A woman in Gurugram, India, was subjected to a terrifying ordeal last week after she refused to pay an arbitrary fare demanded by her Ola driver. The incident occurred early Friday morning as the woman, identified as Puja S. on her LinkedIn profile, was making her way to the airport.
Puja detailed her experience in a lengthy LinkedIn post, describing how the driver, just 10 minutes into the ride, stopped to fill his water bottles. After restarting the car, he claimed it wouldn’t start again unless Puja made a payment via a QR code he presented. She requested him to end the ride first so she could confirm the fare, but the driver insisted on immediate payment, threatening to prevent her from leaving until she complied.
As Puja tried to book a new cab, the driver grew increasingly aggressive, hurling threats and insults. She felt intimidated and unsafe as he warned her that he would “come back at night and show you what happens.” He continued his verbal assault, even filming Puja without her consent and refusing to delete the footage. The harassment escalated further when he raised his hand as if to slap her, saying “I’ll hit you so hard.”
Despite being shaken, Puja stood her ground, informing the driver that there would be consequences if he dared to touch her. His response was to laugh and continue his abusive tirade. This incident highlights the growing concern over safety and accountability within ride-hailing services and underscores the need for stronger measures to protect passengers from such dangerous situations.
