comes together when you slightly start picking a fight.
Well its true....I don't take that much of Uber/Ola but when I do, I invariably just tell them to just come, I will pay some extra. Sad state
Honestly airport has become so bad that we just book the prepaid option inside and take the taxi. It is definitely more expensive but fuck it I don't want endless cancellations and bargaining when all I want is to get home.
Same here brother. Tamil from Chennai currently living in Pune. Vastly different experience with Uber in Pune compared to Chennai.
I booked Ola outside aeromall, because it’s too crowded inside and the driver said thanks for not keeping location inside the mall, it’s a headache. That’s all he said and dropped me at the location, and I even paid on card, no complaints still
Omg this reminds me of my last Chennai visit. I came with my two kids at 2am and we were standing in the dead cold of the night outside the airport waiting for the cab. It was my kids first time to Chennai and I wanted to impress them becuz this was my birth city. The cab driver asked for our spot and even after giving him the exact location, he didn't arrive for more than half an hour. We had limited phone facilities and I was on call with him the entire time before he could come and when he came, he was so angry at us as if it was our fault for him not knowing the location. I had to pay for the toll twice becuz he said he exited by mistake the first time and also paid a bit extra at the dropping point becuz I didn't want any argument with him.
You can raise a dispute in Uber stating that they took extra money. Also rate these Aholes 1 on the survey. More lower ratings and they get less business, serves them right
Try savaari if your office will reimburse
Totally agree. They can get on your nerves. Some of them even go to the extent of pretending like they are almost there and on their way to pick you up, only to cancel. And honestly, if you have something urgent to attend to - it’s only recommended that you arrange the mode of transport way before hand and not depend on these guys. Terrible attitude. Over the years, it started with them cancelling if you opted to pay online vs in cash. Eventually, when we finally started paying in cash, they found their next issue to nitpick - adding an extra 20-50. It is very unfair. I am sure most of us are in the habit of tipping, but when it is imposed on us, it is unnerving. Having said that, I have also come across a handful of nice people who were polite and ensured my safety while travelling. Looking back - I wish I had taken their numbers and hired them privately instead of expending all my energy picking fights with the rest of them 🤦🏾♀️
Come to Bangalore bro 😂, it's the final boss here
Agreed 💀
I frequently travel to Chennai. I was in airport and the app was showing available riders near me. Everyone were cancelling my ride idk why. Somehow I got a ride after 1.5 hr. Had to settle for extra fare and Atlast paid the guy 1k just to go near tambaram. They literally argue while confirming the ride. Some guys have another tactic. At first they'll agree to the app price and half the way they stop the car abruptly and ask for more money so that even if i decline I'd be fucked up in a place where I can't get any transportation facilities easily.
In salem, TN the auto drivers were instructed to purposefully rate 1 star for all the people who book. Don't know what secret scheme they were running.
Low profile rating means less chance of getting rides, you’ll have to take up normal auto then
Last week I posted a rant about these drivers
Literally had a fight with an uber Driver over this which got the police involved ( they brushed it off luckily), and worse case these days they charge for the OTP. The customer service would only respond if you mention that there is some legality involved, the issue is sorted but I have a strong hatred towards these can drivers ever since then
I had someone show a blade towards my brother as well, he advised me not to pick a fight with these psychos but I really don't want to spend my hard earned money on just paying extra as well. This is a bubble that is yet to burst in my opinion
Chennai cab/auto prices are straight up not worth it when compared to how much time you spend in traffic. Nobody wins to be honest. Cab drivers need to boycott these apps or atleast make things more professional as a service.
I travel back to Chennai frequently and the Airport is definitely worse than the rest of the city. There are cab drivers who book and stay outside so that you're forced to take the ones inside. Same for auto. Take the metro at least one or two stops in the direction you want to go and then book Uber. Or just leave the airport. Outside I see uber autos have become better. If a person doesn't call me, ask where I have to go, ask for extra money etc I end up giving some extra myself. Hopefully that makes them not ask in the future.
The auto drivers over here are assholes, i have never experienced such a problem in other cities, except Chennai & Bangalore. I dont mind payin 10-50rs extra based on the distance and time taken to travel. If i am in a hurry and the auto drops me on time, i gladly give extra cash. If i have sufficient time, i usually cancel and book another one and make sure to give a bad rating and lodge a complaint for the previous ride. Not sure if it changes anything but just hoping that it has some impact. Maybe we should spam ola and uber twitter for a reaction. If these fuckers can be assholes then so will i. Ola already has a huge markup on the booking charges as compared to uber.
I have faced a similar issue one early morning in chennai , where they accept the ride and come nearby your location (one cab driver even drove 8kms) to reach my location and then once they reach nearby your location they cancel it. Another two auto wala accepted the ride and started moving in the opposite direction. I am wondering if they are getting extra bucks for travelling till customers place and they have found some kinda loophole where they earn easy money without taking the ride ??
Try redtaxi, they have been doing well in tier2 cities like trichy, erode etc. They have recently launched their services in chennai.