₹1,334 for 8.83 km cab ride, Consumer Court penalizes Uber India with ₹20,000

• District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh fines Uber India ₹20,000
• Instructs ₹10,000 compensation to customer and another ₹10,000 to be deposited in legal aid account
• Chandigarh based complainant alleged that he was charged ₹1,334 for 8.83km long ride which lasted for just 15 mins

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh has levied a penalty of ₹20,000 on Uber India following a complaint by customer Ashwani Prashar. The Commission directed Uber India to pay ₹10,000 as compensation to Prashar and deposit another ₹10,000 into the legal aid account.

Prashar had lodged a complaint after being charged ₹1,334 for an 8.83 km ride with Uber. According to his grievance, the ride on the Uber app took place on August 6, 2021, lasting a mere 15 minutes from 10.40 pm to 10.57 pm. However, he was billed ₹1,334, which amounts to approximately ₹150 per kilometer.

Despite several attempts through chats and emails seeking resolution, Prashar's complaints to Uber went unanswered. In response, Uber India stated that it was unable to ascertain if the route deviations were caused by the rider or the driver, thus refuting liability for any route changes.

As a gesture of goodwill and to maintain trust in its platform, Uber India refunded ₹975 in Uber Credits to Prashar's account for the cash trip discrepancy. However, the Disputes Redressal Commission ruled in favor of the complainant, terming the incident as an "unfair trade practice."

In its judgment, the Commission asserted, "In order to keep a check on such unruly service providers, who commit breach of assurances, promises and commitments at the nick of time, they are required to be dealt with heavy hands." The Commission ordered Uber India to deposit a compensation of ₹10,000 in the Consumer Welfare Fund, in addition to the amounts payable to the complainant for compensation and litigation expenses.