A Delhi-based woman has shared a chilling account of her Ola cab ride in Gurugram, Haryana, accusing the company of neglecting passenger safety and failing to address the distressing incident. The woman, identified as Shazia A, a senior manager at Genpact, took to LinkedIn to describe her terrifying experience and criticized Ola for its lack of accountability.
According to Shazia, the ordeal began when the Ola driver inexplicably slowed down near the National Media Centre after crossing the toll. She soon noticed two men ahead of the cab, signaling for the driver to pull over to the left. “Shockingly, the driver complied, parking the car as per their instructions,” she wrote. When she questioned the driver about the sudden stop, he did not respond.
The situation escalated further when two more men approached the vehicle, bringing the total number of people around the cab to five, including the driver. Shazia said the driver mentioned having a pending loan installment, which left her feeling terrified. Fearing for her safety, she made the decision to run for her life.
“Feeling unsafe, I opened the right-side door and ran for my life. It was an extremely traumatic experience, and I cannot emphasize enough how terrified I felt,” she recounted in her post. She also revealed that when she attempted to use the SOS button on the Ola app, it failed to work, adding to her distress.
Ola’s Lack of Response
After the incident, Shazia said she lodged a complaint with Ola’s customer service but received no response, even after 24 hours. She expressed her frustration at the company’s lack of urgency and accountability. “I raised a complaint with Ola, but it has now been over 24 hours, and I have not received any response. This lack of accountability and urgency from Ola’s team is both shocking and deeply disappointing. Passenger safety is not just a feature—it’s a fundamental responsibility,” she wrote in her post.
Shazia also appealed directly to Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, urging him to take swift action to ensure that passenger safety is prioritized and that such incidents never happen again.