Very Disturbing Experience

1/5

I had a very disturbing experience with DriveU a few years ago (around 2–3 years back).

I booked a driver for a local trip within Kolkata for around 7–10 hours. The driver arrived on time and everything seemed normal initially. Since my plans kept extending, I repeatedly extended the booking and even requested the same driver for the following day.

During the trip, we travelled to several places within the city. At one point, around 2:30 AM, I even invited the driver to my apartment to rest because it was very late. Later that morning, I booked a hotel room for him so he could get proper rest before continuing the journey, as he hadn't had enough sleep. Throughout this period, I kept extending the booking and ensured that his accommodation and comfort were taken care of.

That evening, my girlfriend and I went out again and returned to Jadavpur around 2:30 AM. During the entire trip, the driver repeatedly asked for payment. I assured him that I would settle everything once the journey was fully completed, and he agreed.

When we finally reached Jadavpur, I asked him for the final amount. He told me it was around ₹10,000. I immediately paid him ₹8,500 and told him to wait for about 10 minutes while I accompanied my girlfriend to her apartment. I wanted a few private moments with her before ending the trip.

When I returned, I was shocked to find that the driver had completely disappeared.

I called him more than 50 times but received no response. I searched the surrounding area, but there was no sign of him. The car was simply left in the middle of the road, unattended. At that moment, I realized he had taken the money and abandoned the booking.

The situation quickly became stressful because I do not know how to drive. It was around 3:00 AM, and I was stranded alone with my car parked on the road. I stayed inside the vehicle for a couple of hours. Around 5:00 AM, residents started coming out of their homes, and some became upset because the car was blocking access. I had to explain repeatedly that I couldn't drive. One person even asked why I owned a car if I didn't know how to drive.

Thankfully, a kind gentleman helped move the car to a safer location. Meanwhile, my phone battery was running critically low. I booked another DriveU driver around 6:00 AM, but he informed me he could only arrive after 11:00 AM. I shared my exact location, vehicle number, and vehicle details with him and requested that he come directly to me if my phone switched off.

Eventually, the replacement driver arrived, and I was finally able to return home around 3:00 PM after spending nearly 12 hours stranded due to the previous driver's actions.

What disappointed me the most was not just the driver's behavior, but the complete lack of professionalism and accountability. I had treated the driver with respect, arranged accommodation for him, extended the booking multiple times, and ensured he was comfortable. Being abandoned at 3:00 AM without any support was something I never expected from a professional driver service.

I hope DriveU has improved its driver monitoring and customer safety procedures since then, because no customer should have to go through an experience like this.