Captains refusing app fare for airport rides. Is this normal now?
I booked a Rapido cab to the airport from Indiranagar for ₹722. Just as I was about to sit in the cab, the captain told me the fare would be ₹1100 because “that’s the standard airport rate” and apparently no one accepts rides at the app price. I travel pretty often and took an airport ride in March without any issue, so I honestly thought he was bluffing. I said I can’t do, and he simply asked me to cancel.
So I booked another ride, this time with a ₹60 tip. The second captain also called and said he wouldn’t come for the app fare and would only do the trip for ₹900. At this point I was running out of time, so I agreed. The cab arrived, I got in, and once we started moving, the captain asked me to cancel the ride from the app. I asked why, since I wasn’t even paying through the app, I was going to pay him directly via GPay anyway. He kept insisting for 5 minutes and then eventually cancelled the ride himself while I was already inside the cab.
Honestly, the whole thing felt very uncomfortable and unsafe. I was stuck in this dilemma of not wanting to continue an off-app trip with no tracking/support, but also not being able to get down midway because I’d miss my flight.
Is this becoming common now? Has anyone else had a similar experience with airport rides?