You better not count on Uber to get you home past midnight in India. Here’s why

I had heard horror stories of friends being stranded bang in the middle of the night in Delhi by Uber drivers. However, I scarcely believed them.

This week, after my Air India flight landed around 1 am in Delhi, I decided to bank on Uber to ferry me to my destination in the city.

I booked the Uber at about 1:46 am. See the car number (DL1Y E5896) and the time of its location at booking in the screenshots below.

At the time of booking, the cab was just about 11 minutes away from the international airport – around AeroCity metro station – as indicated by Uber on its application.

After waiting for the cab for 10 minutes, I called the driver. There was no response. The app showed me that the cab was stationary at the same initial location even at 2:04 am. I checked again at 2:08 am, 2:12 am, 2:15 am, and 2:20 am. The cab didn’t budge an inch.

The roads have sparse traffic at the dead of the night, so the question of the car stuck in a jam didn’t arise.

I felt abandoned as I saw other fellow passengers board their cabs or waiting vehicles.

Many Uber users have been complaining of being left stranded, when they have to visit a hospital, attend office, or an important meeting. Many drivers simply don’t turn up after accepting a booking, citing an excuse like breakdown, punctured tire, or traffic jam.

Why drivers refuse to pick up in India

Example of how Uber drivers refuse pickups in Delhi. Notice the time and location of the cab in screenshots taken during the period. Photo credit: Harsimran Julka

Here’s why Uber drivers refuse to cancel rides. If an Uber driver cancels a trip allotted to him, his rating gets a downgrade on the app. This directly impacts his earnings in the week.

Uber also declines to give incentives earned in a day if a driver cancels a booked ride. Remember, he has worked hard all day to earn that incentive.

A driver has to complete three trips in peak office hours in morning and evening in Delhi to be eligible for an incentive – double the fare earned. In Bangalore, he has to complete 15 trips to avail US$58.20 of daily incentive.

Delhi is unsafe at night

So what happened to my ride?

The system at fault?