One Driver, Two Ride Bookings: Uber-Rapido Incident Raises Questions Over Simultaneous Ride Acceptances

A LinkedIn post by Neha Bahri, founder of Bconnect Communications, has raised questions over how ride-hailing platforms handle drivers who operate simultaneously across multiple apps.

In a post shared on August 24, Bahri said she encountered a situation while trying to book a cab through Uber and Rapido. According to her, the same driver, driving the same car, accepted her ride requests on both platforms at almost the same time.

The incident prompted Bahri to question whether ride-hailing platforms have mechanisms to prevent drivers from accepting multiple bookings simultaneously.

"If both Uber and Rapido are independently facilitating the booking, how can the same driver accept two ride requests simultaneously?" she asked, questioning whether platforms should be able to identify when a driver has already committed to another ride.

Bahri also raised questions about the growing practice of drivers operating across multiple ride-hailing platforms. She asked how simultaneous bookings are handled and who bears responsibility when two customers are effectively assigned to the same vehicle.

She also questioned the commercial implications for customers. She argued that passengers are shown a fare, accept it and wait for a cab with the expectation that the booking is confirmed.

However, if a driver can simultaneously accept rides on different platforms, Bahri questioned what exactly customers are paying for, including the convenience, technology and assurance that a confirmed booking represents an actual confirmed ride.

She further argued that while customers pay the fare displayed by the platform, the availability of the underlying vehicle may not always be exclusive or as reliable as passengers assume.

Tagging Uber and Rapido in her post, Bahri sought clarity from both companies on whether the situation was a feature of their systems, a loophole, a driver-side practice or an issue that the platforms have yet to address.

She also invited other users who may have experienced similar situations to share their experiences and called for an explanation from the two ride-hailing platforms.