The consumer court has penalised Ola Cabs for charging a customer an exorbitant amount and not providing air conditioning. Following a petition filed by Jabez Samuel stating that he and his wife were left stranded for four hours after the cab driver asked them to get down after covering 5 kilometers in October last year, the court asked the ridesharing company to pay Rs 88,000 compensation to the customer and Rs 7,000 as costs of the hearing.
The time for compliance is 45 days and if the firm fails to comply with court orders it would be liable to pay interest.
Samuel and his wife boarded the Ola cab and found it to be messy. Upon being requested to turn on the AC, the driver refused. After covering 5 kilometres, the driver asked the couple to get down the cab, said Samuel in his complaint.
The couple was billed Rs 861. However, the complainant did not have to pay the driver, since he availed of the Ola money cash credit service. According to the complainant, the cab driver charged excess money stating that it usually costs Rs 150-200 for a distance of 5 kilometres.
Even after raising the issue with Ola authorities, no action was taken. The complainant began receiving multiple calls asking him to pay the bill.
Ola cabs did not appear before the commission to contest the case even after being served a notice. The commission has directed the company to refund the amount of Rs. 861 along with interest.