This is in regard to the Ola ride on 17th April 2022 from Secunderabad Railway Station to my residence (CRN[protected]). The ride (Prime Sedan) charges were Rs. 751 (The ride fare was not only higher than the estimated fare, but was twice the fare shown during the ride booking i.e., well within Rs. 400, Rs. 350 odd). The fare charges are deducted from Ola postpaid service for me as I have opted for this facility.
I am using Ola from 2015/16 onwards, and have used the services in major metro cities viz., Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Kochi etc. The distance from Secunderabad Railway Station to my residence is hardly 8 km, the travel was on a normal Sunday afternoon, with no rain or any unprecedented / harsh weather conditions or unusual events, road block or any such festive occasions.
I was in utter shock on checking the Ride fare on Ola postpaid wallet, after completing my ride and reaching my apartment. As I had luggage and reaching home after a long week's travel, there was delay to check the Ola postpaid charges. Immediately, I tried to reach the Ola Customer Support, explained my situation and raised the concern that I was charged twice the amount, than that was shown during the ride confirmation. The representative was responding mechanically & showed no intention to figure out my concern. It was informed that the increase in Fare is due to peak pricing / peak hour charges. As I was not convinced with the verbal statement, I asked the representative to provide me with the fare break up. This too seemed vague as I was not convinced, I asked to escalate the issue to the next level and connect to the representative's supervisor. She responded that the supervisor is tending to another call, and will arrange for a call back in an hour's time in this regard. There was no call from Ola on that day (17th April 2022).
Further, I waited for a day or two, after which I tried to connect to the Ola representatives, again explained the whole concern & the previous call with Ola representative on 17th April 2022. The Ola representative, assured that she would arrange for a call back and shall try to resolve the issue. I did not receive the call back from ola & neither was the issue resolved.
Third & fourth attempt to connect to the customer service went in vain as well due to poor network connection & could not hear the ola representatives properly. All the raised tickets were marked as resolved in the support section for this ride (on 17th April 2022) while, the resolution was not achieved.
Further, I took some time to understand the invoice and its breakup.
Contradictory to the statement made by the ola representatives during the first two calls, the invoice does not provide any details on the actual per km charges, fare break up & does not mention "Peak pricing" in the invoice. Instead my invoice mentions "Convenience fee". Thus, to understand what Convivence fee is & other terms, I checked the Ola FAQs. I wish to clarify that we had not utilized or availed Prime Play facility during the ride, we had booked only for a Prime Sedan ride. This is evident in the ride details.
The statements as in the FAQ are highlighted and enclosed herewith.
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(Explanation on Peak Pricing as per the OLA FAQ
"What is peak pricing?:
Peak Pricing is an additional charge applicable when the demand for cabs is higher than the number of cabs actually available near your location. A variety of factors such as office rush hours, heavy rain, holiday or a local event can cause rise in demand for cabs which may result in peak pricing being applied on your ride.
Peak pricing is not a fixed charge and varies depending on the demand for cabs. For example- If the peak pricing applicable on your booking is 1.2x then your total fare will increase by 1.2 times. In some cities, during high demand time, revised total fare will be shown for your ride before you confirm a booking.
We at Ola believe in transparent pricing. You will always be informed if peak pricing is applicable on your ride before you confirm a booking.
If you feel that the peak pricing applied on your ride is high, you can try choosing from other cab categories available on the Ola app or or alternately try booking a cab from your Ola app after a few minutes.")
(Explanation on Fare & Fare breakup & Convenience fee as per the OLA FAQ
"I want to check my fare breakup:
You can check the total fare for your ride on Ola app by entering the drop location. On entering the drop location, you will be able to view the estimated fare for every cab category.
The total fare for your Ola ride is calculated by adding the following:-
- Base Fare - A flat fare charged up to a particular distance or for the first few kms.
- Distance Fare - The fare charged on per km traveled. Depending on the city, the Rate/Km may vary after a threshold distance or an extra charge may be applicable after a particular distance.
- Ride Time Fare -The fare charged on the total time duration of the trip from pickup time to drop time. This also includes driver waiting time before the trip starts, wait time in traffic or at traffic signals during the ride.
- Peak Pricing (if applicable)-Peak pricing is applied on standard fares depending on the time of booking. It is not a fixed charge and varies as per the demand for the cabs in your area.
- Advance Booking Fee ( if applicable)- Advance booking fee is a flat amount charged on all Ride Later bookings.The fee will be added to your ride bill on completion of the trip.
- Access Fee (if applicable)- Access fee is applicable on auto rides. It is a fee charged for availing the Ola platform.
- Convenience Fee (if applicable)- Convenience fee is applicable on Prime Play rides for providing you in-cab entertainment. The fee may vary from city to city. You can check the Total Fare breakup (click on the ‘i’ icon ) for the convenience fee before confirming a booking.
- Airport Charges (if applicable)- A surcharge fee may be charged for airport pickup and drop (depending on the city.)
- Toll and Parking Fee (if applicable)
- Taxes (as per the state taxation rules)
Note - Base Fare, Distance Fare, and Ride Time Fare may vary depending on the demand for cabs during that time and the cab category selected. You will always be informed before you confirm the booking of any fare increase (if applicable).
You can always check the invoice sent to your registered email id for understanding the fare breakup of your ride.")
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My conclusions from the conversations with the Ola Representatives, understanding the invoice break up & FAQs posted by Ola in the Ola application are:
1. I have not utilized Prime play services, thus my fares shall not be booked for "Convenience fee" (Rs. 201.13).
2. While booking, it did not show the peak pricing in the application, thus my fares cannot be escalated without my knowledge or as mentioned in the FAQ considered without informing the user (me) prior to booking. (Neither the amount charged for peak pricing is mentioned in my Invoice). If any amount is deducted in this regard, this has not been transparently communicated to the user / rider. Also, the duration, distance & time of travel does not account of any unusual circumstances wherein charges could be escalated.
3. I am confident & sure that the price was nowhere in the range of Rs. 400s or Rs.500s, while booking let alone Rs.751.
4. There is no transparency in the fare charges and I have been charged wrongly for the ride.
5. The ride was within city limits & on a normal day.
6. Further, " Transport Hub Charges" are mentioned to be applicable in special zones like airports in the invoice. Thus, Rs. 40 + GST towards "Transport Hub Charges" is not applicable in this ride (The ride was not made from airport).
Further, the customer support team is treating the customer queries languidly and there is no prompt response / redressal to the issue, the tickets raised were marked closed in the Ola application without resolution.
This is my first experience, wherein there is no transparency in using the Ola app. I would rather be happy to pay a normal taxi driver who would upfront ask me for whatever fare he asks, than be deceived in this manner. The core value of Ola Service is being deviated from.
This was an absolutely unpleasant experience and I am not willing to pay the extra charges imposed without information.
The Ola Customer Support is upfront denying that rates were not modified. The Ola is not providing resoultion to the issue, as promised in their application & is not transparent to their customers.
