New Delhi: A regular ride to work turned into a frightening experience for a Delhi woman after she alleged that a Rapido rider took her along an unfamiliar and deserted route and refused to stop when she asked him to. The woman, identified as Ayesha Srivastav, eventually jumped from the moving scooter and was injured.
According to Srivastav, she had booked a Rapido bike for her journey to the office. During the ride, she noticed that the rider was taking a route she did not recognise. She said the road appeared deserted, which made her uncomfortable.
She questioned the rider about the route and, according to her account, he told her that it was a direct road to Vishwavidyalaya. However, Srivastav said she did not feel safe and asked him to either change the route or stop the scooter.
She alleged that the rider did not stop despite her repeated requests. She then tried to hit him in an attempt to make him stop the vehicle. When that also failed, Srivastav said she made the decision to jump from the moving scooter because she feared for her safety.
She suffered injuries to her hands, legs and head following the fall and required medical attention. The incident later gained attention after Srivastav shared her experience on Instagram. She also questioned Rapido’s initial response to her complaint and said she had not received a satisfactory response from customer support.
Following the attention around the incident, Rapido responded and said it had taken the complaint seriously. The company said the rider involved had been permanently suspended from the platform.
Rapido also said it had shared the rider’s details with Srivastav by email so that she could take necessary legal action if she wished to do so. The company further offered her legal and medical assistance.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about passenger safety while using app based bike taxi services, particularly when a passenger feels uncomfortable with the route being taken.
For now, the confirmed action from Rapido is the permanent suspension of the reported rider and the company’s offer of legal and medical support to the woman.
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