Bengaluru: Monsoon blues Cabbies can rain on your parade

Bengaluru: With the full-fledged monsoon hitting Bengaluru, commuting from a crowded Indiranagar or even a deserted Bhartiya City in Hebbal has become difficult. Though cab aggregators claim to offer services 24x7, we often find refreshing the mobile app repeatedly to book a cab, either finding none or getting cancelled by the driver.

“It started pouring in the night when I was on Church Street. I had to go to Whitefield, where I had booked a hotel. I could see plenty of cabs on the road, but none popped up on my Uber app," said Ananya, an airhostess.

“When I did manage to book a cab, it was cancelled by the driver. I finally took an autorickshaw, which obviously did not go by the meter," she said. In cases like Ananya's, when it is raining, cabs get booked quickly, leaving many commuters stranded. Others find cabs, but are cancelled by drivers.

“Be it afternoon or night, a downpour means getting drenched and not finding any way to get home. It was 11 pm and I was on MG Road. Three Uber drivers cancelled on me, Ola autos and cabs did not even get booked as the drivers did not accept the trip," said Pooja, who finally went home in an auto paying one-and-a-half times the fare, plus Rs 20!

When DC contacted cab aggregators, Ola did not respond, while Uber spokesperson said, “We’ve built a technology platform that uses complex algorithms to connect riders with driver partners. Features like Heat Map in the driver app help us maintain marketplace efficiency by directing drivers to areas with high demand.”

A third perspective was given by Mr Ramesh, member of the Bruhat Bengaluru Taxi Driver's Union. “Firstly, when it rains, 25% of the drivers prefer not to go on duty. If the commute between Point A and B takes one hour on a normal day, it takes three hours when it rains. Nobody wants to get stuck in that kind of traffic.”

Another factor that Ramesh mentions goes back to the driver strikes against cab companies. “Since the driver salary and incentives are not as promised, majority of them are unable to pay vehicle loans. 30 % of drivers have left the business as they cannot service their loans,” he said.