Pune Woman Claims Uber Driver Refused Drop, Yelled & Drove Away With Her Bags; 'Most Nightmarish Experience'

A Pune woman took to X to recount what she described as her “most nightmarish experience” with an Uber driver, alleging that he refused to drop her at the correct location, yelled at her repeatedly, and even ''drove away with her luggage'' at one point. Her detailed post has since gone viral, prompting a response from Uber.The user, identified as Madhu Purnima, said she had her “most nightmarish experience” with an Uber driver named Gautam during an intercity ride from Pune airport to the Chinmaya Vibhooti Centre, approximately 52 km away.She wrote, “I booked an intercity ride at 8:35 pm from Pune airport for Chinmaya Vibhooti Centre. It was a long ride. Driver Gautam remained so busy talking in an agitated manner on the phone for a large part

of the journey that he did not even register if I asked a question. Luckily, I chose not to disturb him even though Uber protocol forbids drivers to have long phone conversations.”

Madhu said there was no interaction during the ride that could have caused any argument. But things escalated the moment they reached the Chinmaya Mission Centre around 10:30 pm. According to her, the driver abruptly said his job was limited to dropping her at the main gate, insisting she should “find her own way.” She wrote that this came as a shock, especially since she was unfamiliar with the large campus and was carrying a suitcase and a backpack.“I insisted that he drop me at the location suggested by the security guard,” she added. “He grumbled angrily, saying that is not his job.”After driving her to the suggested point, she picked up her room key and was told the building she needed to reach was only about 100 meters away. But when she requested he drive her the short distance, the driver again yelled at her, saying she should walk on her own.Madhu recounted, “Fuming and frothing, he drove me to a nearby building but it was the wrong one. He again insisted I should get off and find my own way.”She said that despite pleading with folded hands, the driver became “abusive and nasty beyond words.”When she briefly stepped out to locate a security guard, the situation escalated further. “By this time he was yelling loudly at me. Hearing the fracas, some staff members of the Chinmaya Mission came out. They offered to guide me to my room and let go of the cab. But Gautam refused to open the trunk to get my suitcase out till I paid him.”She added that even when staff asked him to hand over her bag and then take the fare, he shouted at them too—and then drove away with her suitcase, claiming he would go to the police station to report non-payment.Madhu said the situation took a bizarre twist when a staff member called the main gate security and stopped the cab from exiting. Unable to leave, the driver called her “in a furious tone” and demanded payment. Her hosts took over the call and told him to return immediately or face action.“Gautam came back fuming and frothing,” she wrote. “He again insisted on payment before taking out my suitcase. In utter helplessness, I sat in the cab and asked him to present the QR code. I told him I would get off only after he took out the suitcase.”She ultimately paid Rs 1,700 — the driver demanded slightly more than the actual bill of Rs 1,693, which she said she agreed to without protest. Madhu added that she would have tipped him generously had he not “misbehaved in the most bizarre fashion.”She said the ordeal left her shaken, especially given the isolated stretches of highway they had travelled through late at night. “What would I have done if the people from Chinmaya Mission were not available at that hour to help me?” she wrote.Madhu ended her post with a plea to Uber, “Dear @Uber_India @Uber_Support, Gautam is in need of psychiatric treatment. His behaviour was very abnormal. Please take serious note of his mental health. Else he could get you into serious trouble!”However, after the post went viral, Uber responded, saying, “Hi Madhu — this is unacceptable, and we apologise for this experience. We have provided you a full refund and are taking appropriate action with the driver. Please check your in-app messages for more details.”