Mumbai Techie Claims Rapido Driver Abused Her Over Extra Charge: 'Pel Dunga, Bhikhari Ki Aulad'

A Mumbai-based techie has claimed that she was abused and threatened by a Rapido driver who first attempted to overcharge her and then asked her to cancel the ride after she refused. Ohshin Bhat shared a screenshot of the driver's abusive message on the social media platform X.

The techie explained that she had booked a cab through the ride-hailing service Rapido. She had requested a 'Rapido Economy' class ride but was assigned a Premium vehicle instead. Economy rides are typically cheaper than Premium ones, with hatchbacks generally used for Economy rides and sedans for the Premium category.

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In Ohshin's case, the driver had also made his cab available under the Economy category, likely in an attempt to secure more bookings. However, he demanded extra payment from her. When she declined, the Rapido driver began insulting and threatening her, demanding that she cancel the ride.

"Pel dunga," the driver told Ohshin, according to the screenshot she shared online. "Cancel kar do varna pel dunga khade khade (Cancel the ride or I will beat you up where you're standing)," he added. He then insulted the Mumbai techie further, calling her a "Bhikhari ki aulad (Child of a beggar)."

When the customer ignored the provocation, the Rapido driver became more aggressive. "Saste me chahiye paidal ja (Walk if you want to save money)," he told Ohshin.

Ohshin eventually booked an Uber and left the area, while the driver cancelled the ride himself.

Rapido's Response

Rapido responded to the complaint with an apology and a commitment to investigate further.

"We fully understand the seriousness of this matter, and we deeply apologise for the captain's unprofessional behaviour. As requested earlier, kindly share the ride details via DM so that we can prioritise taking action against the captain and provide you with an update," Rapido Cares posted on X.

This incident adds to a growing number of cases where cab drivers have used insulting or threatening language towards passengers. Many users in the comments section expressed shock at the driver's words and urged Rapido to take appropriate action. Some even suggested that Rapido had the worst-behaved drivers on board.

"What in the world is going on? Why every time it's Rapido?" one X user asked. "Haha, I had a similar incident but the chat was by the Rapido customer service team!" another user claimed.