afunnynut BHPian

Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 60 Thanked: 198 Times

Uber needs a Hotline number! Driver has a heart attack and it's impossible to reach them



I took an Uber ride from my workplace to my home yesterday and was picked up at 6.38 PM by Mohan Kumar driving a Mahindra Verito (I don't see the vehicle number any more on Uber but the driver's number was +917090801637)



I was traveling from Bellandur to JP Nagar 8th Phase via Silk Board.



Round about 30 mins into the trip, the driver did not seem comfortable. At the traffic signal, he asked me if he could drop me at Jayadeva (which is quite some distance from my place) At this, I told him that JP Nagar 8th phase is quite some distance away from there and it's a long distancy to walk home. He mentioned he was not feeling well to which I said, if that's the case, go on, it's OK.



Just after crossing Silkboard, the driver collapsed with chest pain. After getting the other two passengers out of the vehicle, I took the driver to the Gangotri Hospital at BTM layout on the main road.



There, the doctor immediately requested for an ECG and treatment was started.



While in the midst of this:



1. I frantically searched around in the Uber App for a "help desk" number I could call. The driver seemed to have "ended" the trip at the point where he collapsed. So the app just showed a "help" link. No phone numbers or any other contact details I could actually reach out to!



2. I checked with my office colleagues on WhatsApp and was asked to contact the police. In the meanwhile, I ran around paying the bills for the driver whilst trying desperately to reach out to someone



3. I reached out to Uber via the "help" option but even though I sent the message via the link, there was no response for an hour from Uber



4. Someone mentioned to "tweet" to Uber - which I did (forgive my language but at that point, I was pretty much desperate... (screenshots attached)



5. Uber reached out after two hours of the incident with a "canned" response stating they were taking "measures to see the driver is not able to use the app to drive with Uber till he produces a Fitness certificate" THAT IS NOT MY CONCERN. My concern was to reach out and get help to the driver in distress! Is THIS how Uber takes care of their drivers and (heaven forbid) customers?



What is tomorrow it's the passenger who meets with an emergency? What if the passenger is traveling to another city and is not on "home turf"? What happens then?



While Uber reached out and "reversed" the bill and asked me to reply back to the email to compensate for the "medical expenses" why is Uber concerned about the expenses I have incurred willingly - with no gun pointed to my head - just to save a fellow human being in need - whom I did not even know prior to the ride?



And all these drivers that Uber has, don't even seem to have a "hotline number" they can reach out to - in case of emergencies? Is THAT how a business is supposed to operate? With no concern about the well being of your drivers (even if they are just contractors?) Then what are the paying customers in the eyes of Uber exactly? Just plain revenue stream?



Why do we have a cab operator allowed to ply in our country (to hell with the US that is NOT my concern) but with a billion population and the country bursting at the seams with traffic, is that a ride that either you or I would like to take moving forward, given just what happened?



I am *not* writing this to malign a company or the company's operation and favoring one vendor over the other. I have NOTHING to do with the operations of any taxi aggregator service but I DO care about the safety and security of aspect of a public utility I am using (and make NO mistake, Uber and Ola etc are at the end, private public utility service in the end)



I am reaching out to ensure



1. Uber is made to/forced to change. Today it's something that's happened to my driver, tomorrow it could be me/my wife/my daughter who needs assistance. It could be anyone. We need a support system for both the Driver and the commuters at place.



2. Uber to reach out to the driver and ensure he is taken care. I have done what I could at that point. But as an employee (even if contractual) it's Uber's responsibility to take care of their drivers















Note: Long post!I took an Uber ride from my workplace to my home yesterday and was picked up at 6.38 PM by Mohan Kumar driving a Mahindra Verito (I don't see the vehicle number any more on Uber but the driver's number was +917090801637)I was traveling from Bellandur to JP Nagar 8th Phase via Silk Board.Round about 30 mins into the trip, the driver did not seem comfortable. At the traffic signal, he asked me if he could drop me at Jayadeva (which is quite some distance from my place) At this, I told him that JP Nagar 8th phase is quite some distance away from there and it's a long distancy to walk home. He mentioned he was not feeling well to which I said, if that's the case, go on, it's OK.Just after crossing Silkboard, the driver collapsed with chest pain. After getting the other two passengers out of the vehicle, I took the driver to the Gangotri Hospital at BTM layout on the main road.There, the doctor immediately requested for an ECG and treatment was started.While in the midst of this:1. I frantically searched around in the Uber App for a "help desk" number I could call. The driver seemed to have "ended" the trip at the point where he collapsed. So the app just showed a "help" link. No phone numbers or any other contact details I could actually reach out to!2. I checked with my office colleagues on WhatsApp and was asked to contact the police. In the meanwhile, I ran around paying the bills for the driver whilst trying desperately to reach out to someone3. I reached out to Uber via the "help" option but even though I sent the message via the link, there was no response for an hour from Uber4. Someone mentioned to "tweet" to Uber - which I did (forgive my language but at that point, I was pretty much desperate... (screenshots attached)5. Uber reached out after two hours of the incident with a "canned" response stating they were taking "measures to see the driver is not able to use the app to drive with Uber till he produces a Fitness certificate" THAT IS NOT MY CONCERN. My concern was to reach out and get help to the driver in distress! Is THIS how Uber takes care of their drivers and (heaven forbid) customers?What is tomorrow it's the passenger who meets with an emergency? What if the passenger is traveling to another city and is not on "home turf"? What happens then?While Uber reached out and "reversed" the bill and asked me to reply back to the email to compensate for the "medical expenses" why is Uber concerned about the expenses I have incurred willingly - with no gun pointed to my head - just to save a fellow human being in need - whom I did not even know prior to the ride?And all these drivers that Uber has, don't even seem to have a "hotline number" they can reach out to - in case of emergencies? Is THAT how a business is supposed to operate? With no concern about the well being of your drivers (even if they are just contractors?) Then what are the paying customers in the eyes of Uber exactly? Just plain revenue stream?Why do we have a cab operator allowed to ply in our country (to hell with the US that is NOT my concern) but with a billion population and the country bursting at the seams with traffic, is that a ride that either you or I would like to take moving forward, given just what happened?I am *not* writing this to malign a company or the company's operation and favoring one vendor over the other. I have NOTHING to do with the operations of any taxi aggregator service but I DO care about the safety and security of aspect of a public utility I am using (and make NO mistake, Uber and Ola etc are at the end, private public utility service in the end)I am reaching out to ensure1. Uber is made to/forced to change. Today it's something that's happened to my driver, tomorrow it could be me/my wife/my daughter who needs assistance. It could be anyone. We need a support system for both the Driver and the commuters at place.2. Uber to reach out to the driver and ensure he is taken care. I have done what I could at that point. But as an employee (even if contractual) it's Uber's responsibility to take care of their drivers Last edited by bblost : 25th May 2016 at 12:29 . Reason: Edited one of the images.