Rapida drivers are allegedly pulling a new scam on their customers and a man from Bengaluru is urging social media users to be aware of it.
In a viral Reddit post, the man shared that he had booked a ride with an estimated fare ₹598. However, what started out as a seemingly normal ride turned out to be a scam – a very common one in fact.
“I booked a Rapido from Bangalore Terminal 2 to Jakkur. The app was showing the fare – ₹598. I followed the normal OTP flow and gave the driver OTP Everything seemed fine,” the post said.
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The man said that at the end of the ride, the Rapida driver showed him the inflated bill ₹758 on your phone screen. However, the ride was still listed as active in the customer’s app.
“At the end of the ride, the rider showed me the billing screen on his phone that said ₹758. It looked like Rapido UI but I felt something was off. I checked my Rapido app on my own phone and the ride was still showing as incomplete,” he said.
Fake app scam
When confronted, the driver hesitantly showed the passenger his phone, only to reveal a fake app called TownRide, which allegedly has a similar interface to Rapido but allows users to manually adjust fares.
“The driver was hesitant to show me his phone and after a little prodding I found out he was actually using a fake app called TownRide. It looks exactly like the Rapido interface but the fare amount can be changed manually!” read the viral post.
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“When I confronted him about it, he calmly said that’s what he’s been using ‘for a long time’ (what a real F),” the Bengaluru-based man shared in his viral post.
When the man realized the scam, he said he raised his voice at the driver and firmly agreed to pay only the original fare.
“I realized what was happening, I raised my voice, my tone became louder, and he immediately understood that he was on the wrong side. He quickly agreed to accept the actual amount that appeared on the official Rapido app, took the payment and left,” he said.
LiveMint has reached out to Rapido for comment via email. The story will be continuously updated on the company’s response.
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Here’s how netizens reacted:
Several social media users said that they faced a similar situation with other taxi drivers.
“It’s always Rapido,” claimed one user.
“It happened to me today but for an Uber ride. He showed me an inflated fare for a brief second and shut it down. I was firm and offered to pay only what my bill shows. He raises his voice and tries to put you down but you have to keep your head down and don’t give up. At least it worked for me,” the user shared.
Another added: “I had a similar situation, but with Ola. I fell for the trick the first time. However, when I later drove from the airport, the driver showed me the fare, which was ₹300 higher than expected. I immediately asked about it and asked him to open the app. He hesitated at first, but when he finally did, the actual price was clearly lower.”
The user said: “This is quite common,” adding that if you book a taxi from the airport, a “toll” fare will appear. “If the driver is on a non-toll road, he won’t end the ride and ask for the original fare. I always make sure the ride ends before I pay. I stick to Uber as much as possible for longer rides.”
