Why Cancel the Trip | Indian Transport & Challenges

Providing a solution for the reluctant behaviour of driving partner and ride cancellation problem. - Kuldeep Dhyani, New Delhi, 2nd April 2019.

So did you have ever book a cab online?
If you are reading this, I bet you know what I am talking about!

In cities, Uber & Ola have become the synonyms for public transportation & are expanding beyond boundaries. These online apps for commute have transformed the way we use to look at travel. They brought convenience to the consumer's life & definitely have put them into the driving seat.

Not only this these service providers are working towards enhancing the user experience as well. Now you feel more secured & moreover, your driving partners are becoming well behaved than before. All of this has become possible because of the training & the company policies which shifted the industry paradigm by making it consumer-centric.

But, are they perfect?
No, there are still problem areas and scope of improvements. The consumers do face a few challenges now & then. Trip cancellation by driving partner after asking drop location from the consumer is one of the common problems.

This escalation sounds tiny & uncalled for but it puts consumers back paddling a little. Which at times is concerning as it ends up consumer being frustrated & helpless.

Imagine its 1 am & you are trying to book a taxi in desperation to reach back home.

Firstly, it takes time to fetch you a ride at that point in time. Secondly, when you have got ride details & drivers call you to confirm pick up location they also ask you for the drop location.

As soon as you tell them the drop location you are at their mercy whether they are willing to go to your drop location or not. This process of 'denial of service (DOS)' could last up to 2 to 3 riders behaving in the same fashion.

This behaviour of drivers is a major nightmare for the intercity commute in NCR. What we are doing is wasting consumers time and hurting the interest of stakeholders by  'denial of service (DOS)'.
This makes consumer hostile and prey of ignorance towards the service deliverance. You will be able to understand this problem better when you will experience a hopeless situation like this.

What is the point of first committing for service and then not delivering just because of vested personal intrust?

Trust building is an integral part of a brand building which increases loyalty towards the company.
Service providers should intervene to solve the problem like these if they are really are compelling consumers towards a better experience.

As a service provider, these companies should keep a close eye on the behaviour aspect of driving partner and the consumer interaction, situation & circumstances.

Why make consumers hostile & why can't we create a process to help out them on this?

There should be some sort of forbidding for driving partners where if anyone acts or repeats a similar fashion of denying service twice in a month he should be penalised for one day prohibition from providing services. It is similar to the corporate structure that when you come late to the office twice in a month you don't get paid for a day. This can probably bring the change in their behaviour and attitude towards service. Service is just not about finding convenience for service it is also about intent to serve the stakeholders.