Ola and Uber Warned Of Action By Government

On Tuesday, a senior government official informed that Ride-hailing firms including Ola and Uber, have been warned of severe consequences if they don't improve their systems and redress increasing consumer complaints. Amid an increase in consumer complaints of alleged unfair trade practices by cab service providers, the government conducted a meeting today with these platforms.

Consumers complained about several issues including ride cancellation policy, as drivers compels customers to cancel trips after accepting bookings, which results in customers being charged of cancellation penalties.

In a statement, after the meeting, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said, "We told them about the rising consumer complaints against their platforms. We gave them the statistics also. We have asked them to improve their system and redress the consumer complaints otherwise the competent authority will take strict action.”

He further said that the complaints about these platforms have increased exponentially lately. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare said the cab aggregators should immediately come out with solutions. She said, "The authority is likely to issue an advisory to ensure that unfair trade practices by cab aggregators are not carried on in violation of consumers' rights.” She also said that the government has told that there will be "zero tolerance against such malpractices" by cab aggregators.